Essex County Branch Brook Park is the first county park created in the United States and is on the National and State Registers of Historic Places. It was developed in 1895 and was originally designed by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. At 360 acres, Branch Brook is the largest park in the Essex County Parks System. Located in an urban setting, the park offers beautiful, natural vistas, tranquil pathways and a variety of recreation facilities, such as playgrounds, bocce and tennis courts, a roller skating rink, and baseball, softball and soccer fields. The highlight of the year is the Annual Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival, which draws tens of thousands of people to the park every April. Cherry Blossoms were first introduced to the park in 1927 by Carolyn Bamberger Fuld, who gifted 2,000 trees to the Essex County Parks Commission. The groves have been replenished and strengthened in recent years as a result of an ambitious planting program initiated by Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. and the Branch Brook Park Alliance, a citizens' conservancy group. Today the groves feature over 5,000 cherry trees, which bloom for about two weeks in April. The natural wonder is celebrated during a two-week festival, which includes a bike race, 10K running race, children's fun run, Community Family Picnic Day and Bloomfest, a day-long community festival featuring food, vendors and attractions for children.

Local

Eat and Drink

• Mangia Hoboken! The Hoboken Food Tour - Hoboken (7.7 miles) - Mangia Hoboken! The Hoboken Food Tour celebrates its eighth year! Mangia Hoboken! The Hoboken Food &...
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• 2nd City - The original Filipino taqueria - New York (8.9 miles) - A chef-owner, Jordan Andino, who first made his chops at Jean-Georges and The French Laundry is behi...
• New York Cruise Lines - New York (8.9 miles) - At Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, we like to think that we’ve perfected the fine art of the New ...

See and Do

• Essex County Branch Brook Park Newark (0.0 miles) - Essex County Branch Brook Park is the first county park created in the United States and is on the N...
• FlyNYON NY Kearny (3.8 miles) - We allow the experience of aerial photography from a doors-off helicopter above New York City. This ...
• Adventure Rooms Montclair (3.9 miles) - At AdventureRooms your team can take on the most famous room escape event in the world. Your goal is...
• Pole Position Raceway Jersey City (6.9 miles) - Pole Position Raceway is home to the premier indoor motorsports and entertainment facilities in Jers...
• Barsky Gallery Hoboken (7.1 miles) - Contemporary Art Gallery and Event Space in Hoboken NJ

Shopping

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• Amish Market East - Manhattan (10.6 miles) - We are a gourmet type market selling a little bit of everything as far as food is concerned: fresh b...