Cherry Blossoms in Tennessee: When They Bloom and Where to See Them

Tennessee is certainly most well-known for its music and its mountains, but that’s just the beginning of what the Volunteer State has to offer. For plant lovers, the flora of Tennessee is varied and wonderful. In the spring, the state emerges from the doldrums of winter with a burst of color, including beautiful pink and white cherry blossoms. Here are some of the best places in Tennessee to catch a glimpse of these lovely but quickly fleeting spring flowers.

Nashville

If you Google “cherry blossoms in Tennessee,” the city of Nashville will dominate the results, and with good reason. Music City, USA, isn’t just home to the Grand Ole Opry. It is also home to some of the grandest cherry blossoms in the state.

A Gift to the City

In 2008, the Japanese consulate-general for the South-Central United States moved its headquarters from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Nashville, Tennessee. The nation of Japan gave Nashville 1,000 cherry trees to celebrate the consulates-general’s new home. The planting of these trees began in 2009, and the final cherry tree was placed in 2018. 

Cherry trees are native to Japan and hold an important place in Japanese culture. Each spring, the Japanese people celebrate hanami, which is translated as “flower viewing.”

When the cherry blossoms appear, Japanese citizens will sit, picnic, relax, and chat underneath the flowering trees. Because the bloom time of cherry blossoms changes from year to year, Japanese media and meteorologists will report on the expected time and duration of the blooms each year so people can enjoy hanami. It is a cherished yearly tradition in Japan that is not to be missed.

Through the generosity of the Japanese people, Nashvillians can now enjoy hanami each spring, as well. Cherry blossoms can be viewed in the Nashville Public Square. They also adorn the city’s parks, including Centennial Park, Shelby Park, Riverfront Park, McFerrin Park, Hope Gardens Park, and Cleveland Park. You can also view the blooms along First Avenue and many other streets, as well as in residential neighborhoods. The cherry blossoms at the Shelby Avenue Arboretum are especially lovely every spring.

The city also hosts the annual Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival. This celebration honors the Japanese heritage of the city’s cherry blossoms with a parade, traditional Japanese food and drink, martial arts demonstrations, Japanese art and musical exhibitions, and a Japanese-themed cosplay costume contest.

A City-wide Protest

While the cherry blossoms are still relatively new to the city’s landscape, it didn’t take long at all for Nashvillians to fall in love with the trees and also to become quite protective of them. The National Football League hosted its mammoth celebration of the 2019 draft in Nashville. Plans were made to cut down 21 of the city’s cherry trees for the construction of a large stage to host draft events. The city’s residents protested vociferously. The number of trees to be removed was reduced to ten. While those ten were indeed removed, the NFL donated 200 new cherry trees to the city. The clear lesson here is, don’t mess with Music City’s cherry blossoms!

Nashville has fully embraced these trees as an essential and beautiful part of its culture. You won’t find a better place in Tennessee to view the cherry blossom bloom each spring than in this city.

Knoxville

Nashville gets most of the attention, but don’t overlook the gorgeous cherry blossom displays found in other parts of Tennessee. Knoxville, for instance, features a lovely display of these blossoms every spring.

Yoshino and Kwanzan cherry trees color the landscape of east Tennessee, which helps to extend the timeline for flower viewing. Yoshinos bloom first with pinkish-white flowers. They are followed by the Kwanzan bloom, with brighter pink blossoms. Together, both trees offer several weeks of peak blossom views. It all adds up to a beautiful spring scene in the Marble City.

The Craighead–Jackson House features a stunning cherry blossom bloom each year. This house was constructed in 1818 and sits across the street from the historic William Blount Mansion. The Blount Mansion features the only public garden in the city’s center. It’s a wonderful place for a springtime respite from the hustle of city life.

Knoxville is more known for its dogwoods, which gave rise to the annual Dogwood Arts Festival. But before the dogwoods bloom, keep an eye out for some lovely cherry blossoms.

Memphis/Bartlett

The Memphis Botanic Garden features a lovely cherry blossom display that grows alongside the very appropriately-named Cherry Road. The Garden also hosts the annual Cherry Blossom Picnic in mid-March. The picnic adopts the spirit of hanami and features Asian-inspired food trucks, a guided tour through the Japanese Garden, and traditional Japanese crafts and games.

Municipal Park, directly behind Bartlett’s City Hall, has some wonderful cherry blossoms each spring.

You can also see some gorgeous blooms at Audubon Park, right next to the University of Memphis. 

Chattanooga

Like Memphis in the southwestern part of the state, Chattanooga pops with spring color when the cherry blossoms bloom in southeast Tennessee.

There is an utterly lovely blossom display in the formal garden of the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel complex.

You can also stroll through the cherry blossoms that line the walkway leading to the Tennessee Aquarium along Chattanooga’s riverfront.

The Scenic City certainly lives up to its name when the cherry blossoms appear in the springtime!

Cookeville

Cane Creek Arboretum in Cookeville features more than 30 species of trees along a nearly two-mile paved path that circles its 56-acre lake. Among those trees, you will find cherry trees that bloom each spring.

Beyond the Arboretum, you can find cherry blossoms dotting the landscape as you stroll or drive through the Hub of the Upper Cumberland.

Blooming Season

While this isn’t an exhaustive list of cherry blossom viewing locales in the Volunteer State, it does reveal that these blooms can be enjoyed in all corners of Tennessee. But when is the best time to view these blooms?

It’s not possible to date the blooms with certainty. The cherry blossom is a natural phenomenon, and nature sets the schedule each year. But, generally speaking, the blooms appear in mid to late March, with the peak bloom occurring in late March or early April.

It varies from year to year based on the weather conditions. A warmer early spring season will bring the blooms out earlier. If the weather from February into March is cooler, the blooms may wait a bit longer before appearing.

Monitor the weather conditions to ensure your best chance to see these lovely blooms at their peak. You can also follow local floral and horticulture experts on social media or read their blogs. They’ll be able to give you the best idea of when you can expect these signature spring blooms to be at their peak.