View this email in your browser

🌸🌸Special Cherry Blossom Edition🌸🌸

Hello, friends! It’s almost time—peak bloom for the cherry blossoms is predicted for March 22 to March 25. Countdown the days until then and keep an eye on the buds with EarthCam’s live Cherry Blossom camera. Get the inside scoop on everyone’s favorite pink and white flowers:

• Q&A: A Few Things You Might Not Know About D.C.’s Cherry Blossoms

• Identify All the Different Types of Cherry Blossom Trees Around DC

Along with the return of DC’s signature springtime blossoms comes lots of ways to celebrate with a profusion of pink-themed programming. It can be overwhelming trying to keep track of everything. This special edition of our regular newsletter is a handy guide to help make sure you don’t miss a thing!

Plus:

• 2023 National Cherry Blossom Festival Official Guide

• These Cherry Blossom Tours Will Let You Experience DC in Full Bloom

P.S. Reminder: Please don’t touch the flowers/break off a branch. And don’t climb the trees. They are very fragile!

🌸8 Best Cherry Blossom Spots to Avoid Crowds.

Each spring, crowds by the millions descend upon the Tidal Basin to see the iconic cherry blossoms during peak bloom. But you don't need to go to the Tidal Basin to see cherry blossoms around DC.

If you want to discover a new spot to view the trees, check out our picks for the best places off-the-beaten-path to see cherry blossoms in full bloom this spring. You can also use this handy map to pinpoint where cherry trees are in nearby neighborhoods.

🗓 Cherry Bloom Events Are Springing Up All Around DC.

Spring fever is in full bloom as cherry blossom celebrations spring up all across DC!
From the annual parade, street festivals, sake and wine tastings, and more, check out some of the best ways to celebrate Japan’s famous gift to the District.

🍽 Indulge in Cherry-Blossom Inspired Food + Drinks.

As soon as cherry blossoms start to show up on trees, 🌸🌸🌸 specials begin to pop up on DC menus.

Want to celebrate peak bloom with food and drink?

Check out our roundup of cherry blossom specials from cocktails to pink cupcakes and limited-time restaurant menus.

👀Sneak Peek: ARTECHOUSE’s PIXELBLOOM: Timeless Butterflies.

Hello, spring! Nature is in full bloom at ARTECHOUSE DC’s 6th annual cherry-blossom inspired celebration of spring.

The skinny: "PIXELBLOOM: Timeless Butterflies" is an exuberant celebration that beckons you to immersive yourself in a virtual world of blossoms and a stunning assortment of butterflies released from their winter slumber. It’s an event of renewal and vibrancy 🦋🌸

👀 Go inside PIXELBLOOM with this short sneak peak video

You can also bring the coming season to life and experience the beauty and magic of nature with several awesome interactive exhibits that are sure to delight.

Curious Tip: Enhance your visit with a cherry-blossom inspired cocktail or mocktail at the XR Bar; be sure to download the Artechose app to activate the VR markers in each drink coasters for a digital surprise!

📆: March 11 - June 11, 2023

📍: 1238 Maryland Ave, SW

⏰️: Thurs - Monday, 10AM – 10PM; Tues - Weds, 4PM – 10PM

💰: $25; Children (4-15): $17; Children (under 4): Free

🍶Kanpai! Celebrate the Season with Sake.

In Japan, there’s a long tradition of cherry blossom viewing, or Hanami, which includes picnics with snacks and sake in the park under the trees with family and friends.

Sake's popularity has finally found footing in the US. Sake today is where wine was in the 1980s—transitioning from a bourgeois beverage for special occasions to the mainstream. Luckily, several DC restaurants, markets and liquor stores have large sake selections, diverse picks and knowledgeable servers to help you create your own Hanami experience.

Check out our roundup of places around town to broaden and educate your sake palate.

🇯🇵Experience Japanese Culture Right Here in DC For Cherry Blossom Season.

DC's cherry blossom season is the perfect time to celebrate the pink-and-white blooms and learn about Japan and Japanese culture.

From cooking classes, sake, art and performances, bonsai and more, you can still get up close and personal with Japan even if you're not able to hop on a plane and travel there.

Check out our recommendations for ways to elevate this spring's cherry blossom viewing and experience Japanese culture right here in DC!

❤ Where in DC?

It took 24 years and several passionate people to bring Japanese cherry trees to the nation’s capital. What the governments of both Japan and the United States describe as “an international gift of friendship” has stood the test of time and conflict. Japan sent additional cherry trees and other more permanent gifts, including a stone pagoda and a 300-year-old stone lantern that is now used to kickoff the festival in D.C. each year – its counterpart stands in Tokyo’s Ueno Park.

A plaque on a rock near the granite lantern at the Tidal Basin marks the historic spot where First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Iwa Chinda, the Japanese Ambassador’s wife at the time, planted the first cherry blossom trees from the 1912 shipment. The plaque was commissioned by President Truman’s committee for celebrating the 150th birthday of the city.

Whether you’re local or just visiting, your DC adventure awaits. Allons-y!

Follow us on social👇🏾