When and Where to See Cherry Blossoms (Sakura) and Magnolias in New York City

Wondering where to find the best cherry blossom spots in New York City this spring? This cherry blossoms guide not only shows you where to find the best cherry blossoms but also when is the best time to see cherry blossoms in New York City.

Not everybody can make it to Japan to view the beautiful cherry blossoms (otherwise known as sakura) in March and April. Don’t worry, you don’t have to travel far to see these beautiful flowers as there are plenty of great spots to see cherry blossoms in New York City.

Whether you live in Manhattan, Queens or Brooklyn (or even New Jersey), there are cherry blossoms in your borough (and state).

I made it a mission to check out the most popular parks and neighborhoods for cherry blossoms these past two years, so I can give you a comprehensive list of best places to find cherry blossoms in New York City this spring. I will also continue to find more places every year so stay tuned!

Not all cherry blossoms bloom at the same time, so this blog also tells you when to see what cherry blossoms in New York City so you don’t have to waste your time visiting a park when nothing is blooming (or worse, post peak bloom).

What Types of Cherry Blossoms are There in New York City?

You may have seen white and dark pink cherry blossom flowers all over New York City in the spring, and yes you are right, there are different types of cherry blossom trees in NYC: Okame Cherry, Yoshino Cherry, Kwanzan Cherry. You will also see Higan Cherry and Black Cherry at Central Park and potentially other parts of New York City.

The Black Cherry trees produce small white flowers that appear at the end of April or May. They are not as spectacular in my opinion so this article will not focus on them.

Besides cherry blossoms, there are other beautiful flowers blooming in the spring, such as Eastern Redbud and magnolias. In particular magnolias are spectacular with their large white and pink petals, making them just as beautiful to photograph.

When do Cherry Blossoms Bloom in New York City?

End of March to mid April is the best time to see cherry blossoms and magnolias in New York City. The different types of cherry blossoms and other flowers actually bloom at different times in the spring.

• Okame Cherry: The flowers are small and rosy pink; they last longer than other cherry blossoms. They bloom earlier than other flowers, usually around late March (or mid March if the winter has been warm).

• Yoshino Cherry: The flowers are white or light pink, they are one of the most commonly seen cherry blossoms in New York City. They bloom early April.

• Kwanzan Cherry: The flowers of Kwanzan Cherry are dark pink and vibrant. They bloom last in New York City during cherry blossom season, usually around mid to late April.

• Higan Cherry: Higan Cherry trees produce small white to pale pink flowers and they generally bloom around the end of March or slightly earlier.

• Magnolias: These beautiful flowers can range from white, pink or even yellow. Some bloom starting end of March to early April and there are other ones that bloom later in April and even into May. They generally bloom before cherry blossoms.

Keep in mind that the timeframe above is an estimate. Exact time of peak bloom will vary every year, depending on how warm/cold the winter has been. So timing could be off by 1-2 weeks.

How Long Do Cherry Blossoms Last?

In general, peak cherry blossoms in New York City last about 1-2 weeks, depending on a variety of factors. If the weather is windy or rains a lot, then you can expect peak bloom to last one week. But if the weather is calm and not too hot, then peak bloom can last a few days more.

Best Places to See Cherry Blossoms in New York City

This section will show you the best cherry blossoms viewing spots in New York City, broken up by the different boroughs, so regardless of where you live, you can find something near you.

Best Cherry Blossoms in Brooklyn

Below are some of the best places to see cherry blossoms in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 4:30pm; hours are extended during peak cherry blossom season from 8am to 8:30pm
Admission: $18; it is covered by the New York Pass
Best Time to Go: Mid to Late April

Brooklyn Botanic Garden is perhaps the most well known cherry blossom spot in New York City. It hosts Sakura Matsuri, an annual cherry blossom festival weekend to celebrate Japanese culture.

There are different types of cherry blossoms that bloom at different times and locations within Brooklyn Botanic Garden, with Higan cherries blooming first near the Japanese Hill and Pond Garden (early April), followed by Okame Cherry blooming near Cherry Walk.

