You Can View Washington D.C.’s Cherry Blossoms Without Leaving Your House

If one of your favorite springtime traditions involves a trip to Washington D.C. during peak cherry blossom season, you might be bummed that the coronavirus pandemic has halted your plans for the second year in a row. Thankfully, you don’t have to miss out on a single minute of the gorgeous, pastel-hued blooms: the National Mall is launching a BloomCam, offering up real-time views of the famous spring arrivals that you can view any time and from anywhere in the world.

Slated to go live in mid-March to coincide with the official start of cherry blossom season, this virtual experience will bring the Tidal Basin’s signature springtime blooms right to your computer screen, helping viewers to enjoy the time-honored tradition which celebrates its 109th season in our nation’s capital.

While the National Park service predicts the blooms will peak between April 2 through April 5, the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival will be held between March 20 and April 11 this year, offering both virtual and in-person events and activities, held in accordance with COVID-19 safety protocols and travel guidelines. But regardless of whether a trip to D.C. is part of your plans, the BloomCam serves up the same gorgeous views of spring in all its glory right from your couch.

If you’re eager to check out last year’s cherry blossoms, the National Mall has a quick, minute-long timelapse video from 2020’s season up on its site. And of course, you can view famous cherry blossom sites from around the world as part of Google’s “Cherry Blossoms Around the World” virtual tour.

While the BloomCam might not be a substitute for the real thing, the blooms will surely be back and better than ever next year when it’s safe to explore in person again.