Park with a Cherry on Top: America’s Largest Cherry Blossom Display

Want to see the spot in the United States with the most cherry blossom trees? This New Jersey destination has 5,300 trees, ranging through 18 different species. People can even drive through the display!

Where are the Cherry Blossoms located?

Branch Brook Park is located in Newark, NJ. The park houses the biggest number of Japanese flowering cherry blossom trees in the United States. It also has the most varieties. This park was the first county park that was open for public use in the United States. Work began on the park in 1896.

How can you get there?

The easiest way is via car. We went North and took the Garden State Parkway to get there. We set our GPS to the Branch Brook Park Welcome Center. It can also be reached by bus or via the Newark Light Rail. Go here to learn more about how to reach the park.

When is peak bloom?

Right now! We visited the park on April 10th, 2025. They started blooming in the last week of March and they are predicted to bloom until the 1st week in May. While we saw most trees in full bloom there were still some in the peduncle elongation stage. These will soon be in full bloom as well.

Which trees have bloomed already?

The Okame cherry blossoms were the first trees to bloom. The Yoshino cherry blossom trees started blooming about a week ago. The weeping cherry blossom trees are also currently blooming.

What can you find at the Welcome Center?

There was a parking lot in the front. Inside there were restrooms. The women’s restroom also had a changing table. There is an indoor and outdoor photo opportunity. There is also merchandise for sale such as shirts, sweatshirts and magnets. Outside of the welcome center there is also a bocce ball court as well as a playground amidst a grove of cherry blossom trees.

Where is the best place to see the cherry blossom trees?

There were cherry blossom trees located throughout the park in different locations. You can see the map here to get an idea of their locations. When we just visited it seemed like the two spots that had the most blossoms were the area around the Welcome Center and the area around the Prudential Concert Grove. The park is huge and as you drive through it there are plenty of spots to park along the side of the road where there are cherry blossoms. You may get the best pictures by doing this as there will be less visitors there.

What are some good picture spots?

The playground is a great area to get pictures of kids with the blossoms in the background. It is a great place to get natural shots of them having fun. Our best pictures were on the lions in the playground.

All of the trees in the park are beautiful so it is hard to pick a wrong one for a picture. Some of our preferred spots were on the paths between the trees and near the trees close to the water.

There is a spot inside and outside of the welcome center and one in the Prudential Concert Grove for people to take pictures with cherry blossom themed items.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart is adjacent to the park. It is great to try and get it in the background of some of your pictures near the Concert Grove.

When is the best time to go?

We went on a weekday afternoon where it was cloudy with intermittent rain. There were still lots of visitors. I would guess weekdays would be the best for visiting.

When is the park open?

The park is open every day of the year from sunrise until 10:00 pm.

Are there other things to do in the park?

Yes. There are tennis courts, baseball fields, a dog park and more! There are multiple bridges and waterways throughout the park. There are benches in different parts of the park. Be sure to pack some snacks and a sandwich since you will likely stay longer than you had planned.

Is the park handicap accessible?

Yes. If you have trouble getting out of a car you can even have a great time driving through the park and seeing the cherry blossoms that way.

What should you wear?

I would wear nicer clothes since it is a place where you will likely want to take a lot of pictures. A light jacket is a good idea especially as it can get a little chillier near the water or on rainy days. Wearing sneakers is a good idea if you are planning to walk around as much of the park as you can. The paths are paved and easy to walk on. The terrain is mostly flat.

What is the Cherry Blossom Festival?

The park has a Cherry Blossom Festival each year. There are currently still some events coming up in April. There is a Family Day on April 12th, 2025 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. People can enjoy paddle boats, crafts, face painting, a rock wall, bounce house and food from different vendors. There is also a One Mile Fun Run on April 12th for which participants must register.

Bloomfest is on April 13th, 2025 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. There will be live music, Japanese Taiko drumming, a Taikoza performance, dance troupes, Samurai sword soul performances and more. Learn more here: Cherry Blossom Festival Events.

Our Experience

We visited the park yesterday since the kids had a half day. It took an hour and thirty eight minutes to get there from our house. The weather was also overcast with intermittent rain. Our visit was still well worth the drive. The cherry blossoms were a surprise for the kids. My daughter had been talking about cherry blossoms a lot in the past two weeks and was planning her own Cherry Blossom Festival at home. It made sense to take them to the spot with the most cherry blossom trees in the United States. They were amazed at how many cherry blossom trees there were. According to my son he liked the red, pink and white cherry blossoms (aka all of them).

Immediately as we drove into the park there were lots of trees on the sides of the road. We first stopped in the parking lot of the Welcome Center. There were lots of trees around the lots that were also filled with squirrels. The kids liked taking pictures in some of their photo op spots and playing on the playground. There was a large playground near the Welcome Center where you could easily spend an hour. There were also swings where you could almost swing right up to a blossom! We also purchased a magnet with cherry blossom trees pictured on it inside of the Welcome Center.

After we finished walking around some of the trees in the area we then drove through the park. We next stopped a little past the Stephen N. Adubato Sports Complex. The kids enjoyed running on the path between the trees in this area. It also looked like sparrows and geese were enjoying the cherry blossoms here as well.

Next we drove to the Prudential Concert Grove. The kids had fun seeing the blossoms as we drove through the park. We stopped and were able to walk around a portion of this area before we headed home. The kids enjoyed the lion statues near the water. There were still many more blossoms in the park that we could have seen. If you plan a visit I would definitely recommend allotting at least half a day so that you can see as many cherry blossoms as possible. We had a great time and look forward to returning another time in the future!

Source used: Branch Brook Park Alliance