The most spectacular place in Brooklyn Botanic Garden is the Cherry Esplanade and the nearby Cherry Walk. Almost every single photo of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s cherry blossoms is taken at the Cherry Esplanade, with the dark pink cherry blossom trees lined on both sides of the esplanade.

Peak bloom for the Kwanzan Cherry at Cherry Esplanade is around mid to late April, and you can use this free cherry blossom tracker to see when it blooms.

Photo tip: Go around sunset or when they first open on weekdays. Weekends are crazy crowded and you are not gonna be able to get good photos.

Green-Wood Cemetery

Best time to go: Early April

If you want to avoid the crowds at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, another unique place to see cherry blossoms in Brooklyn is the Green-Wood Cemetery.

While cemeteries may not be on the top of your list to visit normally, the Green-Wood Cemetery is a National Historic Landmark, and one of the first rural cemeteries in the US. It was founded in 1838 and it is a large space, with over 470 acres of land and scenery.

In the past, there were Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) festivals held at Green-Wood Cemetery. But even without this event, you can visit the cemetery to see the 172 cherry blossom trees. There are different types of cherry blossoms that bloom throughout April, so your best bet is to visit early April for the white ones and mid April for the dark pink ones.

The best place to find cherry blossoms at Green-Wood Cemetery is on Battle Hill. You can park down the hill or drive up to Battle Hill and park nearby. Battle Hill is also when the Battle of Brooklyn took place during the Revolutionary War. On Battle Hill you will also find the highest point in Brooklyn, with a view of downtown Manhattan.

Prospect Park

If you don’t want to pay for Brooklyn Botanic Garden and don’t want to go to a cemetery to see the cherry blossom, your next best bet is Prospect Park.

You will not be finding rows and rows of cherry blossom trees at Prospect Park unfortunately, but you can still spot a few Okame cherry blossom trees at the Grand Army Plaza early April.

Best Places for Cherry Blossoms in Queens

Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Best Time to go: Earl April for Yoshino Cherry or mid-late March for Kwanzan Cherry

Flushing Meadows Corona Park is a large park near Flushing in Queens, it is also a stone’s throw from New York Hall of Science, CitiField and USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where the US Open takes place every August and September.

Since Flushing Meadows Corona Park is huge, you will find different types of cherry blossom trees throughout the park.

The best place to photograph the cherry blossoms is in front of the Unisphere. You will find Yoshino Cherry (the white and light pink one) blooming there around early to mid April and the darker pink ones blooming two weeks later.

Besides the Unisphere, you can also check out the grassy area near the Parking Lot (the parking lot east of Queens Museum).

Since the park gets quite busy during the day, if you want a photo without people around, you should get there by 9:30am on the weekend.

Hunter’s Point South Park

Nearest Subway Station: Vernon Blvd (7 Train)
Best Time to Go: Early April

Located at the edge of Long Island City and Hunter Point along the East River, Hunter’s Point Park is one of the best spots to see cherry blossoms in Queens. This beautiful green space faces Manhattan, giving you the perfect Manhattan skyline.

Usually used by residents from the area, the part of Hunter’s Point Park famous for cherry blossoms is along the circular waterfront promenade and recreation space. On the weekend you will see kids’ soccer class taking place on the lawn, with a playground and basketball court nearby.

Since the cherry blossom in Long Island City is the white Yoshino Cherry, you will find them early to mid April (depending on the year). The best time to see them is during the week, as the park gets really crowded and busy on the weekends (at least every time we go on the weekends it’s so crowded).

Other places you can see cherry blossoms in Queens include Queens Botanical Garden, Lewis Latimer House Museum and Rainey Park.

Best Place to See Cherry Blossoms in Manhattan

Roosevelt Island

Subway Stop: Roosevelt Island (F train)
Best Time to Go: Early April or late April

Roosevelt Island is an island on the East River and it is considered part of Manhattan. Roosevelt Island is mostly a quiet residential neighborhood with parks, landmarks and a Cornell Tech campus.

