Skip to content
Branch Brook Park, Newark, NJ

Photo: Siddharth Mallya, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsLocal GemHistory Buff

Branch Brook Park

Walk under more than 5,000 cherry trees each April in the first county park opened in the United States, on Newark's north side.

Park Avenue and Lake Street, Newark, NJ · Newark, NJ

About Branch Brook Park

Branch Brook Park opened in 1895 as the first county park in the United States and covers 360 acres in Newark's North Ward, with a piece in Belleville. The Olmsted Brothers firm shaped its meadows, woods, lake and pond. Its cherry trees, first given in 1927, now number more than 5,000 in over 18 varieties, and the Cherry Blossom Festival draws about 10,000 people each April. The park also has a roller skating center and seasonal guided tours, and you can take a self-guided history tour by phone at 973-433-9047.

  • #urban park
  • #cherry blossoms
  • #olmsted
  • #walking
  • #festival

What's around here?

The closest stops to Branch Brook Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    The Newark Museum of Art

    Under $25

    See American art, a major Tibetan collection, a planetarium and the restored 1885 Ballantine House in downtown Newark.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Museums

    New Jersey Historical Society

    Under $25

    A Newark museum and library focused on New Jersey history, with rotating exhibitions and walking tours.

    2.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Tours
    Local Gem

    Have You Met Newark

    $25–$50

    Locally led walking and food tours exploring Newark's history, galleries, shops and eateries.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    2.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Greenwood Gardens

    Under $25

    A former private estate in Short Hills, now a public garden with terraces, woodlands, and historic follies.

    7.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Iconic

    Liberty State Park

    No admission fee

    Walk a waterfront promenade facing the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan, and catch ferries to Liberty and Ellis Islands.

    8.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Local Gem

    The High Line

    No admission fee

    An elevated freight rail line reborn as a garden-lined park floating over Manhattan's West Side, with art and city views.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    9.1 mi awayMore like this