Tidal Basin Paddle Boats The paddle boats on the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/430">Tidal Basin</a> have been a popular activity for the city’s residents and tourists since the late 1930s. Today, the boats provide visitors with unique views of the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/31">Thomas Jefferson</a>, <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/27">Franklin Delano Roosevelt</a>, and <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/156">Martin Luther King Jr.</a> memorials. Available March through October, the boats are especially popular during the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/480">Cherry Blossom Festival</a> when the Tidal Basin’s beautiful <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/24">cherry blossom trees</a> are in full bloom. National Park Service Internal Archive <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=38&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2000-present">2000-present</a>