Chasing Cherry Blossoms Peak During a Family Trip to Washington DC

I’ve been thinking about taking my kids to DC for a long time, but something always came up. Well, comrades, we finally made it! The big reason why I chose this particular year was the fact that I had 60k expiring Asia Miles. I accumulated them in 2019 (under old rules), and there was no possibility of extending the validity of my stash after four years have passed.

So, I’ve decided that I might as well burn it towards a trip to DC on American Airlines and get one-way tickets from Orlando for 15k miles per person. For the return leg I used Jet Blue points and paid 7k points per ticket, an amazing bargain.

Because my kids are in school, I had to limit the length of the trip. We flew out Thursday evening and came back on Sunday. Definitely a hectic schedule, but my kids have all kinds of important tests and exams this time of year. We barely made our flight in Orlando since we were driving to the airport during rush hour. Thank goodness for TSA pre-check. We also had a one-hour delay in DCA airport on the way back. Otherwise, the trip went rather smoothly.

During our three nights in the city I  wanted to kill two birds with one stone: visit several famous DC museums+see cherry blossoms. But the latter was definitely a priority, otherwise I wouldn’t plan this trip while my kids are in school. I’m happy to say that we weren’t disappointed.

Is it worth planning a trip to DC just for the cherry blossoms?

In my opinion, yes. I grew up in Eastern Europe, so seeing cherry blossoms isn’t some sort of novelty. In fact, we had two trees in our backyard. However, what makes DC special is the sheer concentration of cherry trees, especially around Tidal Basin area.

It really is a sight to behold. If the weather is good, walking along the Tidal Basin loop feels like you are in a magical fairly tale. My husband, who doesn’t usually get excited about this sort of thing, couldn’t stop smiling and taking photos.

In fact, he asked me if we could go back here one more time before flying home. Naturally, I said yes. So, we left our kids in the hotel room and took Uber to Jefferson Memorial on Saturday evening. It was quite windy, and there were rain showers, but we still enjoyed it.

My photos don’t do it justice, it’s something you really have to experience in person

Be aware, timing the cherry blossoms peak is very tricky and is usually done with some degree of certainty about 10 days in advance. There are websites that post updates and have a BloomCam where you can watch the real-time view of the cherry trees lining the Tidal Basin. Historically, the peak usually occurs during the very end of March, but it has been trending earlier in the last few years.

This spring it fell on March 23rd, and we were scheduled to be in DC on March 30th. I was concerned that we would miss this spectacle altogether. But thanks to cool, calm weather, we managed to catch the tail end of cherry blossoms peak. Basically, we got lucky. One huge advantage of coming when we did was the fact that most folks who live close to DC drove to see the cherry trees the previous weekend. All of our Uber and Lyft drivers commented that traffic was awful. But we had no issues during our stay. Although, counting on favorable weather is iffy at best. You really need to time your trip precisely in order to play it safe.

Obviously, purchasing flights last-minute can be quite expensive. So, the best way to hedge your bets would be to use miles to book several roundtrip flights on different weekends. Most US-based frequent flyer programs allow you to cancel for free these days. Of course, some may consider it ethically dubious, so I’m not telling you what you should do. I’m simply pointing out the obvious.

For what it’s worth, I didn’t pursue this strategy for various reasons. One of them was the fact that Asia Miles does not allow free cancellations. YMMV.

Review of our hotel

I decided to book Embassy Suites Washington DC Georgetown for 60k Hilton points per night. I had 120k points that I got from various credit card sign-ups, and transferred 21k Amex Membership Rewards when there was a bonus. Overall, it was an excellent use of Hilton points, as rates in this hotel were running at $450 per night. It’s a bit out of the way if you just want to visit the museums, but not terribly so. Plus, it was relatively close to Smithsonian Zoo, which made up for it.

Since we were traveling with kids, we got a 1-bedroom suite with two queen beds. My husband slept with my son and I had the whole bed to myself.

My daughter used the sofa bed:

The suite was quite spacious, and I would estimate it at around 650 square feet. One thing I didn’t like was the fact that the bathroom could only be accessed by opening the bedroom door. So, if my husband was napping, I had to tell the kids to be very quiet if they needed to use it.

It’s not a big deal, as we were gone most of the time, but I felt it’s worth mentioning. The suite itself was very clean, so no complaints there. I hate carpeted hotel rooms, but it is what it is.

I liked the fact that there was a sitting area next to our room, so I could hang out there if my kids were watching a TV show I didn’t care for.

Breakfast at this hotel is a really bright spot. My favorite part was made-to-order omelets, something my husband and I took advantage of every morning.

It didn’t hurt that we usually got a table with the view of cherry trees outside.

Now, let me mention some issues. First, one of the main reasons I picked this hotel was because it has a pool. Well, it was closed for maintenance during our stay. This was not communicated to me ahead of time, though truth be told, it’s unlikely that I would cancel my reservation. Plus, we would probably only use the pool once anyway.

