Fly to National Geographic’s top cherry blossom locales
Pink and white cherry blossoms attract millions of visitors from around the country and the world to key locations in the United States where the trees are in abundance, all hoping to see these beautiful blooms in all their glory.
Festivals are often scheduled around a general peak bloom window, but determining the actual peak is difficult with dramatic springtime changes in weather affecting when they will bloom and how long the delicate petals will stay on the trees.
Macon, Georgia, has earned its nickname as the “Cherry Blossom Capital of the World,” with more than 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees. According to the International Cherry Blossom Festival website, the thousands of trees started from one tree in the backyard of the late William A. Fickling Sr., who shared starts with others in the community. The city opens its Southern charm to visitors with a festival at the end of March that offers something for everyone and showcases the town itself. If you don't get your fill of pink from the trees, chow down on some pink pancakes during the festival. You have several choices if you want to fly in, but Macon Downtown Airport is closest to the city and Middle Georgia Regional Airport is about five miles away.
Washington, D.C., has more than 3,000 cherry trees, many of them along the picturesque Tidal Basin. The first cherry trees were gifts from Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki in 1912, according to a guide to the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The trees are predicted to peak between April 3 and 6, but the festival extends from late March through mid-April. I have often visited after peak, when the trees are still magnificent but the crowds are smaller, giving more elbow room to enjoy walking under them along the Tidal Basin. If you plan to fly in, consider AOPA headquarters at Frederick Municipal Airport in Maryland. The airport is just outside the Washington, D.C., Special Flight Rules Area, so you won’t need to file any special flight plans; however, if flying VFR you will need to complete the free online awareness training (if you haven’t already).
Dallas, Texas, features cherry trees in the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. The trees are smaller in number compared to other locations, with 150 of them, but there are also “500,000 tulips, plus hundreds of thousands of other spring flowers that will dazzle you,” according to the Dallas Blooms spring festival webpage. The festival runs from late February to early April. The arboretum is on the east side of Dallas at White Rock Lake, and Mesquite Metropolitan Airport is only 15 miles away.
Athens, Ohio, is home to my alma mater, Ohio University, and more than 200 cherry trees that bloom in early April. The campus sits in a bend of the Hocking River in southeastern Ohio, and the trees line a paved bike path paralleling the river so you can exercise your legs by biking, jogging, or walking. Breathtaking views of the rolling hills, cherry trees, and campus could keep you going for miles. The trees were gifts from partner Chubu University in Japan. Land at the Ohio University Airport in nearby Albany.
Nashville, Tennessee, is known as Music City, but its growth has exploded in recent years, and it is also a hot spot for new industry and bachelor/bachelorette parties. Cherry trees brighten the city in April, when it hosts Nashville Japan Week and the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival. If you want a break from the festivities, you can drive, bike, walk, or run a four-mile loop that is lined with cherry trees. When visiting the Nashville area, I like to fly into Murfreesboro Municipal Airport (home to Middle Tennessee State University) to visit family, but it is about 30 miles to the southeast of Nashville. To get closer, consider Smyrna Airport, John C. Tune Airport, or Nashville International Airport.
Marshfield, Missouri, is the place to go in the Midwest. The city hosts a cherry blossom festival near the end of April that pays tribute to several presidents and includes a talk by presidential historian Louis Picone, theatrical performances, a panel with cast members of Little House on the Prairie, and more. Fly in to Springfield-Branson National Airport, about 30 miles away.
Brooklyn, New York’s Brooklyn Botanic Garden hosts Sakura Matsuri, its cherry blossom festival, near the end of April. The garden features a variety of species in its Flowering Cherry Collection, and a handy map on its website indicates areas that are in prebloom, first bloom, peak, and post-peak bloom so that you can time your visit accordingly. The trees can bloom anywhere from late March to mid-May. If you plan to fly yourself to the New York City area, consider landing at Linden Airport in New Jersey, under Newark Liberty International Airport’s Class B airspace. The general aviation airport bustles with activity, particularly helicopters coming in to refuel, and it is close to mass transit options. I’ve flown in before in a Super Cub and was surprised at how easy it was to operate there. Just be aware of the landing and parking fees.
New Haven, Connecticut, features the cherry trees that were planted in Wooster Square in 1973. More than 70 trees fill the square. The Wooster Cherry Blossom Festival takes place during the afternoon of April 28, so if you want to truly catch the blossoms at their peak, you might need to visit before or after the festival. Tweed-New Haven Airport is three miles away.
