National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington D.C.

March 20–April 27

Nearly a million visitors travel to D.C. each year in springtime, when some 3,000 cherry trees explode into flower along the city’s Tidal Basin. The trees were a gift from the city of Tokyo in 1912, and this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival features a series of Japanese-themed art shows to celebrate the gift’s centennial, including a major exhibit of Hokusai’s “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji” at the Smithsonian. nationalcherryblossomfestival.org

Where to Stay: The Mandarin Oriental’s location—overlooking the Tidal Basin—gives guests the opportunity to see blooms right from their windows. The hotel spa is also offering a Cherry Blossom Ritual treatment this spring, and one of the festival’s art exhibits, “100 Years of Kimono,” will be on display at the hotel’s Arise Gallery. mandarinoriental.com/washington