6 Cities to View Cherry Blossoms Across the U.S.

These fragrant blooms don’t last long, so make your plans now

a cherry blossom at the portland japenese garden

The Portland Japanese Garden features Yoshino and weeping cherry trees along streams, walkways and a sand and stone garden.

Courtesy Jonathan Ley/Portland Japanese Garden

Jaimie Seaton,

Updated March 11, 2026

AARP

Published March 04, 2024

/ Updated March 11, 2026

Nothing says spring like cherry blossoms. After the cold bleakness of winter, the arrival of the fragrant flowers signals that warmer temperatures and longer days are just around the corner. And since there are plenty of free and low-cost ways to view blooms, including sprawling parks and elaborate festivals, it’s a great option for the nearly 90 percent of people 50 and older looking to stretch their travel dollars, according to AARP’s 2026 Travel Trends survey.

We rounded up six places across the U.S. to take in the trees’ beauty. These harbingers of spring generally bloom from early March to early April, but each year is different. Be sure to check weather and blooming forecasts for the area you want to visit. Though Washington, D.C., draws quite the crowd, we included other cities to consider.

Rows and rows of cherry trees, planted among the rolling farmland near Traverse City, Michigan, burst into bloom each spring.

Courtesy Traverse City Tourism

Traverse City, Michigan

Winds blowing in off Lake Michigan make northwestern Michigan a tad cooler in summer, and warmer in winter. Add in sandy soil and rolling hills, and it’s cherry-growing perfection. Michigan produces about three-quarters of the nation’s tart cherries, and the Traverse City region supplies about half of that crop — more than 100 million pounds. It’s a delicious and beautiful draw.

During spring, wander among blossoms in downtown Traverse City, which claims the title of Cherry Capital of the World. The city sits at the tip of a Lake Michigan inlet, and the peninsulas on either side of it — Old Mission to the northeast; Leelanau to the northwest — are blanketed in working cherry farms, bursting with white blooms. Reasons to stop include wineries tucked amid the cherry orchards and the Farm Club, a working two-acre farm, restaurant, brewery and market. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is an unbeatable destination for a bloom-lined drive ending in views of the ocean-like lake from sand cliffs, some as tall as 450 feet. The National Cherry Festival moved from spring to July, to coincide with the fruit harvest. This year, the festival celebrates its 100th anniversary from July 4 to 11, and includes typical and fruit-specific fest draws (mostly free), including kids’ and adults’ cherry-pie-eating contests. This is when plentiful pick-your-own farms open, too.

cherry trees under the washington monument

Cherry trees bloom under the Washington Monument in the nation’s capital.

Courtesy National Cherry Blossom Festival

Washington, D.C.

Cherry blossoms have been synonymous with our nation’s capital since 1912, when 3,000 cherry trees were gifted to the city by the mayor of Tokyo. The blossoms can be found in a number of locations, including the National Mall, the National Arboretum and the popular Tidal Basin, where visitors can stroll or bike under the blooms or enjoy them from the water on public or private boat tours. Diana Mayhew, president of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival (March 20 to April 12), suggests heading out early to avoid the crowds. “[Sunrise] is a beautiful time to come,” Mayhew says.

The National Park Service says peak bloom, when 70 percent of the cherry blossoms are open, is usually between the last week of March and the first week of April. The festival offers numerous free events, including Petalpalooza — a full day of live music and activities at the Capitol Riverfront. Parking for the festival and blossom viewing is limited, so Mayhew recommends using public transportation or rideshare services. Or enjoy the view from a bus tour. Check out the festival’s live BloomCam to plan your visit.

The Cherry Blossom Festival in Nashville, Tennessee, is held in Public Square Park.

Courtesy Japan-America Society of Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

The city known for country music is also becoming known for its abundance of blossoms, says Ginger Byrn, festival director of the free Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival on April 11 in Public Square Park. The festival, which celebrates spring and Japanese culture, commences with the 2.5-mile Cherry Blossom Walk. Families can enjoy entertainment, vendors and blooms (depending on the weather). There’s parking available downtown for the festival, as well as public transportation. Those who bike to the festival can enjoy free, secure valet parking, while scooter riders can access a dockless parking zone. Though Public Square Park is the center of the action, Centennial and Shelby parks also have masses of cherry trees that bloom throughout the season. But don’t limit your viewing to city parks. “We actually have cherry blossoms in a lot of places in Nashville. A lot of neighborhoods and homeowners have planted them because they do really well in our climate,” Byrn says.

people walking near and laying under cherry tree blossoms

The cherry trees on the Ohio University campus were a gift from Chubu University in Japan.

