Places

These 2 Oregon cities are among the top spots to see cherry blossoms in the world

By Julie Evensen | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Cherry Blossoms in bloom at Pittock Mansion on a sunny spring day in Portland, Oregon on Thursday, April 7, 2022. (Sean Meagher/The Oregonian)

It’s spring, and that means cherry blossom season.

Travel website Trips to Discover ranked the 14 best places to view cherry blossoms around the world, and two Oregon cities made the list.

Salem and Portland made the list, alongside two other West Coast cities – Seattle and San Franciso. Oregon was the only U.S. state to earn two spots on the list.

Other U.S. locations included New York City, Washington, D.C., and Macon, Georgia.

SALEM, OREGON - March 28, 2013 - Cherry blossoms frame the State Capitol building and the Capitol Mall, an Oregon State Park. The Oregon State Capitol, the third such building housing state government, was built in 1938. Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian. LC- THE OREGONIAN (MICHAEL LLOYD/LC- THE OREGONIAN)

The Trips to Discover list notes that some of the “best blooms” can be found in Salem’s State Capitol State Park.

Cherry Blossom Day celebration in Salem, Oregon

Kimono Fashion Show at Cherry Blossom Day the grounds of the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Oregon on Saturday, March 18, 2023. (Sean Meagher/The Oregonian)

Salem held its annual Cherry Blossom Day celebration on Saturday, March 19 -- though a cool and wet spring so far has delayed the arrival of the blossoms.

The cherry trees are in bloom at the Japanese American Historical Plaza in downtown Portland. March 26, 2021 Beth Nakamura/Staff (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian/The Oregonian)

While Portland, according to the site, has “many fabulous spots to discover canopies of the pink and white blossoms.” The ranking specifically recommends that visitors check out the Portland Japanese Garden, Washington Park and Hoyt Arboretum, while also noting that the “most popular place for viewing” is in Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

The Portland Japanese Garden organization has acquired the Salvation Army campus near Northwest Portland’s Forest Park to expand educational and cultural programs, including festivals and art exhibits, beyond the garden’s hilltop property three miles away in Southwest Portland’s Washington Park. On Thursday, April 21, there was a ceremonial hand-off of the former Salvation Army campus, and its century-old White Shield Center that once housed unwed mothers at 2640 N.W. Alexandra Ave. Starting at 4 p.m., the event will have performances of taiko and shinobue and a blessing ceremony from Reverend Eisei Ikenaga from the Nichiren Buddhist Temple of Portland Speaker were U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, Consul General of Japan in Portland Masaki Shiga, Salvation Army Major Bob Lloyd, and Portland Japanese Garden CEO Steve Bloom. Photo by Nina Johnson

Cherry blossoms at the Salvation Army campus acquired by The Portland Japanese Garden (Nina Johnson)

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