Food Fun Family

A family lifestyle blog about food, family, entertainment, travel and family-friendly products.

  • Home
  • Food
    • All Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Side Dishes
    • Vegetarian dishes
    • Delicious Dishes Recipe Party
    • Recipe Round Ups
    • 15 Minute Suppers
    • Recipe Box
  • Family
    • Tips for Moms
    • Family life
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Savvy Living
  • Creative Life
    • Crafts + projects
    • DIY Bath & Body Products
    • Printables and Activity Sheets
    • Photography Tutorials
    • Give Me Your Best Shot – Photostory Friday
  • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Giveaways
    • Book Club
    • Movies
    • Printables and Activity Sheets
    • Blog prompts
  • About
    • Contact Me
    • Privacy Policy
    • Advertise
    • Site Map – Find Your Way Around
  • Lollidale Goats
    • Our Does
You are here: Home / Travels / Washington D.C. / Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival

Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival

Wednesday, April 7, 2010 by Lolli 24 Comments

There is something magical about visiting Washington DC during the peak of the Cherry Blossoms. During the 12 years that I have lived here in the metro DC area, I have been able to travel down to the City several times to see the blossoming trees. Last year, I even did an early morning photo walk with friends during the cherry blossom festival. I never tire of it.

It’s wonderful when the Cherry Blossoms peak during Spring Break, so that I can go downtown with the kids and appreciate our Nation’s Capitol, which is so close to home.

This last week was our kids’ Spring Break. And it happened to be the last Spring Break in this area for our friends who are moving out of state. We made a point to schedule our traditional Spring Break outings together. One last time.

On Thursday, we drove our two vehicles, loaded to the rim with our 11 kids (combined), sunscreen, cameras, and a picnic lunch. We were ready to go to the National Zoo. It’s tradition.

Twenty two miles…..and THREE hours later, we made it to the zoo’s entrance, where they promptly turned us away. Too many people.

We made the quick decision to drive the rest of the way down to the National Mall and see the Cherry Blossoms. Why not? We were almost there, and had plans to visit the Mall on another day. Parking? Ugh. Our car was a thirty minute walk to the Lincoln Memorial. That’s 30 minutes of walking with 11 kids. We rested and talked and played at the top of the Lincoln Memorial. And then drove home. Without ever seeing a single Cherry Blossom.

Every single stinking picture in this post was taken in my front yard. And these aren’t even cherry blossoms. Could you tell? Nope? Me neither. So much for sight seeing. We should have stayed home.


© 2010, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.

About Lolli

Lolli has written 3740 post in this blog.

I became a mom in 1996, and in 2005 I had my fifth. Yes, 5 kids. In 2007, this blog was born (my 6th baby that will never grow up) and I've been sharing recipes, photography tricks, parenting tips, and everything in between. (Formerly Better in Bulk)

  • View all posts by Lolli →
  • Blog
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Washington D.C. Tagged With: Family life, travel, Wordful Wednesday

« Spring Break 2010
Date Night »

Comments

  1. Brenda says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 8:03 pm

    I can’t believe you were turned away at the zoo! I’ve never heard of that happening.

    Your pictures are beautiful though, wish the day had turned out better.
    .-= Brenda´s last blog ..Clocks/Wordful Wednesday =-.

  2. Allison says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 2:13 pm

    Wow, these photos are beautiful. I especially like the close ups.

    So much for your trip. At least you tried!
    .-= Allison´s last blog ..Easter Eggs =-.

  3. GrammieMommy says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 1:13 pm

    You had me fooled for a second there, haha! Hurray for your blossoms! Our trees are done blossoming and I was able to catch ’em when they were pretty flowers like what you’ve got now. I heart Spring (although we had a taste of winter on Easter Sunday). Enjoy it ~ we’re sneezing here already :)
    .-= GrammieMommy´s last blog ..Hello Manual Mode, Goodby AV Mode =-.

  4. Lolli says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 1:04 pm

    Great idea! Our parking situation is MUCH better than DC. And if we add our kids together, we’ll have our own zoo!

  5. Lolli says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 1:03 pm

    That’s so funny about your dad! My husband can be the same way about things like that, especially waiting in lines and waiting at restaurants. Parking doesn’t stress him as much as me, though.

  6. Lolli says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 1:02 pm

    So we’re only 60 degrees warmer than you guys? Geesh!

    And, yes, things never go as planned with kids.

  7. Lolli says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 1:01 pm

    That stinks! I’m going to try going again during a school day. :)

  8. Lara says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 12:57 pm

    We’ve pretty much decided after a decade in the DC area that we will only do early morning trips to DC during holidays and other busy times. We did an early morning zoo trip (arrived at 9:30 exactly) last week for spring break and loved it. We got a great parking spot, the animals were all active, and we left as soon as the crowds all arrived. A couple of years ago we got in a car accident trying to see the cherry blossoms, so we haven’t been in a few years. Maybe next time I’ll just drive to your house and sit in your front yard and pretend we’re downtown. :)
    .-= Lara´s last blog ..What Rhymes with Easter? =-.

