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Well, another Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival will soon be here! I've decided to commemorate it with my "45 Days of Cherry Blossoms" photo series. I wil submit a photo a day over the next 45 days from my favorite cherry blossom photos captured over the past few cherry blossom seasons in Branch Brook Park, Essex County, NJ. Hope you like it! - Don Peterson, Cherry Blossom Photos
Beautiful! I've never been there - I usually go to the Brooklyn Botanical garden. Are the trees very spread out or are they in rows? I love the BBG because they are all together, but would love to check this out.
They are more spread out but there's also more space and less of a crowd than at BBG. I went to BBG and it was a total zoo there! It is more festive and pretty at BBG but I would not go back again during a weekend.
If i'm not mistaken 100,000 attend the Festival and various events during the festival , but the park is so huge it never feels congested...unless you drive in. Of course you don't need to drive since the Newark Subway runs right next to the Park.
I prefer Branch Brook Park to BBG (I love both however) because Branch Brook feels like a more natural setting. The cherry blossoms trees are well integrated throughout the entire park at Branch Brook instead of the more formal garden setting in BBG.
Here is my Day 3 photo: Cherry Blossoms along the old Morris Canal in Branch Brook Park from the 2012 cherry blossom season:
Thank you - I'm going to check it out! I have a 2.5 year old so we can't spend enough time wandering in parks. I never go to the actual festival at BBG. Fortunately I can go during the week now and they even have a free day. One year my timing was perfect and the blossoms were dropping like a soft rain.
Do you think parking at branch brook is ok during the week? I live further south (exit 117) and I don't think I could even get parking at our train station.
Parking can be tough due to the numerous events and popularity of the Park itself....which train station do you use?
I would go from Hazlet. I know there is a waitlist for commuters, but don't know if there are daily spots. Honestly - I've never taken the train here so it's confusing to me. I rode it all the time in NYC, I don't know why NJ transit is confusing to me.
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I never go to the actual festival at BBG. Fortunately I can go during the week now and they even have a free day. One year my timing was perfect and the blossoms were dropping like a soft rain.
