New York Botanical Garden
Just 20 minutes from Grand Central Station lies the largest botanical garden in any city in the United States. The New York Botanical Garden contains more than one million plants that inhabit its 250 acres of 50 curated display gardens. Displays include flowers such as daffodils, orchids, waterlilies, tulips, peonies and lilacs. At the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, guests can explore the flora of 11 distinct habitats, including deserts of the Americas and Africa and two types of rainforest, while the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden has over 3,000 fragrant rose plants.
The garden's centerpiece, the 50-acre Forest, is the largest remaining expanse of the foliage that once covered the city. In fact, some of its trees date back 200 years. As visitors stroll the Forest's shaded paths, they enjoy the sounds of the Bronx River's rushing waterfall and the chirping of its resident birds.
The garden is available for private events, offering spaces such as the 400-seat Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall and Conservatory Tent for up to 1,000 people. The New York Botanical Garden is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM. A grounds-only pass is $1 for children ages 2-12, $6 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. Grounds admission is free for all guests Wednesday and Saturday from 10 AM to noon. Group rates are available. On-site parking is $12 per vehicle. For more information: 718-817-8700
