The US is also rolling into spring too and with it also comes countless cherry blossom and Japan-centric celebrations across the nation. Our 10-year mission to plant 100 cherry trees each year will be complete in 2018.". © The Cultural Landscape Foundation, Missouri Botanical Garden. Washington, D.C. is one of the most famous places in the country to view cherry blossoms. Since then, the annual festival has grown in numbers every single year, with the festival now bringing in an impressive 10,000 visitors. The 100-year-old Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden also is planted with several weeping cherry blossom trees.". You can’t actually stroll the cherry orchards of Traverse City, but when the trees are in bloom, you can view them from hikes and along drives through the area. One of the best things about viewing them at the university is that you can follow their live cherry blossom updates on Twitter. Throughout the week the city celebrates a number of different cultural events including music programs, a taiko festival, bonsai and ikebana workshops and kendama championships just to name a few. White granite monuments like the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument provide a stunning backdrop to cherry blossom pictures. There are places in the U.S. to see spectacular cherry blossom events, and then there's Washington D.C. With more than 3,000 cherry blossom trees on National Park Service land throughout the city, D.C. is the best place to be outside Japan to see fields of cherry blossom blooms. Where®, WhereTraveler®, WhereTraveler.com and "The Complete Guide to Go®" are service marks of Morris Visitor Publications, LLC. Japan might get all the glory when it comes to cherry blossoms, but there are scenic displays of these pale pink flowers all over the United States. Nowadays, the park hosts a three-week-long Cherry Blossom Festival in April that culminates in Bloomfest!, a celebration of Japanese culture. There will be performances, food stands, and an arts and culture hub right in the middle of the festivities. To learn more about Shofuso Japanese House and Garden take a look at 12 Stunning Japanese Gardens in America. You might not imagine Florida being a place for cherry blossom viewing but Morikami Museum had cherry trees especially imported and planted for visitors to enjoy. So where are the best places to see the cherry blossoms in the USA? Dallas: The Arboretum. Family day and one mile walk on the 18th and their Bloomfest on the 19th. The festival also aims to enrich the lives of women with Japanese ancestry in Hawaii who have the opportunity to learn cultural and professional skills and training, which they then showcase during the festival and present themselves in the Festival Ball on March 21. © Taís Melillo / Creative Commons, Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Cherry blossom trees, native to Japan, are iconic greeters of warmer spring temps, providing blissfully bright selfies and travel memories. The 200 cherry trees that line Ohio University’s campus were a gift from the school’s Japanese sister campus, Chubu University, in 1972. Some highlights include the cherry blossom festival pageant and parade which began the rest of the exciting events. Offering prime riverfront views, the Charles River Esplanade is particularly covered in cherry blossom trees that bloom each year. The Japan-America Society of Tennessee set out to plant 1,000 trees throughout the city and each year leads a blossom-centric festival, a cherry blossom walk, staring at Nashville's public square and heading the 2.5 miles to Morgan Park. The best way to keep up with the local events is by following their Facebook page. You can read more on this festival at Japanese Festivals in America 2020. It’s difficult to anticipate exactly when cherry blossoms will make their annual appearance in the United States—and when they do, they don’t stick around for long. One of California’s biggest celebrations of Asian culture, the San Francisco Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival draws an audience of around 200,000 annually. While many people head to the Japanese American Historical Plaza or the Hoyt Arboretum to see the cherry blossoms, Portland offers a few exciting options to find a wash of pink blooms. Built to honor those who were deported to Japanese internment camps during World War II, the Tom McCall Waterfront Park is the best place in Portland to see cherry blossoms. Famous for its geodesic-dome greenhouse, did you know that the Missouri Botanical Garden is also a prime cherry blossom viewing spot? But did you know you can celebrate this beautiful time outside of Japan? Held on April 25-26, the festival features a variety of Japanese performances, but arguably the biggest highlight of the event is the Cosplay Deathmatch where contestants compete for the best costume award. If you have time to visit Marshfield (2.5 hours drive from the Botanical Garden), you can join in with their annual Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival happenings which include parties and talks from celebrities and writers. There are actually more cherry trees in New Jersey’s Branch Brook Park than there are in Washington, D.C., which is famous for its blooms. They had a parade, a king and queen cherry and even this group called the 'cherrians.'". Read on to find 23 beautiful locations across America that you can enjoy this spring! Combining the old and the new art culture of Japan, Hatsume Fair also has an anime-inspired fashion show and costume contest during its spring celebration. Cultural events happen regularly at their Japan centre but their cherry blossom events are not yet announced. To get