  9. Michelle @ One Crafty Mama says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 11:41 am

    So gorgeous! Thanks for sharing.
    .-= Michelle @ One Crafty Mama´s last blog ..WW – Equine Humor! =-.

  10. mindy says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 10:44 am

    I havent been down since I was a teen. I remember my Dad, who rarely cursed, just swearing like a sailor trying to find parking. I also remember SO many people and jockeying for prime photo positions…I still want to go back down one year though. Just not with kids!

    Your photos are BEAUTIFUL!

    Mindy
    .-= mindy´s last blog ..Blogtrotting to Cumberland, Maryland =-.

  11. Brandie says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 10:33 am

    Ahhh the joys of parenting. Nothing ever goes how it is planned right?? Oh well I am sure the kids had a blast anyway….. Those blossoms are beautiful I need to see those here but with a temp this am of 27 don’t think we will be seeing them today haha!
    .-= Brandie´s last blog ..Bloggography Week 7~The Rule of Thirds =-.

  12. Lindsay Rudolph says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 10:30 am

    I love the Cherry Blossems! I live an hour from DC and I remember my Dad packing us up to go see them. It was always so much fun!

    Don’t worry about missing the zoo. A fried of mine took her two kids and was really disappointed. The zoo is going under renovation and almost all the animals have been moved. She said all they saw were a couple monkeys and a ton of birds. Sounds like you lucked out!

    Have a wonderful day!

  13. Susie's Homemade says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 10:23 am

    So beautiful!!

  14. Jacki @ The Raven's Spell says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 9:53 am

    I have been to DC a number of times in the past, but this spring break I finally was able to take my son. You can read about our trip on my blog if you like. I had forgotten how much I love roaming the Mall and how much there is to see and how you can’t fit it into a lifetime. Of course, we missed the Cherry Blossom festival by just two weeks, which was a bit of a bummer. But having read your blog, now I know there was no guarantee we would have seen them any ways.
    .-= Jacki @ The Raven’s Spell´s last blog ..Tarot Tuesday =-.

  15. Vicki says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 9:45 am

    The SAME thing happened to my girlfriend, me and our kids! We tried to go to the zoo last Wednesday. Got there at 11:30 and the parking lot was already full. No parking within a mile of the entrance either. So, we decided we’d go down to the Tidal Basin and picnic amongst the cherry blossoms. Once again, no parking! We ended up on Haines Point where we found a parking spot and were able to sit beneath the cherry blossoms right on the Potomac. Not crowded either. This is our first spring in DC and I’m loving it! (Other than the parking issue, of course!)
    .-= Vicki´s last blog ..Baptism! =-.

  16. Lolli says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 9:07 am

    It seems that this was not the best week to travel to DC….LOTS of people did it. Too many, in fact. I hope you enjoyed your break in New York!

  17. Lolli says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 9:06 am

    Yep! We’re near DC! I think I am going to have to agree with you on the Cherry Blossoms. Last year, I went early, early in the morning with only adults and it was much better….except that it was raining and knocking the blossoms off!

  18. Lolli says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 9:04 am

    I’m kind of thinking the same thing. I think being inside the zoo with so many people would have been, well, a ZOO!

  19. Lolli says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 9:03 am

    If I hadn’t at least tried, I would have felt bad. Instead, I just felt tired and frustrated. :)

  20. Melissa says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 8:59 am

    How wonderful! Spring is wonderful, but not as pretty in NYC. I was down about not being able to go to DC for my child’s spring break. Thanks for sharing! The pictures are beautiful!

    Followed you over from Sits!

  21. Julie says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 8:41 am

    I didn’t realize you lived here in the DC area, too!! We avoid the cherry blossom festival if at all possible!! It’s too much humanity for too few trees. Your blossoms are beautiful in your yard!
    .-= Julie´s last blog ..Eight Years =-.

  22. Beth says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 8:05 am

    Wow what a day! Good thing you got turned away at the zoo, I bet it was pandemonium inside! Beautiful shots, I can’t wait till the boys are all old enough to visit DC.
    .-= Beth´s last blog ..Bloggography Rule of Thirds Challenge =-.

  23. Colleen says

    Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 7:26 am

    Ah! See, here I was feeling a little bummed about not having the time to get to DC to see the cherry blossoms and you made me feel so much better with your tales of terrible traffic and parking. Like you, I’ll have to make do with the trees in my own yard.
    .-= Colleen´s last blog ..Last Stop Grand Central Station (or NYC part 1) =-.

Trackbacks

  1. Earth Day at Mountainside | Better in Bulk | Good Stuff says:
    Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 3:40 pm

    […] Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Necessary Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.