Cherry Blossom Season at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

For a few weeks each spring, Brooklyn Botanic Garden has the best cherry blossoms in New York. The Cherry Esplanade, a wide lawn lined with Kanzan cherries, turns into an avenue of heavy pink flowers, and more cherries bloom around the pond of the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. The collection holds many varieties, so the season unfolds in waves, with the Kanzans late in the run.

Timing is everything. The garden's CherryWatch map on bbg.org tracks every tree from prebloom to peak, and in 2026 the trees had finished by its May 1 update; it will start reporting again next March. Go on a weekday morning at peak, when the Esplanade is merely busy rather than packed. Adult admission is $22 at the box office as of October 2026, and members get in free every day of cherry season, which can be worth it if you plan to go twice. Buy timed tickets ahead online for weekends. Then walk the Japanese garden before you leave.