a good view of the trees, ride the DC Circulator’s National Mall Route. The 2020 festival will take place on Sunday, April 19 during the afternoon, where street food vendors will be selling a range of food options, though none of them are Japanese and, instead there is more of an Italian focus. Many cities in the U.S. have Hisakura trees—with single blooms—or Kwanzans and Shirofugens that have more than one flower within a bloom. The area's cherry blossom festival is a resurrection of a historic cherry festival. From the George Washington Carver Garden to the Japanese Garden, the area is bursting with white and pink blooms each year from early March to mid-April. While some cities like Washington D.C. have several thousand trees, there are other cherry blossom destinations in the U.S. that are more off-the-beaten-path but just as pink during the peak bloom time. Lake Balboa. The Best Cities in the US to See Cherry Blossoms, Things to Do at Disney Springs in Orlando, The Tranquil Gardens of Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan, These Photos of the National Parks Make Us Want to Get Outside. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is perhaps the biggest cherry blossom festival in America. Sitting on the northern end of Newark, between the neighborhoods of Forest Hill and Roseville, the Branch Brook Park claims to have the largest collection of cherry trees in the US. "The start of this was when I planted the first 10 cherry trees 17 years ago thinking it would be fun to experiment," said Dave Forehand, Dallas Arboretum vice president of gardens. Onigri—Japanese rice balls—and yukatas—summer kimonos—are staples of the local cherry blossom and Japanese cultural festivals in Boston. Kicking off at 9:45am, the walk will take you through some of the best local sites. A celebration of fleeting optimism, symbolic of new beginnings, it’s an optimistic time with longer days to enjoy and a sweetness in the air. Running for over 35 years now, the Macon Georgia International Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the biggest (and they claim the pinkest) in the country. Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC, Woodblock Print by Kawase Hasui. Wahiawa in Honolulu County is particularly special for cherry blossom viewing and their trees are thought to be traceable back to a single tree brought from Okinawa, Japan. Running alongside cherry tree season, the city hosts their annual Japan Festival, a celebration of Japanese food and culture. Since 1927, the remarkable number of blooms at this Essex County park has been a primary draw for visitors. 10 Places to See Cherry Blossoms in Los Angeles. 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. For over 30 years now the trees have influenced the landscape of the university. Each March and April, several cities across the U.S. are bathed in a pink, spring-welcoming party. We love the rows of pink trees behind the Please Touch Museum in West Fairmount Park and the stretch of Kelly Drive behind Boathouse Row. For cherry trees in Ohio, make your way to Ohio University. On April 4th and 5th Morikami Museum hosts the Hatsume Fair, a celebration of spring that boasts an impressive selection of food and drinks, including street food vendors, a special sake station, and even a Sapporo beer garden. There are 12 granite stones throughout the space that feature Japanese-American poets' famous works and make a stroll through the space both refreshing and enlightening. In springtime, the cherry trees here are a burst of color and the Gardens often hold cherry blossom–themed programming, such as guided walks, origami demonstrations, and flower-arranging workshops. With 300,000 Yoshino cherry blossom trees, the area is known for the pale-pink blossoms. You can find out more about the location in 5 Great Reasons to Visit Portland Japanese Garden. Looking closer to the city, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York is home to some of the most famous cherry trees in the country. The Tennessee State Capitol also has cherry blossom trees on its grounds for citizens and visitors alike to enjoy in the legislative plaza directly in front of the capitol and other areas on the grounds. In fact, the cherry blossoms are so highly anticipated each year that they even have their own Twitter account. The Missouri Botanical Garden is home to more than 40 Yoshino cherry blossom trees and hundreds of other related plants and trees that flower in the spring. Cherry trees typically blossom in mid-May but weather plays a major role. It’s a party. Due to COVID-19, call ahead or check businesses’ websites before visiting. Although it’s surrounded by buildings in the suburbs you’d never know once you are inside the garden enjoying the koi pond, winding paths lined with blooming trees and pagodas. Hours and to-go options vary. The festival is held in mid April - Seattle Center in downtown Seattle, Washington. This is undoubtedly one of the prettiest places to see the sakura in the US. After a cold and rainy winter in Seattle, getting back outside to enjoy the outdoors is a pleasure, especially since cherry blossoms bloom all over the city. In Portland, Oregon, the best place to see blossoms is Tom McCall Waterfront Park, situated on the edge of the Japanese American Historical Plaza. Make sure to stop by the tea house before you leave for a beverage with a view. © Cherry Blossom Festival Hawaii. >>Next: When and Where to See Flowers Blooming Around the World, Effortlessly Chic Travel Pants to Pack for Your Next Trip, How an Infectious Disease Doctor Protects Against Germs While Traveling, Sign up for the Daily Wander newsletter for expert travel inspiration and tips, These U.S.