Location: 3101 Wisconsin Ave.
Readers’ pick: National Cathedral gardens
After a quick, 20-minute bus ride over to the National Cathedral Gardens, you’ll find yourself quickly immersed in greenery and alluring cherry blossoms along with groups of families, friends and pets clustered for the season.
Bishop’s Garden, a small walkway and main outdoor attraction where guests dwell filled with greenery and circular paths, is reminiscent of the Parisian gardens in Greta Gerwig’s stunning 2019 rendition of “Little Women.” Welcoming visitors with a stone gazebo and snaking trees, vibrant tulips and sage plants keep the quiet getaway fresh even on a foggy day.
The pale-pink cherry petals were at peak bloom during my late-March visit. Although the trees were few and far between, visitors could not drop their gaze from their expansive pink-and-white encrusted branches. One particularly intimate scene surrounded by bowing cherry trees sculpted by Heinz Warneke showed a father and son embracing.
Looking past the trees, the grounds’ history runs deep, from the bedrock of the cathedral’s construction beginning under Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 and ending 83 years later under the watch of George H. W. Bush. The site has hosted numerous memorial services including Hellen Keller and Woodrow Wilson’s burials and state funerals for former presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush.
Walking through the pink and green gardens, I stumbled upon an enchanting, enclosed cafe disguised as a cabin draped with greenery. I found more families and students huddled inside the spacious cafe than I expected, as a fairytale aura blanketed the space. I ordered a cappuccino, which was delivered alongside animal crackers to dip in the drink. Open City cafe offers meals, pastries, various drinks and a charming fable-like atmosphere to sit in from 7 a.m to 6 p.m. between strolling in the gardens.
The 59 acres of vegetation rooted in D.C. history make this the optimal place to admire the cherry blossoms.
