Science & Nature
There’s Still Time To See Jackson Park’s Dazzling Cherry Blossoms, But Not for Much Longer
Cherry blossoms in Jackson Park frame the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, April 18, 2025. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
Chicagoans and tourists alike have fallen under the spell of Jackson Park’s cherry trees, which are in full blossom for the first time in four years.
A sizeable crowd of people took advantage of Friday’s summer-like temperatures to bask in the blooms of the nearly 200 cherry trees clustered around the Columbia Basin — located on the south side of the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry — as well as Wooded Island and in the Osaka Garden.
Cherry trees ring the Columbia Basin in Jackson Park, April 18, 2025. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
Though some of the trees are already beginning to shed their flowers, creating a snow-like carpet of petals below, the Chicago Park District said the trees should still make for excellent viewing through April 27.
Poor weather conditions stymied the blossoms in years past, but this year’s show has been a dazzler.
There are four different species of cherry tree planted in Jackson Park, most with either white blossoms or pink that have faded to white.
Jackson Park’s cherry trees have been a magnet for photographers, April 18, 2025. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
In 2013, 120 cherry trees were planted to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition — known for the famous White City, of which the Museum of Science and Industry is the sole remaining building in Jackson Park.
Newly planted cherry trees along the south wall of the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, April 18, 2025. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
Over the years, more trees have been added, bringing the total to just shy of 200. The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Chicago has funded the planting of some 50 trees and plans to support the addition of 60 more.
At the moment, Jackson Park’s cherry blossoms dwarf the Obama Center, under construction in the distance, April 18, 2025. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
Video: A blizzard of blossoms in Jackson Park, where cherry trees are still in bloom, but not for long. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