The most famous thing on Roosevelt Island is the Tram ride that takes you high above the East River into the east side of Manhattan. The view of Manhattan from Roosevelt Island is also beautiful, making it a very popular spot for local families and couples to hang out on the weekends.

While most tourists generally don’t go to Roosevelt Island, it becomes super popular and crowded in April due to its beautiful cherry blossoms throughout the island.

Since there are multiple types of cherry blossom trees on the island, you can actually see two waves of blooms in the spring (the white Yoshino Cherry in early April and the dark pink Kwanzan Cherry mid April). Again, for 2024 these dates could be 1 week earlier since it’s been a warm winter.

Generally the bloom season coincides with New York public school’s spring break, so if you visit on the weekends (or even during the weekdays in the afternoon), you will see tons of kids running around. Therefore if you want to photograph the cherry blossoms without the crowd, you will have to go on weekday mornings.

I visited around 7:30 until 9am on a weekday morning and there was barely anyone around.

Central Park

It is no secret that Central Park is one of the best places to see cherry blossoms in New York City. Given that Central Park is so big, there are a ton of different spots to see different types of sakuras throughout the park.

Keep in mind that you can use the cherry blossom tracker for Central Park to see when (and where) the flowers bloom in Central Park in the spring.

Below are the best spots in Central Park to see cherry blossoms and when to see them.

Cherry Hill

Best Entrance: 72st on the West Side
Nearest Station: 72 St Station for the C & B train
Best Time to Go: Early April

There is no doubt that cherry hill is the most famous spot for cherry blossoms in Central Park. As the name implies, Cherry Hill was named for the cherry trees and it is actually on top of a hill (well, at least an incline).

The cherry trees at Cherry Hill is the white Yoshino cherries, and peak bloom is usually around early April (again, this timing could vary and might be a week early in 2024).

From Cherry Hill, you can spot the El Dorado, the iconic twin tower building sitting on the west side of Central Park that was constructed between 1929 to 1931. Some of the best photos of cherry blossoms are taken during peak bloom with El Dorado in the background.

Photo Tip: Wedding photographers love this spot, so even on a weekday, you need to get here by 7:30am latest to get a photo by yourself. Otherwise you will definitely run into wedding photographers (and sometimes maternity photo shoots).

Pilgrim Hill

Best Entrance: E 72nd St
Nearest Station: 68 St- Hunter College Station (6 Train)
Best Time to Go: Early April

About 5 to 10 minutes east of Cherry Hill is another beautiful spot to see the Yoshino cherry blossoms, Pilgrim Hill.

The area is named after the statue of a pilgrim and since it’s on a hill, it became Pilgrim Hill. During peak bloom, the Yoshino cherries make a beautiful cotton-candy-like background against the statue, making it a super nice place to relax, take photos, and simply take it all in.

Right across from Pilgrim Hill are a few large Yoshino cherry blossom trees as well (where the second photo above is taken from).

James Michael Levin Playground

Best Entrance: E 77th St
Nearest Station: 77 St Station (6 Train)
Best Time to Go: Early April

As you work your way north on the east side of Central Park, you will come across a small playground called James Michael Levin Playground. There are a lot of benches outside of the playground, with many Yoshino cherry trees behind the benches.

During peak bloom the cherry blossoms obscure your view of the playground, but they make a perfect background if you want to take photos on the bench. And no, do not go into the playground, the trees are outside of the playground.

This is also Yoshino Cherry so it peaks around early April (or a week earlier for 2024).

Engineers’ Gate

Best Entrance: E 90th St
Nearest Station: 86 St Station (6 Train)
Best Time to Go: Early April

Engineers’ Gate is a large entrance on the east side of Central Park, with the gate honoring the profession. This is also where NYC Marathon runners enter Central Park when they are about to finish the race.

Once you enter the Engineers’ Gate, you will see a large road full of runners in the morning. This path is lined with cherry blossoms on both sides, making it one of the most beautiful paths to walk and run.

Again, you can expect to see Yoshino Cherry at Engineers’ Gate, which peaks around early April or end of March.

