Cherry Blossom Festival Opens Today in Washington, DC.
The Cherry Blossom Festival continues through April 11th, so you have plenty of time. Earlier the better, though!
Travel through our area, see Hershey, Pa., stay
at Annville Inn Bed and Breakfast, and then have a casual, relaxed drive of a couple of hours to Washington and the Cherry Blossom Festival.Never been to Washington, D.C. before? Your innkeeper, Rosalie George, is a native of Washington and can guide both new and seasoned visitors. Living in DC, one seldom encounters a "native Washingtonian," but Rosalie is, and is an excellent guide. Rosalie and Craig both worked in DC and the surrounding area for nearly two decades before moving to Annville, PA to purchase General Kendall's home and lovingly convert it into a five-star bed and breakfast.
We can help you plan your trip to Washington; we can
make well informed suggestions of what to see, where to park, how to move about and not get lost, where to eat, best times to see the targets on your "must see" list, and much more.Rosalie, every day, offers concierge service to our guests for the Hershey area. Hershey attractions, what to see, when to see it, where to dine, making reservations for meals, where to go for hiking, boating, tennis, bicycling,
golfing--you name it. Now, with Cherry Blossom time in full swing in DC, she can also help you plan your trip in that city.When you plan your SPRING TIME IN HERSHEY---SPRING TIME IN WASHINGTON adventure, we can even make well informed bed and breakfast suggestions for DC!
And with the cherry blossoms about to open, Washington is poised for today's {Saturday, March 27th} start of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, marking the 98th anniversary of the arrival of the trees from Japan .
On Thursday, the National Park Service hosted a festival preview on the shore of the Tidal Basin, where officials said that the two-week festival is the biggest recurring tourism event for the city and the National Park Service.The peak bloom is expected to be April 1 through April 4, with the blooming period from March 28 through April 9. Of course, this is not 100% predictable, as Mother Nature is always a little "cagey" on such matters.
During the preview, officials of the U.S. Park Service, U.S. Park Police and the blossom festival were on hand to welcome visitors to the festival's various walks, talks, and other events. They were joined by the great-grandson of first lady Helen H. Taft, who planted the first tree nearly a century ago. Click here for Festival details.
"It's just amazing to see the transformation from the snows this year to spring awakening and the blossoms coming out," said John Piltzecker, superintendent of the U.S. National Park Service's National Mall and Memorial Parks. "This is the time everyone comes out. . . This is the time. Come out from winter. Come down to the Tidal basin, or out to Hains Point, and enjoy Washington D.C."
