Branch Brook Park

Branch Brook Park in Newark, New Jersey Is the Largest Collection of Cherry Blossom Trees in the U.S.

"A 360-acre, four-mile-long historic county park in Newark, New Jersey, located about 12 miles west of New York City, it contains more than 5,300 cherry trees in 18 varieties — the country's largest collection — and offers a longer, more variegated bloom season that typically runs from late March through early May with this year’s peak through April 18. Designed in 1867 by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and recognized on both state and national registers, it began blossoming after a 1927 donation of 2,500 trees from philanthropist Caroline Bamberger Fuld; an aggressive replanting program launched in 2006 replenished aging stock and expanded the canopy. The site hosts an annual Cherry Blossom Festival (this year marking its 49th anniversary and running through April 30), draws crowds topping 10,000 on peak days, added a $10 million Cherry Blossom Visitor Center last year, and is beloved by locals as a peaceful, pandemic-era haven for walks and quiet work beneath the blooms." - Rachel Chang Rachel Chang Rachel Chang is a travel and pop culture journalist who contributes to Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet, and more. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines