Japan isn’t the only place to see cherry blossoms each spring. From the iconic blooms of Washington, D.C. to lesser-known groves like those in Traverse City, Michigan, there are plenty of places in the USA to see those pale pink blooms.
It’s difficult to predict exactly when peak blooms will occur, but most areas will see them starting in mid-late March or early April. Cherry blossoms can appear as early as February in some places such as Los Angeles, or as late as May in Traverse City, depending on the weather. Once in bloom, these iconic flowers don’t stick around for long—that’s part of their allure. In Japan, where the flowers and the world’s infatuation with them originated, the cherry blossom (sakura in Japanese) symbolizes the fleeting nature of life. But Japanese culture counteracts this notion of imminent decay with hanami, a long-standing tradition of gathering beneath the blossoms with food, music, and friends to celebrate rather than mourn the blooms’ beauty.
If you dream of witnessing a bloom but a flight to Japan isn’t in the cards, there’s good news: There might be an ideal place to see cherry blossoms near you in the States. Note that many of the best places to see cherry blossoms in the U.S., such as Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center in Philadelphia, and Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, have discounted or free tickets for locals, SNAP recipients, and other groups.
The 230-plus cherry blossom trees at the Missouri Botanical Garden typically bloom from March to April.
Photo by chettarin/Shutterstock
1. Missouri Botanical Garden (St. Louis, Missouri)
- Location: 4344 Shaw Blvd. | Find on Google Maps
- Admission: $16, $6 for locals, free for children 12
Head straight to the Missouri Botanical Garden‘s 14-acre Japanese Garden for a front seat to the floral show. Japanese apricots bloom at the end of February, followed by the blooming of different varieties of the garden’s 230-plus cherry trees from March through early April. There are 40 Higan cherry trees, 40 Yoshino cherry trees, and 20 Centennial cherry trees at the Missouri Botanical Garden, so there will be plenty of pink shade to sit under with a snack and a friend or two.
Macon, Georgia, is home to more than 350,0000 Yoshino cherry blossom trees.
Photo by Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
2. Carolyn Crayton Park (Macon, Georgia)
- Location: 150 Willie Smokie Glover Dr. | Find on Google Maps
- Admission: $10 per day during the cherry blossom festival
Macon’s International Cherry Blossom Festival bills itself as the “pinkest party on Earth” in honor of the astounding 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees that bloom throughout the city. The festival takes place at Carolyn Crayton Park each year. In 2025, it will be held March 21–30. Flower fans can enjoy concerts, rides, games, and even a dachshund race. Cherry blossom enthusiasts who can’t make it to the celebration in person can check out the BloomCam, which captures the pink bursts in real time.
Nashville has more than 1,000 cherry blossom trees.
Photo by Vol de Nuit/Shutterstock
3. Nashville Public Square Park (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Location: Union St. & Third Ave. | Find on Google Maps
On Saturday, April 12, the city of Nashville gathers at Nashville Public Square Park to celebrate cherry blossom season. In addition to the main event—the flowers, of course—visitors can participate in a Japanese series cosplay contest, kid-focused crafts, a cherry blossom–themed dog parade, cultural lectures, martial arts demonstrations, live music, and much more. Local vendors regularly set up shop at the event, selling art and other handmade wares.
Avoid the crowds by visiting other days during peak bloom, which generally happens between late March and mid-April, according to the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps. The park offers the perfect scene for a springtime picnic or alfresco reading session.
4. Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the Portland Japanese Garden (Portland, Oregon)
Each spring, cherry blossoms bloom at the peaceful Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon.
Photo by Joanthan Ley
- Location: 98 SW Naito Pkwy. | Find on Google Maps
- Admission: $22, $19 (65+), $18 (students), $16 (under 17s; free for ages 5 and under)
Portland, Oregon, has two wonderful places to view cherry blossoms each spring: Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the Portland Japanese Garden.
Tom McCall Waterfront Park sits on the edge of the Japanese American Historical Plaza. It was built in 1990 to honor those whose lives were uprooted during the era of Japanese American internment camps. There are 100 cherry trees planted in and around the park, and visitors are encouraged to explore the rest of the plaza, dotted with poems that explore the Japanese American experience.
