NYC Cherry Blossom Guide
When you think about sakura season, the first place that comes to mind is probably Japan or even Washington, D.C. But did you know New York City is also a great place to catch the cherry blossoms? You can catch different cherry blossoms across every borough, which makes the Spring season so much fun. You get to jump around the city in search of the pretty blooms. Here’s a list I put together — a NYC cherry blossom guide of some of the best spots across all five boroughs to catch the beautiful blossoms!
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Of course, every NYC cherry blossom guide will have this spot towards the top. The Brooklyn Botanical Garden is one of the city’s most popular spots for sakura season, as the Garden holds festivals and special events to celebrate bloom season. While there are different spots around the Garden to see the bloom, you can take a walk down the Cherry Walk & Cherry Esplanade, one of the most popular spots here.
Greenwood Historic Cemetery
Perhaps not a place you’d think of visiting just for fun, but the Greenwood Historic Cemetery is a great spot for an afternoon Spring stroll. What’s even better is that once the cherry blossoms start blooming, they brighten up this historic Brooklyn site. You can find them right away at the entrance on 25th street and Fifth Avenue.
Manhattan
Practically all of my photos of cherry blossom season in the city were taken in Central Park, but there are plenty of other small locations around Manhattan where you can find them. These include Washington Square Park, Madison Square Park. You can also find them all up and down Park Avenue. If you catch them at the perfect time, you’ll find both cherry blossoms and tulips blooming at the same time.
Grace Church
Of all my time in New York, I’ve heard about Grace Church and never actually went to check it out. I finally did this year and was wondering why I hadn’t sooner. This has got to be one of my favorite spots after Central Park. It’s such a cute, quiet spot that makes you forget you’re in the middle of such a busy city. The best part is that there is both a magnolia tree and a Kanzan cherry blossom tree side by side. They don’t bloom at the same time, but regardless of what time you go, it’s still picture perfect!
Central Park
No NYC cherry blossom guide could be complete without including Central Park.
One of the city’s most famous locations, for many reasons. Spring time at Central Park is one of the most magical times of the year, as countless of cherry blossoms trees are scattered throughout the entire park. Of course, Central Park is a lot of ground to cover, so these are some of the best spots to see the flowers in bloom.
Cherry Hill — You can find the Yoshino cherry trees here, the light pink, almost white, which reach peak bloom ahead of the rest. Of course, each year they bloom at different times. These usually bloom about a week or two ahead of the Kanzan, “fluffy, bright pink” ones that most people know about. In 2019, these were still blooming around April 20th. However in 2020, by April 14th, they were practically gone when I passed by. I visited again on April 10, 2021, and they were in full bloom, less than two weeks into the month.
Pilgrim Hill– Once you exit the underpass at Bethesda Terrace, on the side that exits to the Mall, you can find some cherry blossoms scattered to the far right.
Cedar Hill — Found the most perfect Yoshino tree while wandering around Cedar Hill — so big and beautiful. While I didn’t mark off the exact location, this was south of Cedar Hill, nearing the Ramble.
The highest concentrations of blooms will be found near the Reservoir, on both the East and West sides, between 72nd and 96th streets. If you enter the park at around 90th St, to the right, at 89th St, you will run into a beautiful “tunnel” or cherry blossom trees. This “tunnel” perfectly frame the San Remo Towers in the distance. The good part is this tunnel is usually not too crowded in the evening, as mainly joggers pass by, so you can enjoy it to yourself.
(If you happen to come here during a foggy evening, the cherry blossoms give off a light purplish tint.)
There’s also a concentration of cherry blossoms on the other east side of the Reservoir. You can find an entrance near the Guggenheim museum, which leads you to the Bridle Path.
Riverside Drive
If you’re already at Central Park, you can take a short drive up, along Riverside Drive. Both Riverside Park (100th-125th St) & Riverbank State Park (145th-158th St) run along Riverside Drive. You can find cherry blossoms scattered throughout the entire area, even as far down as 79th St, though most of them are concentrated at Riverside Park. The park spans several miles, but there are many entrances into the park. There’s even a small Sakura Park near the General Grant Memorial. The photos below were taken near an entrance at 100th St, walking down towards 98th to 97th St.
You can also find a small concentration of cherry blossom trees by the W 158th entrance and walk south.
Roosevelt Island
A narrow island along the East River, located between Manhattan & Queens, Roosevelt Island also holds its own Cherry Blossom Festival, usually in April. While there’s not much to do on the island, the cherry blossom trees are concentrated along the River, so you get to see the pink blooms as you take in a beautiful view of the city.
West Village
A little bit of a hidden gem, this little corner in the West Village makes for a great backdrop for a photo. You’ll find lots of white cherry blossom trees at the corner of Waverly Pl and W 11th St. This is not a super congested spot in terms of traffic, so you can get some great shots in the street in front of these brick apartment buildings.
Staten Island
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
A mix of architecture, art, history, and nature coming together for an experience for all different ages. Aside of the 28 buildings here, Snug Harbor is also home to 14 different botanical gardens and park land. During the Spring time in early April, you can catch cherry blossoms here as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it here this year in time, but a friend of mine did and provided me with this beautiful photo of the Snug Harbor trees fully blooming!
Silver Lake Park
209 acre, beautiful park with a lake, tons of open space for a walk or a jog. Even more beautiful during cherry blossom season.
Bronx
NY Botanical Garden
Another popular spot in the Spring (also home to the annual Orchid Show which starts in March) is NYBG. You can find some at Daffodil Hill, though the majority of trees will be near the East Gate. Because the cherry blossoms peak at different times every year, you can track the blooms on their website.
Queens
Elmhurst Park
This is another hidden gem I came across in 2022. Elmhurst Park has a little path near the entrance lined with these cherry blossom trees. Avoid visiting during weekends so you can have this spot to yourself.
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
A very short distance from Citi Field, Corona Park is a new favorite of mine. You will also find different cherry blossom trees scattered throughout the park. The park has Yoshino trees (white), Jugatsu-zakura (white to a faded pink, pictured above), Kanzan (bright pink) and even weeping cherry trees, known as shidarezakura. They all bloom at different times, with the Kanzan blooming towards the end.
Hunter’s Point South Park
If you’re already visiting Roosevelt Island, drive about 15 mins south and stop by Hunter’s Point Park for more cherry blossom viewings.
If the photos haven’t already said so, springtime in New York City is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s fun to hop around the city in search for these pretty flowers before they disappear for a whole year.
If you know of any more picture perfect cherry blossom spots across the boroughs, let me know in the comments!
