Spring began on March 20 with the vernal equinox. This season is characterized by the decoration of parks and nature with trees and plants that bloom and fill their surroundings with different types of colorful flowers.
One of them are the well-known cherry blossoms, or Cherry blossoms, which are their pink or white colors dazzle who sees them. In fact, for lovers of this beauty of nature, the capital of the United States organizes the National Cherry Festival every year, which for four weeks, from March 20 to April 16, celebrates this season with different events.
However, our region has several places where families can visit, see the cherry blossoms, take photos and enjoy this gift of spring.
NEW YORK
Roosevelt Island
- What is it about: In spring, it is known to be filled with cherry blossoms (known as Cherry flower). Visitors can enjoy the shade of these cherry blossom trees along the East River while enjoying a view of Manhattan and Queens. What’s also fun about this island is that one of the ways to get there is to take a tram on the East River and enjoy a unique perspective of the city. Today, Roosevelt Island is home to a residential community and several parks and attractions. At the southern tip of the island, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park offers public programming and events for the whole family. Also in the historical vein: Renwick Ruin, a former smallpox hospital; the octagonal tower, remains of an asylum; and, at the north end, a 19th-century lighthouse anchored in a park from which visitors can take in sweeping views of New York City.
- How much is admission: free.
- Where can it be found: East River Island.
- Website for information: For more information, visit this site.
Brooklyn Botanical Garden
- What is it about: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is an urban botanical garden that connects people to the world of plants, fostering enjoyment and curiosity while inspiring an appreciation and stewardship of the environment. In the spring, you can admire the cherry blossoms at the Sakura Matsuri which celebrates Japanese culture.
- How much is admission: Admission for children under 12 is free and from December to February on weekdays you pay what you want.
- Where can it be found: 990 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225
- Website for information: https://www.bbg.org/ or to find out when the cherry trees are in bloom, go here.
Sakura Park
- What is it about: Sakura Park takes its name from the more than 2,000 cherry trees delivered to New York City’s parks from Japan in 1912. The word sakura means “cherry blossom” in Japanese. The cherry trees were to be given as a gift by the Japanese Residents Committee of New York as part of the Hudson-Fulton Celebration in 1909.
- How much is admission: Free
- Where can it be found: Riverside Dr., Claremont Ave. at W. 122 St.
- Website for information: https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/sakura-park
central park
- What is it about: This wonderful park, where you can picnic, has been the scene of several films, weddings, love stories, dreams and unforgettable events. There is no doubt that in the spring, Central Park becomes the scene of these cherry blossoms, but hurry because they do not last long and their petals fall and quickly cover the ground in pink and white. Also, remember that this park is an unmissable space that receives more than 42 million visitors a year and is an emblematic public place. Visitors can find different points of interest such as the zoo, the Bethesda Terrace (one of the most famous places), the famous Strawberry Fields (it is a monument to the British rock musician and peace activist John Lennon ).
- How much is admission: free.
- Where can it be found: Central Park’s cherry blossoms are mostly found between 72nd Street and 96th Street, with the highest concentrations around Reservoir, Cherry Hill, Pilgrim Hill, the Great Lawn, Cedar Hill, and the area just south of Cedar Hill between 74th and 77th. streets.
- Website for information:To learn more about other parts of the park and its routes, visit this website. And for more on the cherry blossoms in Central Park, head here.
You can also see the map with the best places in the park to watch the flowers here.
Riverside Park
- What is it about: cherry market It’s part of Walk by the rivera four-mile-long continuous path along the Hudson River from 72nd Street to 158th Street. Named after the cherry blossoms along the path between 100th and 125th Streets, this part of Riverside Park was added in the 1930s when the park was expanded. by filling in the river as part of the construction of the West Side Highway.
- How much is admission: free.
- Where can it be found: Riverside Dr. Since Hudson River, W. 72 St. until St Clair Pl.
- Website for information: For more information, go here.
New York Botanical Garden
- What is it about: Over 200 cherry blossom trees are planted in the historic landscape of the garden, their cheerful pink and white blossoms soon following the magnolias in spring. A large and diverse cherry grove stands along the curved path of the Cherry Collection. Many can also be found among the evergreens of Arthur and Janet Ross Conifer Arboretum. A row of pink weeping cherries adorns the front of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, while others are interspersed between daffodils and wild apple trees in Daffodil Hill.
