Discover Macon's Cherry Blossom Driving Trail Through The Eyes Of A Local
With all due respect to Christmas, springtime in Macon, Georgia is the most wonderful time of the year, in large part because of the Yoshino cherry trees blooming.
Everyone gets extremely excited to deck themselves, their vehicles, their yards and their homes out in pink.
My family arrived here mid-July, so we weren’t plugged in to the festivities for 8 months, but it was sure fun to see the activity and excitement ramp up our first spring here.
We’re fortunate that our house is in a neighborhood that is densely populated with the famous trees. It was in this neighborhood that the initial organized planting of Yoshinos took place nearly 40 years ago, and it is through our neighborhood that dozens and dozens of cars pass each day this time of year as they experience the Cherry Blossom Driving Trail.
We walked through the neighborhood late yesterday afternoon, and the beautiful flowers are starting to bloom! Through walks like those and drives through the neighborhood, I’ve found a couple of spots that I’m particularly fond of. These are also areas that visitors who have been on the Visit Macon tour van have shared oohs and aahs over numerous times as I’ve led tours.
I love traveling East on Oxford Circle, and just as the street turns left, there’s a house on the left hand side where there are dozens of trees in the front yard. When they’re in full bloom, it is sure a sight to see! I also really love the drive West on Northside Drive, just as you approach Rivoli Drive. On the left is the Fickling Farm, and the property is lined with cherry trees. As the more densely wooded area opens up, it is breathtaking to see all of the trees.
Just please remember as you take a drive on the Cherry Blossom Driving Trail, the residents in the neighborhoods are very welcoming (wave at me when you see me, please!), but please do remember the trees live on private properties. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for vehicle and pedestrian traffic, as the trees can be somewhat distracting and if last night was anything like what we’ll see in the coming weeks, there will be many people out enjoying a walk on the trail.