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National Park Service Announces Visitor Services For 2016 National Cherry Blossom Festival

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Published Date

March 22, 2016

Plenty of activities during the Cherry Blossom Festival at the National Mall and Memorial Parks/NPS

The National Park Service will offer a number of special programs and services during the 2016 National Cherry Blossom Festival, including festival-related lantern walks, ranger talks, and tours around the Tidal Basin and National Mall. National Park Service festival events will be held through April 3 and are free of charge.

Visitor information during the festival will be available from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at the Tidal Basin Welcome Area, located near the paddle boats in the Tidal Basin parking lot. Food, souvenir, and book sales are also located in the same area, available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Due to extremely limited public parking, the National Park Service strongly recommends all visitors take Metro or bike to the festival. The closest Metro stop to the festival and the Tidal Basin is the Smithsonian station. The L’Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, and Federal Triangle Metro stations are also within walking distance. Five Capital Bikeshare stations are available within the park to provide another transportation option.

For the first time, D.C. Circulator service is available around the Tidal Basin, via the National Mall route. Stops near the cherry blossoms include the Holocaust Memorial Museum/Bureau of Engraving and Printing (adjacent to the Tidal Basin Welcome Area), the Jefferson Memorial, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

Shuttle service with 11 stops around East Potomac Park between Hains Point and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial is available for $1 per person for each boarding. Provided by Eastern National, official cooperating association of National Mall and Memorial Parks, the service will operate through April 3 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Handicapped parking is designated on West Basin Drive at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Additional handicapped parking is available on southbound Ohio Drive on the Washington Boundary Channel side of Hains Point, north of the intersection with Buckeye Drive.

From March 22 through April 9, Ohio Drive through West Potomac Park will be one way only (westbound) between Inlet Bridge and 23rd St.

Schedule of Special Events

Daily Activities – Through April 3

Tidal Basin Welcome Area

Begin your visit to the National Cherry Blossom Festival at the Tidal Basin Welcome Area, located off Maine Avenue, SW, on the northeast side of the Tidal Basin. Information tents, food and souvenir sales areas, first aid and the Junior Ranger Activity Zone provide everything you need for a fun-filled visit.

Junior Ranger Activities

Pick up your Junior Bloomin' Ranger booklet in the National Park Service tent at the Tidal Basin Welcome Area and complete the family-friendly, fun activities to earn a special Junior Ranger badge and certificate! Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the festival.

Cherry Blossom Ranger Talks 

Join a Park Ranger and learn more about the history and lore of the cherry blossoms. Programs begin every hour, on the hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial plaza (NOTE: There is no program at noon each day).

Memorials of the Reflecting Pool

Explore the cherry blossoms and the Lincoln, Vietnam Veterans, Korean War Veterans and World War II memorial on a guided walk with a Park Ranger. Begins at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Lincoln Memorial

Memorials of the Tidal Basin 

Join a park ranger to learn about the history of the iconic cherry trees and the Jefferson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr. memorials. Walking tour begins daily at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Jefferson Memorial.

Special Program

Ranger-led Lantern Walks - March 25, March 26, April 1, April 2

Bring your flashlight for an evening stroll beneath the blossoms; evening is one of the best times to beat the crowds and enjoy the beautiful serenity of the Cherry trees. This 1.8-mile, two-hour guided walk around the Tidal Basin begins at 8 p.m. at the National Park Service tent in the Tidal Basin Welcome Area.

For the full schedule of National Park Service cherry blossom events, including the Anacostia River Festival to be held in Anacostia Park, as well as a history of the cherry blossoms, and the bloom watch countdown, visit this site.

For the full schedule of events sponsored by the National Cherry Blossom Festival, see this site.

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