According to Punxsutawney Phil, spring is coming early this year, so it’s time to start making plans for spring travel. One of the best ways to celebrate the reemergence of flowers and greenery across the U.S. is taking a trip to embrace nature. This year marvel at some of the beautiful cherry blossom trees housed in parks, gardens, and public spaces across the country. Here are some the best spots to see cherry blossoms this spring.
Washington , D.C. – The National Mall
We couldn’t get more obvious with this one. D.C. is home to one of the most famous cherry blossom collections in the country, which shrouds the National Mall in a lovely shade of light pink around the last week of March into the first week of April.
Portland, Oregon
For those Pacific Northwesterners, Portland also offers two great locations to view cherry blossoms, according to Afar. Check out Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the Portland Japanese Garden in early spring to catch the blooms. At Tom McCall Waterfront Park see 100 blossoming trees which were planted in the Japanese American Historical Plaza to honor the Japanese Americans forced into internment camps during WWII.
San Francisco – Japanese Tea Garden
According to Afar, cherry blossoms can be found throughout San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. But even more can be found in the park’s Japanese Tea Garden, where the trees sit between garden bridges and pagodas. The season for spotting the pink flowers here is between mid-March and mid-April. If you’re in California through April, don’t miss the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival which celebrates Japanese American culture with the largest cherry blossom festival on the west coast.
Brooklyn, New York – Botanical Gardens
Even in the concrete jungle you can find some pretty beautiful spots to view cherry blossoms. Brooklyn’s Botanical Gardens include 200 cherry blossom trees along their “Cherry Walk,” which takes visitors along a path of “Kanzan” cherry trees, an especially full and fruitful variety of the tree.
Newark, New Jersey – Branch Brook Park
If you’re in the New Jersey area, you might want to visit Branch Brook Park because there are actually a whopping 4,000 cherry trees there, more than in D.C. or pretty much anywhere in the country. In 2024, Branch Brook is hosting a Cherry Blossom Festival between April 1- 16, a celebration of Japanese culture including live music, artisanal goods, and more.