East Side of the Reservoir

Best Time to Go: Early April

If you are already at Engineers’ Gate, you can just walk next to the Reservoir. On the Shuman Running Track right next to the water, the narrow path is also lined by Yoshino Cherries. Since the path is narrow and there are constantly runners, it is harder to photograph, but still a beautiful place to check out.

Bridle Path (West Side of the Reservoir)

Best Entrance: 86 St
Nearest Station: 86 St Station (C and B Train)
Best Time to Go: Late April

The Bridle Path is a 4.2 mile dirt and gravel path on the west side of Central Park. The Bridle Path is usually where joggers take their morning jog but a part of it is also known for the beautiful cherry blossoms in the spring.

The most famous part of Bridle Path to see cherry blossoms is right by the Reservoir, around 89th street. The type of cherry tree that blooms on the Bridle Path is the vibrant pink Kwanzan cherry, which peaks around mid to late April, after Yoshino Cherry’s peak bloom.

Not only is Bridle Path covered by the cherry blossoms but also the nearby lawn (with the view of the El Dorado).

As usual, if you want a photo without people, you should aim to arrive by 7am at the latest. When I was there around 8am, there were tons of influencers and photoshoots, making it difficult for anyone else to take photos.

Great Lawn & Sheep Meadow

Best Entrance: 86 St or E 85th St
Nearest Station: 86 St Station (C & B train) or 86 St (4, 5, 6 train)
Best Time to Go: Early April

The Great Lawn is known for cherry blossoms with the Higan Cherry trees at the southwest corner. These cherry blossoms are not as vibrant as the Kwanzan cherry and not as fluffy as the Yoshino cherry. There are also another two trees (one could be a pear tree) blooming around the west side of the Great Lawn early April.

Most people take photos right under the branches of the trees, as that’s probably the best place to photograph these flowers without the harsh sunlight (unless you go on a cloudy day).

In addition, you can also find Higan Cherry trees at Sheep Meadow. Personally I did not find the ones at Sheep Meadow that impressive as there were only a few trees.

Besides the places mentioned above, there are actually cherry blossom trees all over Central Park. They are not as famous because they are not concentrated together, but they are beautiful nevertheless. Some other sakura spots in Central Park include:

• 1 Yoshino tree near Cedar Hill
• A few yoshino trees near the pond near Alice in Wonderland
• 73rd street one block west of Central Park has a nice yoshino cherry tree

Honorable Mention: Saucer Magnolia Bloom in Central Park

Magnolia is another beautiful flower that blooms in the spring and you can see magnolias in Central Park as well.

These magnolias tend to bloom around the same time as the Yoshino Cherries in early April (usually the first week). So if you are in Central Park for the cherry blossoms, definitely check out the magnolias as well.

The most famous spots to see magnolias in Central Park include the following

• The Obelisk
• The back of the MET (near the Obelisk)
• Bethesda Fountain
• Shakespeare Garden
• Alice in Wonderland

Personally I think the magnolias are the best near the Obelisk. There is one really nice and large tree behind the MET (a few minutes walk from the Obelisk) as well. There are a couple of trees near the Bethesda Fountain, but when I got there they were mostly gone due to the storm.

Sakura Park

Nearest Subway Stop: 116 St – Columbia University (1 Train)
Best Time to Go: Early April

Sakura park is located in Morning Heights and as the name implies, it is known for its cherry blooms in the spring. You will see Yoshino cherry trees at Sakura park, against the background of the majestic Riverside Church south of the park.

The park is pretty small, but there are a few nice trees there without many people. However I don’t think it is as spectacular as the other places in New York City, so it’s not really worth going out of your way to see it (unless you are already in the area).

There is a large adjacent park called Riverside Park. I read online it has a “cherry walk”, but I literally walked through half of the park and could not find them. But if you are in the area, maybe you can try to find it.

Union Square

Best Time to Go: Early April for Magnolia & Yoshino Cherry; late April for Kwanzan Cherry

Union Square is one of the best spots in lower Manhattan to see the vibrant Kwanzan cherry later in April. The cherry trees cover most of Union Square Park, turning the station into a deep shade of pink.