At the Portland Japanese Garden, visitors can stroll alongside a handful of cherry trees, each artfully arranged throughout the space to create carefully considered views—a key characteristic of traditional Japanese gardens. Leave time for tea and mochi at the garden’s Umami Café or for one of the many cultural offerings, such as koto (Japanese harp) performances or ikebana (flower arrangement) demonstrations.
Tulips bloom alongside the cherry trees at the Dallas Arboretum.
Courtesy of Dallas Arboretum
5. Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden (Dallas, Texas)
- Location: 8525 Garland Rd. | Find on Google Maps
- Admission: $22; $18 (children age 2–12)
Come springtime in Dallas, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden bursts into vivid color, as cherry trees bloom alongside tulips. The arboretum’s Dallas Blooms event, which their site states is the “largest annual floral festival in the Southwest,” runs from February 22 to April 13 this year, coinciding with cherry blossom season. There’s a robust roster of activities and events, and visitors can look forward to live concerts, tours of the historic DeGolyer House, and art and fitness classes.
Stay for tea in San Francisco’s Japanese Tea Garden and you’ll enjoy a lovely view of cherry blossoms.
Photo by Shutterstock
6. The Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park (San Francisco, California)
- Location: 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. | Find on Google Maps
- Admission: $19, $11 (youths and 65+), $7 (age 5–11), free for SF residents, free for all 9–10 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Although you can find cherry trees throughout Golden Gate Park, head to its Japanese Tea Garden to see the trees alongside picturesque bridges, pagodas, and a teahouse. The peak season for San Francisco’s cherry blossoms is typically mid-March to mid-April. To celebrate the blossoms in grand fashion, head to San Francisco’s Japantown to attend the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which will take place on April 12, 13, 19, and 20 in 2025.
The 29 cherry trees planted along the University of Washington’s quad make for an impressive display in the spring
Photo by Checubus/Shutterstock
7. The University of Washington Quad (Seattle, Washington)
Location: Pierce Ln. | Find on Google Maps
Since 1962, Seattle locals have known that spring at the University of Washington is synonymous with one thing: cherry blossoms. The dozens of trees that line UW’s central quad look so ethereal that stressed-out students, harried professors, and those simply passing by can’t help but stop and stare when the trees are in bloom. The highly anticipated cherry blossoms even have their own Instagram and Bluesky accounts.
Washington, D.C. is well known for its cherry blossoms.
Photo by Orhan Cam/Shutterstock
8. The National Mall (Washington, D.C.)
- Location: Third St. to 14th St. NW (between Madison Dr. NW and Jefferson Dr. SW. | Find on Google Maps
No list of the best places to see cherry blossoms in the U.S. would be complete without a mention of Washington, D.C.
In 1912, the mayor of Tokyo gifted 3,000 trees to the District as a symbol of Japanese American friendship, and they’re planted all along the National Mall. The locals’ secret is to visit in the evening after the daytime crowds have gone, or stroll through Dumbarton Oaks, a beautiful (and relatively tourist-free) historic estate in D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood. Official forecasts for D.C.’s cherry blossoms say the flowers will be in peak bloom March 28-31, 2025.
One of the first signs of spring in Philadelphia: cherry blossoms
Courtesy of Noah Cote/Unsplash
9. Fairmount Park (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Location: 1 Boathouse Row | Find on Google Maps
- Admission: $14, $9 (seniors, children, students, teachers)
Philly turns into a magnificently pink city come springtime, when thousands upon thousands of cherry trees snap into full bloom. Among these, 1,600 were a gift from Japan, and 1,000 were planted between 1998 and 2007 by the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia. The beautiful Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center in Fairmount Park is the pinnacle of the sakura display, but many other viewing spots in the city don’t require an entrance fee. For example, we love the rows of pink trees behind the Please Touch Museum in West Fairmount Park and the stretch located along Kelly Drive behind Boathouse Row.
Cherry Esplanade in Brooklyn Botanic Garden is the place in NYC to be wowed by these pink blooms.
