Borough Blooms: Here are the 4 best spots to see cherry blossoms

By Jonathan Sperling

Spring is in full swing, which is great news for flower lovers.

And while Washington, D.C. and Newark’s Branch Brook Park may get the attention, fewer blooms are more iconic than the cherry blossoms bursting pink and white throughout Queens.

In no particular order, here are our picks for the best places to enjoy the borough’s blooms this season. Make sure to take your camera.

1. Lewis Latimer House Museum (34-41 137th St., Flushing)

This historic wooden structure, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Downtown Flushing, was once the home of Lewis Latimer, an African-American inventor known for improving upon Thomas Edison’s lightbulb, among his many patents. The house includes a quaint museum that is open year-round, but its backyard garden of cherry blossoms and ground-coating white petals is a sight to behold in the spring. The garden is free to the public during regular museum hours: noon to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Photos are encouraged.

Eagle photos by Jonathan Sperling.

2. Queens Botanical Garden (43-50 Main St., Flushing)

Cherry blossoms are far from the only flowers found at this sprawling garden located on Main Street — but they might be the most stunning. Toward the front of the garden, visitors can take in the Cherry Circle, a curved walkway lined with trees that bloom each spring. When you’re finished viewing the cherry blossoms, stroll through the garden’s 39 acres, which also feature a rose and bee garden. The QBG is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a..m. to 6 p.m. Adult admission is $6.

3. Flushing Meadows Corona Park (Grand Central Parkway, Whitestone Expressway between 111 Street and College Point Blvd., Park Drive East)

This famed park sports cherry blossoms all over. The park’s pavilion and Astral Fountain hosts the annual Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival, which will return for its 15th season on April 20. The festival celebrates the blossoming of the cherry trees at Flushing Meadows, and also features live drum performances known as Taiko, a traditional Japanese chorus, a Japanese folk dance and a tea ceremony. The festival begins as 11 a.m. and entry is free.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Photo via the NYC Parks Department.

4. Kissena Park (Fresh Meadows Lane, Kissena Boulevard, between Oak Avenue Underhill and Booth Memorial Avenue)

Trees are aplenty at Kissena Park, but the park’s cherry blossom blooms are among the most beautiful. After taking in the blooms, go for a ride on the park’s velodrome, tour the historic tree grove or just bask in the shade.

Spring blooms at Kissena Park. Photo via the NYC Parks Department.