- How much is admission: children under 2 free, adults $20.
- Where can it be found: 2900 south blvd,Bronx, NY 10458-5126
- Website for information: For more information, go here.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
- What is it about: At their peak, the cherry trees in this iconic Queens park add a springtime color palette to the park’s futuristic steel landmarks, like the Unisphere and the New York State Pavilion.
- How much is admission: free.
- Where can it be found: Grand Central Pkwy, Van Wyck Exwy
- Website for information: For more information, go here.
Randall’s Island Park
- What is it about: Randall’s Island Park offers an innovative and exciting destination through a wide range of sporting facilities, cultural events and environmental exploration.
- How much is admission: free.
- Where can it be found: 20 Randalls Island Park, New York, NY 10035
- Website for information: For more information, go here.
Green Wood Cemetery
- What is it about: The 478-acre cemetery in Brooklyn is not only a National Historic Landmark, but a fun fact is described as the county’s first public park long before the Prospect Park. It turns out to be a great place to see those gorgeous cherry blossoms with 172 of the famous trees dotted across the landscape. The cemetery presents a wide range of activities for nature lovers.
- How much is admission: entering the place is always free.
- Where can it be found: 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232
- Website for information: For more information on the cemetery here.
The New York City Parks Department has a page with a map of where you can see cherry blossoms. To view the map, visit this website.
You can also visit the New York City Department of Parks website here.
NEW SWEATER
Branch Creek Park
- What is it about: The departmental branch of Essex Creek Park has the largest and most varied collection of cherry blossoms in the United States. The Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs hosts a series of events at Branch Brook Park each year during cherry blossom season. This year the events are from April 2, 2022 to April 10, 2022. The county branch of Essex Creek Park it is home to more than 5,200 cherry blossom trees of 28 varieties. The most densely populated area is the Cherry Blossom Visitor Center.
The park’s 360 acres include expansive gardens, playgrounds, winding paths, and miles of streams, pools, and lakes. Its length extends nearly four miles from Route 280 in Newark to Mill Street in Belleville, New Jersey, and averages a quarter mile wide. Each spring, more than 4,000 cherry trees produce a multitude of blossoms, which are celebrated each year in a festival that attracts thousands of visitors from home and abroad. In fact, the park has the largest collection of Japanese flowering trees in a single location in the United States. The landscape presents an extraordinary system of water masses: lakes open to the south; a meandering flow through the medium; and, to the north, ponds and streams. Nineteen unique bridges span the park’s miles of waterways. Branch Brook Park Lake covers 24 acres and is stocked with trout. - How much is admission: It’s free.
- Where can it be found: 2 Morris Road, Ringwood, NJ 07456
- Website for information: For more information, go here or here.
New Jersey Botanical Garden
- What is it about: The New Jersey State Botanical Garden is part of Ringwood State Park, New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, Department of Environmental Protection. The New Jersey State Botanical Garden at Skylands is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
- How much is admission: It’s free.
- Where can it be found: 2 Morris Road, Ringwood, NJ 07456
- Website for information: For more information, go here.
Verona Park
- What is it about: Verona Park it is located in the city of Verona, NJ and is part of the Essex County Park System. It is 54.32 acres with a lake running through it. It is bordered by Lakeside and Bloomfield avenues in the southern part of Verona. It is the fifth largest park in the Essex County system.
- How much is admission: It’s free.
- Where can it be found: Bloomfield Avenue and Lakeside Avenue, Verona, NJ 07044
- Website for information: For more information, go here.
CONNECTICUT
Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Wooster Square
- What is it about: This springtime celebration commemorates the planting of 72 Japanese Yoshino cherry blossom trees in 1973 by the New Haven Historical Commission in conjunction with the New Haven Parks Department and neighborhood residents. The festival has grown from a modest event with a local band entertaining a handful of neighbors under lighted trees to a huge all-afternoon event in New Haven that draws over 10,000 visitors.
- How much is admission: It’s free.
- Where can it be found: Wooster Square