The cherry blossoms are in full bloom! I love it. Even though communion season is in May, a few weeks after bloom season, I’ve dressed both my daughters early and taken their communion photos in front of some trees.
Last year I took the kids to the park to see the acres of trees I grew up visiting.
When I was little, my mom would take me to picnic at Branch Brook Park in Newark. We’d either bring in subs from her deli or buy hot dogs and YooHoo (or grape soda) from a truck (sauerkraut and mustard is mom’s go-to, I like to change it up). Then I’d get in trouble for climbing a tree before we’d head back to the store.
Now, if you didn’t know any better, you might get really judge-y and turn your nose up at a Newark, NJ picnic. And part of me wants to keep people in that mindset. The less people who know about our secret gems, the less crowded it is for us NJ natives. But the other part of me, the part that is proud of the hidden beauty of NJ, is a bigmouth. So, like I did with my local beach post, I’ll share about the not-so-secret cherry blossoms in Essex County, NJ.
When most people think of the beautiful blooms, they think of DC. But Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ has “largest and most varied collection of Japanese Flowering Cherry Blossom trees in the United States; with 5,300 in 18 varieties.” And better yet, these trees are all in one park rather than throughout a city, so it feels different. Everywhere you look, you’re engulfed in blooms. It’s just remarkable. I tried to take photos last year, but it does not do it justice.
If you are in or near NJ, this weekend is BloomFest at Branch Brook Park. They’re having a family day and mile run on Saturday and BloomFest on Sunday. This is likely the last weekend of blooms, so go see them while you can!
https://branchbrookpark.org/cherryblossoms.html
