Jefferson Memorial Tour by Nonpartisan Pedicab
Any Jefferson Memorial tour by Nonpartisan Pedicab will take you around the Tidal Basin and give you a great view of the Tidal Basin. Any trip to Washington DC during the Cherry Blossom Festival must include a Jefferson Memorial tour. On this tour, you can also see the Washington Monument, the FDR Memorial, the Martin Luther King Memorial, the WWII Memorial and much more.
A Jefferson Memorial tour always includes a stop at the Jefferson Memorial. You can get out and walk around and take pictures inside this impressive memorial. You always go at your own pace and at your own schedule.
Jefferson Memorial Hours and Info
Open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, the Jefferson memorial is always free to the public. Like all other monuments in Washington DC, the Jefferson Memorial is always handicapped accessible. The National Park Service operates an information kiosk in the interior during working hours where one can request the free use of a wheelchair. Handicapped parking is available nearby. A kiosk selling food and drinks is in front of the monument.
Public Transportation and Parking
Smithsonian Metro, about a mile away, is the nearest Metro station. Three free parking lots are operated by the National Park Service not far away. There is a Capitol Bikeshare stand nearby. If you wish to include a Jefferson Memorial tour as part of a monument tour, you should consider taking a pedicab. Sit comfortably under a shaded canopy while you get 360 degree views for the entire tour. You can stop and visit every monument in approximately two hours.
The Cherry Blossom Festival
Nothing signifies the arrival of spring in the District quite like the blooming of the cherry blossoms, an event that has spawned a three-week festival celebrating the occasion. More than 1.5 million visitors descend upon Washington, DC each year to admire the 3,000-plus trees. The festival, full of events that honor both the American and Japanese cultures, represents a close bond forged between the United States and Japan that began with Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki’s gift of the trees back in 1912.
The 2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival takes place from March 20 through April 12.
The Jefferson Memorial
The dome-shaped Jefferson Memorial is an iconic American structure. While its shape is an obvious nod to the Pantheon of Rome, it also mirrors the University of Virginia rotunda, a structure designed by Jefferson himself. The memorial is located in West Potomac Park on the shore of the Potomac River Tidal Basin, at the southern end of the National Mall. The interior of the memorial contains a 19-foot statue of Thomas Jefferson, and excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, which he authored, can be found on the southwest interior wall. The memorial is noted for its circular marble steps, portico, a circular colonnade of Ionic order columns and a shallow dome. The National Park Service estimates that more than two million people visit the Jefferson Memorial each year.
Cherry Trees on the Tidal Basin
Approximately 3,750 cherry trees are situated on the Tidal Basin. Most of the trees are Yoshino Cherry. Other species include Kwanzan Cherry, Akebono Cherry, Takesimensis Cherry, Usuzumi Cherry, Weeping Japanese Cherry, Sargent Cherry, Autumn Flowering Cherry, Fugenzo Cherry, Afterglow Cherry, Shirofugen Cherry and Okame Cherry.