Brooklyn Botanical Garden (BBG)

Brooklyn is the most populated amongst the five boroughs that constitute New York City. But amid the concrete jungle of sky scrapers and bridges lies this 52-acre world of vegetation – trees, shrubs and flowers – which for any visitor appears to be a different world, much distanced from the urban hustle and bustle. If to go by the New York cultural department, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden is the fourth largest cultural attraction in the city.

Founded in 1910, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, in its true sense is not a single garden, but it is a collection of gardens and many rare species that is not found anywhere else in this world. Some of the gardens within the garden include the Children’s Garden, tended exclusively by kids in the age group 3-18, the Cranford Rose Garden, displaying over 5,000 bushes from 1,200 odd species, and the Herb Garden boasting more than 300 varieties. It appears that people have taken a leaf out of BBG’s book, as there is an apparent increase in the number of people turning to this type of gardening, especially within in the household domain.

The major attraction in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden is the Japanese Garden, complete with a Chinese heart shaped pond, view pavilion, waiting house, bridges, miniaturized landscape and a blazing torn red gate. In fact, the list of gardens and other attractions in BBG are never ending; there is the Fragrance Garden, designed especially for the blind, the Shakespeare Garden, Celebrity Path – Brooklyn’s answer to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame - Steinhardt Conservatory, which is home to the stunning C. V. Starr Bonsai Museum, and many more. For a plant kingdom lover, this is the maximum one can imagine within an urban setting. And nobody has ever gone back disappointed from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden till date.

The Gardener’s Resource Center at BBG caters to the gardeners in the making, while the Visitor Center provides valuable information on the garden history, programs, and upcoming events. Also, there is a refreshment center, Terrace Café, and a Garden Gift Shop, which sells everything from plants, seeds, and soil to containers, garden tools, gardening books, and stationary.

The entry fee to BBG is $3 for adults and half of that for students and seniors. Children in the age group 6-16 need to shell out only 50 cents for a full tour of the garden, while BBG members and kids aged below 5 are facilitated a free entry. Guided tours are offered in weekend afternoons .This does not need any advanced reservation.