Cherry Blossoms in NJ: Blooming in Branch Brook Park
April 2022 EDIT: Cherry Blossom Festival is happening at Branch Brook Park now! if you haven’t already, you can still enjoy the blossoms and the following weekend events:
1 Mile Fun Run/Walk - Saturday, April 9th, 10am-11am
Essex County Family Day - Saturday, April 9th, 11am-3pm
Bloomfest - Sunday, April 10th, 11am-5pm
Keeping reading to find out what to expect!
For the longest time, I associated cherry blossoms with Washington D.C. (besides Japan, of course!) and the famous views of the cherry blossoms reflecting off the Tidal Basin. When I started going to college in Newark, NJ, I realized that my college city was actually home to a beautiful and large collection of cherry blossoms. In fact, Branch Brook Park is home to whopping 4,000+ cherry blossom trees. Every spring, thousands of residents and visitors alike can enjoy the largest cherry blossom collection in the United States, right here in New Jersey!
HISTORY
The park is known to be the first country park in the United States opened to the public. It was originally designed to provide ample green space in the wake of the ever-growing landscape of American cities in the late 19th century. Thinking of the people, regardless of their class or position in society, it was believed that people were entitled to fresh air and green space. It was designed by the famed landscape architectural firm of Olmsted Brothers, the nephew and son of Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park in New York City.
The park first transformed into pink and white in 1927, when Caroline Bamburger Fuld donated 2,000 cherry blossom trees to the Essex County Parks system in memory of her late husband. Caroline was the sister of Louis Bamberger, as well as the widow of Felix Fuld, her co-founders of L. Bamberger & Co, a popular department store in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. Its headquarters were located in Newark, NJ. Bamberger’s eventually was bought out by R.H. Macy Co. Yes, Macy’s. Caroline’s gift to the city was a large one, but the trees didn’t become popular until they grew into their own over the years. Initially, people did not appreciate Fuld’s gift due to the association of cherry blossom trees, or sakura, with Japan. Thankfully, the trees are now enjoyed in all its glory.
GENERAL
Branch Brook Park, which runs through Belleville and Newark, bursts into full bloom during the annual Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival, or Bloomfest, normally spans 2 different weekends, and boasts free, family-friendly events that include Japanese cultural demonstrations, children's activities, live music, food vendors, and more. Bloomfest also has an annual bike race and a separate Cherry Blossom 10K Run. The festival date varies from year to year, so check ahead with the Branch Brook Alliance when the flowers are at its peak and in full bloom.
Depending where you are in the park, you can see hundreds and hundreds of different cherry blossom trees, lining the park paths, lake, and roads. Certain areas of the park have the trees marked off, this way tourists aren’t doing too much damage to the trees. However, there are also plenty of areas where you can get up closer and personal with the them. You will see a variety of vibrant pinks and subdued white flowers and petals scattered around. There are about 14 different cherry blossom tree types located in the park. The park can get quite busy, so you may encounter crowds.
There are 3 main things to keep in mind when enjoying the cherry blossoms:
Do not climb the trees.
Do not break or tear limbs.
Do not litter.
It is a park after all, so be mindful of your surroundings and protect the renowned collection of trees and the general park area. The park is open 365 days a year, 7 days a week from sunrise to 10:00 PM.
At 360 acres, the park has more to offer than just the cherry blossoms. It includes vast lawns, playing fields, winding paths, and miles of streams, pools and lakes. Its stretches about four miles and averages one-quarter mile in width. There are plenty of photo ops with the cherry blossom trees, handful of bridges that cross over the waterways, and more. There are even people fishing in the Branch Brook Lake, since it’s stocked with trout! There is even an indoor skating rink located on the southern end of the park.
EXPECTATIONS - Having the trees to yourself
REALITY - Dodging the crowds and waiting for the perfect photo-op
There are plenty of paved and gravel paths you can walk along in Branch Brook Park. My boyfriend and I decided to a loop around the larger part of Branch Brook Lake, which was about a 1-mile path.
OUR EXPERIENCE
This year (2021), my boyfriend and I decided to visit the park on Saturday, April 17th. This was on the latter end of the cherry blossom season. It happened to be a partly cloudy/overcast day and it had also rained for a few days prior to our visit, so we were worried we weren’t going to get a great chance of seeing the trees. While many of the petals were on the ground, after the rain, it had left a pretty, pink blanket all around. There were still plenty of trees to enjoy. After scouting a few areas in the park and driving around, we parked on Branch Brook Drive, by the Park Avenue bridge. We walked around the path along the Branch Brook Lake. It was busy at first, but less so on the other side since there aren’t as many cherry blossoms, as pictured in the above panoramic. This side of lake had a gravel path and we made the mistake of heading down a very muddy path through some tall grass, but we didn’t realize how bad it was going to be, nor did we see the other path. Despite some muddy shoes, it was still a trip worthwhile.
As mentioned earlier, I went to school in Newark, so this wasn’t my first time visiting Branch Brook Park. I’ll admit, it wasn’t something I visited immediately and I regret not visiting every year. However, every time I do visit, it’s been an enjoyable experience to see the pink and white trees in full bloom. In the past, I’ve seen Bloomfest in full force, with vendors, bouncy castles, and other activities for people to enjoy and I’ve also seen it on a quieter weekday.
Cherry blossoms trees are also known as the Japanese Cherry. They generally refer to ornamental cherry trees, not the trees that bear cherry fruit.
BONUS: VISIT THE CATHEDRAL BASILICA
Before we visited the park this year, we wanted to take some photos around the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, located adjacent to the park. We parked by the cathedral first to take advantage of the photo opportunity before we drove into the park itself. The Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart is one of the largest Gothic-style churches in the United States. The architecture is beautiful and there are also other flowering trees adjacent to the park. We walked around the entire cathedral and every side offers some IG-worthy spots. We were lucky to go early enough in the morning (on a Saturday) so we didn’t run into that many other people, or churchgoers. The basilica was open when we went, so you can also explore inside. It is an active cathedral, so masses do occur, so be mindful of your visit.
TIPS FOR YOUR VISIT:
Check the Branch Brook Park website ahead of time to see when the flowers are actually blooming.
Check the weather. I see a lot of people get dressed up for the park because it looks whimsical, but sometimes it can be muddy under all that pink.
Don’t forget to take your allergy meds.
Visit the Cathedral Basilica nearby for additional photo ops. You can take some beautiful shots of the trees with the lake and basilica in the background.
Visit other spots in Newark for food and entertainment:
The park and parking is free, but if you’re feeling generous, you can donate to the Park Alliance.
How to Get There:
If you are driving from New Jersey, you can find more information on how to get to Branch Brook Park HERE.
If you are coming from New York City, you can take any Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line, or Raritan Valley Line NJ Transit train from New York Penn Station to Newark Penn Station. From Newark Penn, you can take the light rail to several spots along Branch Brook Park.
If you are taking the PATH train from NYC, take the PATH to Newark Penn Station and then take the light rail.
The light rail stops you can get off at are:
Park Avenue (closest to Branch Brook Lake and Cathedral Basilica)
Bloomfield Avenue (closest to the main parking lot, where bigger events/festival activities may occur)
Davenport Avenue (closest to open fields)
Branch Brook Park Station (closest to the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center)
Where to Park:
The parking lot is located off of Branch Brook Drive and Bloomfield Avenue. The lot can fill up quick, so you can also park anywhere along Branch Brook Drive throughout the park.