Courtesy Leslie Ostronic/Ohio University

Athens, Ohio

Each spring, throngs of people visit Ohio University’s campus to enjoy the blossoms of the cherry trees, originally gifted by Japan’s Chubu University in 1979. The fragrant trees line two grassy areas along the Hocking River, where visitors can stroll, bike or just lounge under the canopy of blooms. “It really is an ideal setting,” says Gillian Ice, an Ohio University professor for more than 25 years. “Not only because of the beautiful trees, but it’s a lovely river to sit by. And it’s a welcoming environment, very community-oriented.”

In 2023, to mark 50 years of the universities’ partnership, Chubu gifted Ohio University an additional 50 Yoshino cherry trees that were planted throughout the grove near Shafer Street. The university built a Japanese-style pavilion and renamed the area Friendship Park. There are parking lots adjacent to the trees and the bike path, with metered parking and free accessible parking. To plan your visit, check out the Cherry Blossoms at Ohio University website, where blooming updates are posted. In 2025, buds began forming the second week in March.

The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco features a tea house that is framed by Yoshino cherry trees.

Courtesy Steven Pitsenbarger

San Francisco

When one thinks of the City by the Bay, cherry blossoms don’t immediately come to mind. But each spring, typically sometime in March into April, Gardens of Golden Gate Park is awash in blooms. The 1,017-acre park is divided into various gardens, and a free shuttle transports visitors to the most popular destinations. Cherry trees can be found throughout the main park, and visitors can head to the oldest operating public Japanese garden in North America — the Japanese Tea Garden (free 9 to 10 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday; other times $16 for adults, $7 for adults 65-plus) — where blossoms complement the picturesque pagodas, bridges, koi ponds and a Zen garden. Wander in silence as you contemplate the beauty, or cap off a 60-minute walking tour with a relaxing cup of tea at the Tea House. Just remember to bring a sweater, says Steven Pitsenbarger, garden supervisor for the Japanese Tea Garden. “A lot of tourists come from all over the country thinking, Oh, it’s California, it’s sunny and warm. Spring is actually a good season for us. It’s usually nicer. We get a lot more sun, but we could get rain during that time.”

Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon, is lined with 100 cherry blossom trees next to the Steel Bridge, a double-deck vertical lift bridge.

Courtesy Jon Kraft

Portland, Oregon

The largest city in the state, Portland has a few places to enjoy cherry blossoms. Adjacent to the Japanese American Historical Plaza, Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park (known to locals simply as Waterfront Park) is lined with 100 cherry blossom trees next to the Steel Bridge. The public riverfront park boasts 36 acres and a 1.5-mile paved path that can easily and safely accommodate walkers, bikers, skaters, wheelchair users and service animals, says Anna Fox, senior public relations manager at Travel Portland. There’s parking (with accessible spaces) across the street, and visitors who don’t want to fight the traffic can enjoy the blooms from the MAX Light Rail line, which passes the park. West of downtown is the 410-acre Washington Park, where cherry blossoms can be seen throughout, as well as along the 12 miles of trails of Hoyt Arboretum, inside the park. Both are free, though parking is not ($2.40 per hour; $9.60 per day). The Portland Japanese Garden ($22.50 for adults, $19.50 for adults 65-plus), also inside the park, delights visitors with both Yoshino and weeping cherry trees along streams, tranquil walkways and a sand and stone garden. The fragrant blooms also flank the glass-walled Umami Café. The garden’s cherry blossom watch page posts photos of the trees through peak bloom.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published March 4, 2024. It has been updated to reflect new information.

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Contributing: Berit Thorkelson, AARP

Jaimie Seaton has lived in and reported from South Africa, the Netherlands, Singapore and Thailand. She’s written on travel for Skift, The Independent and CNN.