You can also see magnolias near the northern end of the park (near the playground) early April as well as a few Yoshino cherry trees early April.

If you are checking out the flowers at Union Square, be sure to also check out the restaurants and stores nearby, or walk a few blocks down to the next spot: Grace Church.

Grace Church

Opening Hour: 12pm to 5pm, except Sunday 8:30am to 7pm
Address: 802 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
Best Time to Go: Early April for Magnolia; Late April for Kwanzan Cherry

Grace Church is a historical church located just south of Union Square. The church is one of the best “hidden gems” in NYC to see the cherry blossoms and magnolias since it is not a famous park. However locals all know that Grace Church has the best magnolia AND cherry blossoms every spring.

You can see the deep pink cherry blossoms and magnolias in its courtyard on E 10th street and if the church is open, you can also walk inside the courtyard. But usually people take photos outside of the church.

Washington Square Park

Best Subway Station: West 4th
Best Time to Go: Early April

Washington Square Park is known for both magnolia and cherry blossoms bloom. While there aren’t as many cherry blossom trees as Central Park or Roosevelt Island, you can still catch some towards the south end of the park. There are actually a couple of trees there in particular that bloom earlier than the rest of the spots in New York City.

The photo above was taken on March 29th in 2024 and the blooms are super nice. In addition, during this day the magnolias actually are not fully blooming yet. However when I went back about a week later, the cherry blossom tree as well as the magnolia tree near the arch were in full bloom.

Herald Square

Herald Square is generally not known for its cherry blossoms but while I was checking out the flower show at Macy’s, I saw there are a couple of nice trees right across from Macy’s. These trees were blooming early April.

Bonus: East and West Village for Pear Blooms Early April

Pear Blooms? Yeah who would’ve thought that pear trees could bloom. In fact many of these beautiful white flower blooms are mistaken for cherry blossoms.

The pear blooms come before the Yoshino cherry blossom and you can see them all over the city around the end of March. However the best places to catch these pear blooms are in the East Village and especially the West Village. I actually discovered them by accident as I was walking around the Villages at the end of March.

There are a few particular spots that stood out to me for the pear blooms in New York City in the villages:

• 10th street between 1st and 2nd Ave in the East Village (left photo above)
• Waverly Pl & W 11th St in the West Village (right photo above)
• Cornelia & Bleecker St in the West Village
• Waverly Pl & Christopher in the West Village
• Waverly Pl & Charles St in the West Village

Essentially if you want to see these white pear bloom flowers, just walk down Waverly in the West Village and you will see a good amount of them.

Other places to see Cherry Blossoms in New York City

• New York Botanical Garden
• Madison Square Park near the Flatiron Building
• Laduree courtyard in Soho (reservation needed for the cafe)
• Randall’s Island
• Park Avenue (right before Grand Central)
• Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden (Staten Island)
• Silver Lake Park (Staten Island)
• Clove Lakes Park (Staten Island)

Bonus: Branch Brook Park (New Jersey)

Best Time to Go: Early April

If you live in New Jersey and don’t want to make it all the way to NYC, then stop by Branch Brook Park, the top place for cherry blossoms in New Jersey. There are over 5300 cherry blossom trees at Branch Brook Park, with the majority of them around the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center, the tennis court, and north east of the park.

There is an annual Bloomfest at Branch Brook Park, with the scheduled date in mid April of 2024. In addition, you can get the most up to date information on the bloom status from their Twitter account or Live Camera.

If you’ve never been to Branch Brook Park, you should know that this park is not set up like Central Park where trees are mostly restricted to one area. While there are many trees at Branch Brook Park, most of these trees are actually along a street where there are a ton of cars looking for parking.

You will see nice trees along the street, as well as along the waterway (which really reminded me of Kyoto’s Philosopher’s Path). West of the waterway is a more hilly area with more trees, but they don’t look as concentrated.

