Submitted by OrdinaryAgency7304 t3_124plv2 in rva
Non-native Richmonder here. Is the cherry blossom festival worth a day trip? I’ve been told the traffic is murder and I’m not sure I want to get stuck with an almost 2 year old in the car for a long time.
If you've never been, I'd say it's worth going once. It's beautiful but yes the traffic is insane. Recommend taking the metro in vs trying to park. Last weekend was peak, so maybe the crowd will lighten up a bit.
Not with a 2 year old. In a few years, definitely. I'd drive in to Fairfax and take the metro in, though. No way I would drive in DC.
Just did this this weekend with our 3 year old. Absolutely train it. We did train to Union Station and then took the metro to the Smithsonian stop. So we had a short but scenic walk. If you can go on a weekday, it'd probably be even better. Also the little refreshment kiosk has way better food/drink prices than the food trucks. Maybe bring a picnic blanket/towel to sit on while you eat because there are not many seats at all.
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I do think technically peak bloom was this weekend but I'm sure it still looks nice!
I just did this this past weekend. I have family in Richmond, so we stay there overnight and make the trip into DC. We drive to the Franconia Springfield metro station, park for the day and take the Metro in.
The cherry blossoms were nice (this past weekend was peak for them), but there's still tons of people, especially near the museums. It was difficult to even walk through the sidewalks because there were so many people. I would not recommend driving in DC ever. I wouldn't even say it's worth it with the metro with a 2 year old.
Edit: forgot to mention that it's absolute shit trying to find somewhere to eat. The wait times for the wharf restaurants are 2+ hours, so you HAVE to make a reservation days in advance.
If you can, try to make the trip at like 9AM during the week and returning at like 2-3PM.
Honestly there are a lot of Cherry blossoms and dogwoods around Richmond with it being that much closer.
I feel like there has to be a media campaign since this year the Cherry blossom stuff is on full press.
I95 is a hassle. I agree -- take the train up!
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Not in my experience, at least Staples Mill to Alexandria. Two hours from start to finish, for a round trip cost that's equal or less than gas and parking fees. But throw in Main Street Station or Union Station, and yeah, it can have some uncertainty.
If you can go during the work week, my family and I enjoy taking the VRE commuter train from Spotsy into DC. It’s cheaper and more reliable than Amtrak with more flexibility on return times.
We just took my 2.5 year old this past weekend, but we took Amtrak up, stayed in a hotel, and metro’d everywhere. He loved it, but he napped through our walk to the tidal basin to see the blossoms. He LOVED the kite festival, but it was only on Sunday.
If you go, you need to go quickly because peak will be over soon. This coming weekend is probably the last chance, and even that might be pushing it.
I went up on Sunday and parked near the Rosslyn Metro stop and rode that in - I didn’t run into much traffic at all. It’s a bit of a walk from the Smithsonian stop to the tidal basin but not too bad. It was busy, I’d say there were hundreds of thousands of people there, but it wasn’t overly crowded.
Pro tip: don’t bother with a stroller. If you have a backpack carrier for your 2 year old that would be perfect. It gets really muddy at the tidal basin and with all the crowds everything from crossing the street to navigating over tree roots will be a challenge if your kids in a stroller. Also wear waterproof shoes and bring a change of clothes (or 2) for the kid. And bring extra water - the concession lines looked very long.
...more unpredictable than driving? While there are certainly delay factors on the train, the train is door-to-door at least comparable to driving, and if you're travelling during DC rush hour, hours faster.
Booked in advance its WAY cheaper than gas + parking. Tickets for off-peak/ non-commuting hours are maybe $20-30 round trip if you book even a few weeks ahead. Day-of it'll depend on how sold the train is, but the most expensive ticket I've paid was maybe $60, which is still worth it to not deal with the drive.
I went last weekend, not really for the cherry blossoms but for the orchid show and to visit my son. It was a gorgeous day, also kite day on the mall, and there were thousands of people out enjoying a beautiful spring day. My only pinch point on the trip up was right before memorial bridge. The trip back, and I waited until 8:30 to head home, was pretty brutal. Traffic, construction, several accidents. But I had a fabulous day.
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A lot of money has been allocated to VA rail under the infrastructure bill. It'll be a while before we see anything though sadly
If you take the NE regional trains, they’re 99% reliable.
If you take the Palmetto or Silver Star, those are dicey on their best days.
I just returned from my trip to DC March 23-26. It is no longer the height of cherry blossom season so I wouldn’t go, but maybe plan on doing it next year.
Or take the commuter rail from F'berg. Though I haven't done that during a holiday, not sure how crowded the trains are then
grew up in DC area, cant say its worth the hassle with a kid that small, wait a couple years. Get a hotel near by just walk around when they're old enough.
I just went, pretty fun. I drove up to park at Nova and then took the metro up. I wouldn’t drive around the city. I think it’s beautiful and worth seeing once, especially if you view some Smithsonian’s.
It's great. Take the train. Seriously. Jump on Amtrak and just get around DC on the Metro. It's much better than driving up there and trying to find parking.
Yes absolutely…one time.
Trains. Take a train and use the metro
FYI the Cherry blossom 5k is Saturday and 10 miler is Sunday so if you’re planning on going this weekend, there’ll be additional crowds and road closures in the morning.
No.
jeb_hoge t1_je08e0j wrote
Not with a 2yo, in my opinion (having had three 2yos...)
If you did want to try it, I'd recommend taking the train to Alexandria, hopping off there, and taking a break in Old Town before catching the Metro into DC, and then taking the train home. Or if you felt committed to driving, don't drive all the way into DC.