May I suggest learning more about First Lady Helen Taft.  She was the First Lady from 1909 - 1913, but it wasn't her first time in the White House!  When she was 17 years old, her family were guests of President Rutherford B. Hayes.  Taft, who went by the nickname Nellie, met her husband William Howard Taft, while sledding in Cincinnati, OH.  He would go on to have many positions in the US Government, including President of the United States, Chief Justice of the United States, Solicitor General of the United States, Secretary of War, and Governor General of the Philippines.  

These positions took the Taft family on journeys to countries throughout the world.  While living in the Philippines for two and a half years, Helen also traveled to Japan and China, falling in love with the scenes, traditions, and people of South East Asia.  It was in fact a public park in Manila, Philippines that inspired the cherry tree planting. Helen Taft started planning the project back in 1909 when her husband became President.  

There is now an annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC, each spring when the blooms appear.  Though the official celebrations are cancelled for this year, the blooms are not!  You can visit them virtually through the Cherry Blossom Bloom Cam set up by the National Parks Service. Japan has similar celebrations throughout the country. 

You can learn more about Helen and the Taft family at the William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Cincinnati, OH.  You can also visit the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati, founded by William's half-brother, Charles Phelps Taft. While in Ohio, you could also visit the First Ladies National Historic Site in Canton, OH, housed in First Lady Ida Saxton-McKinley's home.  

Dot image citation