There are also many activities leading up to the Bloom Fest, such as a bike race, 10K run, one mile run, etc. You won’t be able to drive into the park during those activities, but they usually end by 1pm. After they finish you can drive into the park and look for parking.

Read Next: Best Sunflower Fields near New York City

Tips to Seeing Cherry Blossoms in New York City

• Use Cherry Blossom trackers to time the bloom: timing is everything when it comes to cherry blossoms. Since temperature is different every year, it’s hard to predict exactly when magnolia and cherry trees will bloom in a given spring. Some of the parks offer a tracker:
  • Central Park Cherry Blossom Tracker
  • Brooklyn Botanic Garden Cherry Blossom Tracker
  • New York Botanic Garden Cherry Blossom Tracker
  • Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Twitter & Web Cam

• Go early in the morning: it is no secret that everyone wants to see these beautiful blooms in the spring. If you want to take photos without people around, you need to go super early, by 7am in Central Park

• Go on a weekday: Weekends are notoriously crowded to see cherry blossoms, so your best bet for photos is to go on a weekday.

• Take advantage of extended hours: Brooklyn Botanic Garden has extended hours during peak cherry blossom season. Since you can’t go early to the park, consider visiting after 6:30pm and before sunset to avoid crowds.

• Wear something light colored: If photoshoot is your intention, then wear something light and flowery. Photos will not look good against cherry blossoms if you wear dark colors.

• Figure out your route: If you are planning to hit several spots in NYC to see the cherry blossoms, plan out your route. Prioritize the area you want to see the most. Set expectations that you probably won’t be able to see everything at once, so it will take several days to see different areas.

• Use a Tree Map: New York City has a pretty awesome tree map that lists and shows you every single tree that’s managed by NYC Parks. You can zoom into any street on the map and it will show you the trees that are planted, including cherry blossom and magnolia trees. There are places and neighborhoods that don’t show any trees, and it’s probably because it’s not managed by NYC Parks (for some reason you cannot find trees inside Central Park).

Read My Other NYC Blogs

I love writing about different seasonal things to do in New York City. Check out my other blogs to find the best seasonal and family friendly things to do in New York City.

New York City Seasonal Articles

• Best Sunflower Fields in NYC
• Best Fall Hikes in NYC
• Apple Picking in NYC
• Where to Pick Strawberries near NYC
• Best Pumpkin Farms on Long Island
• Visiting New York City in March
• Why You should visit NYC in the fall
• NYC Winter Survival Guide

Christmas and Holiday Season in New York City

• Most Instagrammable Places in NYC during the holidays
• Most Festive Pop Up Bars and Restaurants in NYC during the holidays
• Best Holiday Markets in NYC
• Things to do with kids in NYC during the holidays
• What to do and eat at Bryant Park Winter Village
• Complete Union Square Holiday Market Guide
• How to Visit Macy’s Santaland
• Complete Guide on Dyker Heights Holiday Lights Without a Tour

New York City Itineraries & Things to Do

• 100+ best things to do in New York City
• 4 Day NYC itinerary
• One Week New York City itinerary
• SUMMIT One Vanderbilt Guide
• Empire State Building Complete Guide
• One World Observatory Complete Guide
• Pier 57 Market & Rooftop Park Guide
• Mercer Labs Museum Review

How to Save Money Traveling to NYC

• Best New York City Travel Pass
• New York Pass Review: Is New York Pass Worth it?

New York City Food Guide

• Best Ice Cream Shops in Lower Manhattan
• Best Brunch Spots in New York City
• Cutest Plants and Floral Cafes in New York City
• Honest Review of the Plaza Hotel Afternoon Tea
• Tea Around Town Afternoon Tea Bus Tour
• Tim Ho Wan Restaurant Review

Other New York City Guides

• Coolest Airbnbs in New York State
• Best New York Themed Gifts
• Unique Brooklyn Themed Gifts
• Cold Spring Day Trip from NYC
• NJ Construction Themed Amusement Park: Diggerland Complete Guide

Like this post? Pin this New York City Cherry Blossom Guide to Pinterest!