April Flowers

And while the saying goes "April showers bring May flowers," there are actually lots of places where the blooms are up right now — including these, an easy drive from some of our CarShop locations.

Cherry blossom time in Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA

Cherry blossoms are expected to reach peak bloom during the first two weeks of April. Some of the best locations to admire the beauty of these seasonal blossoms include Fairmount Park Horticulture Center and neighboring Shofuso Japanese House and Garden. A new map — hand–painted by Japanese artist Hiro Sakaguchi — is available from the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia and marks where to find cherry blossoms in Fairmount Park and Center City. 

Want to snack while admiring the beautiful blooms? Park on Tap’s spring pop–up beer garden will be at the Fairmount Park Horticultural Center from April 3–25 (Wednesdays through Sundays, weather permitting.)
 

100 North Horticultural Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19131 
Fairmount Park Horticultural Center

Newark, NJ
Japan America Society Map

Cherry Blossom Festival in Branch Brook Park

Newark, NJ

Want more cherry blossoms? About an hour’s drive north of our Mt. Holly store, you’ll find Essex County’s Branch Brook Park, a 360–acre oasis full of flowering trees this time of year. April 2–10, they're celebrating their luck with a Cherry Blossom Festival, which includes a bike race, a 10K fun run, and culminates with Bloomfest on April 10 — a free event where you’ll find children’s activities, live music, a crafter’s marketplace and even Japanese cultural demonstrations. 
 

Park Avenue and Lake Street
Newark, NJ 07104
Branch Brook Park

The Gardens of Andalusia House

Bucks County, PA

Even the earliest visitors to Andalusia — the estate of the Biddle family — remarked on the delicious, pervasive sense of having left the world, and all its cares, behind. That might be even more true today, particularly since the property’s lush gardens have been newly reconceived by the renowned London–based landscape designer Arabella Lenox–Boyd. While the Biddle family’s Greek Revival home will be closed for interior tours, visitors can get rare weekend accessibility to the 65–acre grounds with six Open Saturday events starting April 2. You’ll find it all within driving distance of CarShop’s Hatfield and South Brunswick stores. 
 

1332-1202 State Road
Bensalem, PA 19020
Andalusia

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Scottsdale, AZ

While winter months in Arizona are like spring in the rest of the country, March is peak wildflower season. One of the many places to find them — and there are at least a half–dozen good suggestions in the Experience Scottsdale article linked below — is Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran preserve, with more than 200 miles of trails. Reliable wildflower hotspots include Taliesin Overlook, Marcus Landslide Trail, Cone Mountain Loop and the loop around Granite Mountain. 
 

Trailheads around Scottsdale, AZ
McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Experience Scottsdale article

Jennings Environmental Education Center

Slippery Rock, PA

An easy drive from CarShop’s Cranberry and Robinson locations, you’ll find the Jennings Environmental Education Center — a great place to put on your hiking boots and traverse the five miles of trails that loop among the 20 acres of prairie ecosystem. Within those trails are wildflowers and ferns that are present near the streams and in the meadows. Jennings has education programs that operate all year long for students from preschool to college age, and there are special events and workshops to explore the prairie and forest. 
 

2951 Prospect Road
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
Jennings Environmental Education Center