Photo by Michael Stewart
10. Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Brooklyn, New York)
- Location: 150 Eastern Pkwy. | Find on Google Maps
- Admission: $22, $16 (seniors, students), children under 12 free
A proper spring in Brooklyn is properly spent with a visit to the Botanic Garden. Advance tickets are recommended, though some are available same-day at the Gardens’ admission booths. Keep an eye on the Cherrywatch page so you know exactly which trees are in bloom when. Once in the gardens, visitors can stroll among rows of more than 200 blossoming trees at the enclosed Japanese Hill-and-Pond garden or the aptly named Cherry Walk, a meandering path lined with Prunus “Kanzan” cherry trees, a spectacular variety with fuller than normal flowers.
The highest concentration of cherry blossom trees are between the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge and the Mass Avenue access ramp.
Courtesy of Pragyan Goswami/Unsplash
11. Charles River Esplanade (Boston, Massachusetts)
- Location: Storrow Dr. | Find on Google Maps
There aren’t many places in Boston to see cherry blossoms, but bloom season along the Charles River Esplanade in Back Bay is spectacular. If the weather is warm enough, onlookers can float down the river in a kayak or paddle up close for a view from the water.
There are more cherry trees in Newark’s Branch Brook Park than there are in Washington, D.C.
Photo by Shutterstock
12. Branch Brook Park (Newark, New Jersey)
- Location: 192 Park Ave. | Find on Google Maps
There are approximately 5,300 cherry trees in Branch Brook Park—that’s 1,500 more than the country’s most famous springtime display in Washington, D.C. Since 1927, the remarkable number of blooms at this Essex County park has been a primary draw for visitors. This year, New Jersey’s “pinkest park” will host a free cherry blossom celebration from April 5 to 13 that culminates in Bloomfest! on the 13th, a celebration of Japanese culture featuring demonstrations, live music, and a craft market. You can check in on the blooms anytime with the park’s Bloomcam.
Ohio University’s cherry blossoms were given to the institution by the Chubu University.
Photo by Robert A. Powell/Shutterstock
13. Ohio University (Athens, Ohio)
- Location: 1 Ohio University | Find on Google Maps
The 200 cherry trees that line Ohio University’s campus are a 1979 gift from its Japanese sister campus, Chubu University, as a symbol of friendship between the two institutions. The pink blossoms that decorate the banks of Athens’s Hocking River typically bloom from late March through April and have become a spring symbol for students and faculty.
You can’t actually stroll the cherry orchards of Traverse City, but when the trees are in bloom, you can view them via bike rides through the area.
Photo by Megan Renae Studios
14. Highway M-37 (Traverse City, Michigan)
- Location: Find on Google Maps
Michigan is the U.S. capital of all things “cherry,” so of course it’s a cherry blossom–peeping destination. Blossoms typically start to appear around mid-May each year, and there are some iconic scenic drives, like Highway M-37 by Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City, which takes visitors past roughly 2 million cherry trees. Although you can’t walk in the orchards, the bikeable, 17-mile Leelanau Trail, which includes several sections that go by cherry trees, is perfect for those who prefer to view the blooms at a slower pace.
Descano Gardens encompasses 50 acres of peaceful forested lands in La Cañada Flintridge, about 15 minutes’ drive from Pasadena.
Photo by Kit Leong/Shutterstock
15. Descanso Gardens (La Cañada Flintridge, California)
- Location: 1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada | Find on Google Maps
- Admission: $15, $11 (seniors, students), $5 children (free under age five)
Located about 15 minutes from Pasadena, Descanso Gardens is known for its seasonal horticultural displays and is considered something of a museum of living collections. Around March and April, the cherry trees here burst into color; enjoy them during events such as forest bathing, watercolor painting classes, and a Japanese garden talk and tour on March 8. But you might simply want to pack a picnic and enjoy the flowers—the Gardens also have one of the largest collections of camellias in the Western Hemisphere. To keep track of what flowers you might spot on your visit, check out its What’s in Bloom resource page, which allows visitors to see which flowers are budding, blooming, or past their peak.
This article was originally published in 2017 and most recently updated on February 25, 2025, with current information. Jessie Beck and Erika Owen contributed to the reporting of this story.