There were also some service issues. I noticed that our A/C room unit would not cool below 75 degrees. It did get down to 73 at night, though it’s still  a bit warm for me. When I called the front desk, the agent said he would send someone right away. Two hours later nobody showed up, and then we had to leave.

I decided to let it go, but mentioned it at check out. The rep said that there is nothing wrong with the unit, they just set it at 75 degrees this time of year. He did mention that it may be possible to adjust the thermostat, but he wasn’t sure. I don’t know what the situation is like in the summer, but you should definitely reach out to the hotel if you plan to stay here. It wasn’t a huge thing, though, and we mostly slept fine.

Another minor gripe is that one of the days nobody showed up to clean our room. I called and asked for some clean towels, and was assured they would be sent right away. You guessed it,  nobody came. I had to go down to the front desk and grab them myself. Not a big deal, but still.

The hotel was completely sold out, so I’m sure that had something to do with it. But service is definitely a bit spotty here. That said, I would rate the hotel 4 out of 5 stars, and the amazing breakfast is the big reason why. Overall, the hotel served its purpose for what we needed to accomplish in DC.

If you insist on redeeming points on a standard award suite with two beds+sofa bed, your only other Hilton option in the area is Embassy Suites Washington DC Convention Cente. It has a pool and is located a bit closer to the big museums. However, the beds are full rather than queen, and the hotel costs 70k points per night instead of 60k points.

Aside from Hilton program, Hyatt will likely be your best bet. There are many reasonably priced options in DC, and all will be a spectacular deal during cherry blossom season. Even if you redeem points on two rooms each night, it will likely be cheaper than renting an AirBnB. The closest property to the Tidal Basin is Hyatt House Washington DC / The Wharf (category 4).

 Smithsonian museums, the Zoo and the White House

The good news for families is that admission is free to most places you would actually want to visit. This is huge, as these are world-class establishments where I would gladly pay $35 per person or more. If you multiply it times four, it can add up to  huge savings. Of course, we did end up spending a small fortune on souvenirs, but you can’t win them all. For example, my husband paid $14 for this Star Trek-inspired “Tribble” because my son wanted to give it to my SIL:

Yeah, it’s just a fur ball

1) National Air and Space museum 

This one was a priority, as my husband is really into anything aviation related. You do have to reserve your free tickets in advance at the time of this post. My husband was excited to see the Enterprise model that was used to film old Star Trek episodes. We actually have a small copy on our nightstand at home.

I was thrilled to see the original Wright brothers airplane:

Both of my kids also really enjoyed the planetarium show (extra $7 per person).

2) National Museum of Natural History 

A short walk from Air and Space museum, so you might as well visit them both on the same day. It’s a fascinating place that your kids will likely love.

Lots of bones and rocks, my son’s favorite two things in a museum.

I actually didn’t realize they have an original Moai statue from Easter island:

 

3) Smithsonian Zoo

The main reason most families visit this zoo is because you can see panda bears. That was true for us as well. It wasn’t super crowded since we came on a rainy afternoon, and the weather cleared up shortly after we entered the zoo.

 

For some reason, my son was fascinated by the hermit crabs:

4) The White House

After we were done with the zoo, we took Uber to see the White House. This was our most expensive ride of the trip ($40+tip). But to me it was worth it, since everyone in the family was completely exhausted.

I last saw the White House when I came to US as a 16-year old exchange student in the dead of winter. So, the area around it was far more lively this time. Several folks had signs promoting various causes and one lady was celebrating Trump indictment with a special t-shirt and a banner. Talk about commitment! I didn’t take photos, plus, I don’t want this post to have any political subtext.

Final thoughts

Overall, this was an amazing, if a little hectic trip. We saw magnificent  cherry blossoms, so everything else was just the icing on the cake. It didn’t hurt that our out-of-pocket cost was relatively small, since I used miles and hotel points to cover flights and lodging. Don’t get me wrong, we still spent a good amount on souvenirs and food, plus Uber rides. But I honestly don’t regret it one bit. We all thoroughly enjoyed DC, and my daughter called it the Paris of United States.

I will say, I’m glad I waited until my kids were older (they are 12 and almost 15). It was already hard enough, with complaints galore. We are a family of wimps. I totally agree with Nancy that a trip to DC with young kids is not for the faint of heart, especially if you don’t have a spouse to help you. Lots of walking required, and I recommend splurging on Uber or Lyft (referral links that will give you free credit towards your first ride) whenever possible to save energy. Trust me on this one.

Still, if you really want to do a DC family trip with the goal of seeing cherry blossoms, I highly recommend it. BTW, next year, Good Friday holiday falls on March 29th. I don’t know about other states, but in Florida children get a day off. So, if you absolutely refuse to take your kids out of school, this is your chance to have your cake and eat it too. Who knows, maybe you will get lucky like we did.