March 27, 2025 - Celebrity News

They’re close now, and I won’t be surprised if the NPS calls peak bloom later today or perhaps tomorrow.

More trees are out now with their fresh white flowers, and they’re looking lovely. (related: What Color are the Cherry Blossoms?)

And while not all the flowers are out yet, by definition, with peak bloom being a 70 percent threshold, that can leave up to 30 percent yet to bloom. If they’re not already there, they’re very close. But it also depends one where at the Tidal Basin you’re standing. For example, many of the trees at the MLK Memorial are further along than those over by the Jefferson Memorial or paddle boats.

There were lots of people out early this morning enjoying a beautiful spring morning at the Tidal Basin. If you’re planning on heading down over the weekend, I have some logistical information below.

I dropped in at the Enid A. Haupt Garden this morning (behind the Smithsonian Castle), and it’s not too late to catch the saucer magnolias. But sooner will be better than later.

The same cooler temperatures this week that have helped slow down the cherry blossoms have also helped keep the magnolias looking lovely. But very warm temperatures are expected over the weekend, which will rush many more petals down.

I have a separate post with some photos showing how they’re looking today.

There’s not much happening with the tulips at the Floral Library yet. I took a quick walk through it this morning. Lots of stems, but I didn’t see any buds showing yet (I’ve included a photo below).

And speaking of tulips, if you’re after tulips this spring, for picking or just enjoying, Burnside Farms is one of my favorites (ditto for sunflowers later in the summer). Their Festival of Spring ticket sales open today at noon (buy them online here). Their tulip is kicking off April 4, and they’re hoping to run through at least April 21.

It was a lovely and relatively clear sunrise this morning. There’s still a light, cool breeze, but it’s not nearly as strong or biting as yesterday.

Here are some photos from this morning to give a sense of how it’s looking down there today.

TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Washington DC’s famous cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin, as seen on March 27, 2025. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel. Download or license this image.

TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Stumpy’s cousin? Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel. Download or license this image.

TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — The sky above the Jefferson Memorial just before sunrise, as seen on March 27, 2025. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel. Download or license this image.

Many of these photos are available to license for personal use or editorial publishing. You can find them here.

I also have prints (framed and unframed) available here.

This coming weekend (March 29-30) is going to be prime time for the cherry blossoms. Right now, the weather forecast is for a marked jump in temperatures for a few days. That will bring out any remaining cherry blossoms.

If you plan on going, the cherry blossoms will look spectacular. But expect crowds. And for those that haven’t been there for a prime viewing weekend of the cherry blossoms, I’ll emphasize the point: it will be crowded. (If you’re looking for less crowded alternative locations for cherry blossoms, here are some ideas.)

It will be a good weekend for finding almost any other way of getting there than driving and parking. But I also recognize that that’s not always possible, so you can find some logistical information on getting there and parking below.

The National Park Service has set up the Welcome Area on West Basin Drive, so it’s closed off to traffic and now open for business. West Basin Drive will remain closed through April 11.
Ohio Drive is currently open as normal. Mostly. There’s a corner down near the John Ericsson Memorial that’s fenced off as a construction staging area. But a new road has been created that goes around and and provides an alternate intersection between Independence Avenue and Ohio Drive.
There are no special traffic restrictions on Ohio Drive yet. Expect that to be in place for the coming weekend.
The paddle boat parking lot (aka the Main Ave SW parking lot) is no closed through April 8. They’ve put in a temporary beer garden and a few food trucks.
Parking lots A, B, and C are fully open. In recent years there was construction equipment taking up some of them, but that has long since gone. Like most of the other public parking around the Tidal Basin, those lots are metered with ParkMobile.
The Paddle Boats are open. It’s walk-up only until mid-April (ie. they’re not taking advance reservations).
Cell phone capacity along the National Mall has been upgraded in recent years. It used to be quite a problem with everyone sharing their cherry blossom photos and using their phones crashing the network. But that *shouldn’t* be a problem anymore. So shoot and share away!
It’s a National Park. The usual National Park rules and courtesies apply.
Please don’t climb on the trees, pick the flowers, or break off branches.
Please be careful on the walking paths. There’s no railing around most of the Tidal Basin, and some areas are quite uneven and even muddy.
Please dispose of any trash thoughtfully. The trash collection often gets overwhelmed at this time of year. There are trash cans around the Tidal Basin, but it’s never nearly enough to deal with the huge influx of visitors that come during a full bloom weekend.
It is a no drone zone. And it’s strictly enforced for all sorts of good reasons.
If you get a chance, it would be a nice touch to thank the NPS rangers and staff. I’m sure they’d appreciate it.

A lot is happening around the National Mall to get ready for the 250th celebrations next year.

To give a sense of what to expect if you visit for the cherry blossoms in Spring 2025, I’ve posted some rundowns of activity at various major sites.

There’s nothing particular happening at the MLK, FDR, and World War II Memorials, so I won’t post separate overviews of those. They’re all fully open and accessible.

Here are some of my favorite books on DC’s cherry blossoms.

They’re interesting reads for anyone planning to visit. They also make for great gifts for those who can’t make it in person this year.

Images and product information from Amazon Product Advertising API were last updated on 2025-03-27 at 12:51.

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