NYC Parks and Gardens

Here are a few of the many beautiful Parks and Gardens that the New York City area has to offer. Some hidden gems in here for those willing to explore a bit. There are links to maps that show park locations. The maps will also show other attractions in the areas and allow you to access the official web site to get more info on Park Events and Programs. See our Top 10 NYC Parks page.

Battery Park
20 State St
New York, NY 10004
Location: Broadway & State St.

At the bottom of Manhattan, just below the financial district is Battery Park. Home to Castle Clinton, the city's only fort, this 21-acre park includes, on one end, Hope Garden - a memorial to AIDS victims - and on another, the ferry that'll take you to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
More info on Battery Park

Blue Heron Park
267 Poillon Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10312
718-967-3542

The 222 acre Blue Heron Park is home to wetland ponds, swamps, and streams which drain into the Raritan Bay. A naturalist is available to give guided walks at 12n and 4pm, Saturday and Sunday throughout the year.
Locate the Park on a Map

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
1000 Washington Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225
718-623-7200

Celebrate the seasons at New York City's natural wonder. 'The premier horticultural attraction in the region,' acclaims the NY Times. Fifty-two acres of display gardens, indoor conservatory, and events for all ages. A short subway ride away.
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Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Remsen and Orange Sts
Brooklyn, NY 11201

The city is filled with amazing views, but few can top the ones from this scenic third-of-a-mile stretch along the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Postcard-like views of lower Manhattan, South Street Seaport, the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge draw photographers, couples on romantic walks, and New Yorkers who want an inspiring place to sit and think.
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Central Park
North of 59th Street, South of 110th Street,
East of 5th Avenue and West of 8th Avenue

Central Park is an oasis of green in the middle of New York City with over 800 acres of scenic views, playgrounds and ponds. Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, it was the first landscaped park in the United States.
More info on Central Park

High Rock Park
200 Nevada Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10306
718-667-2165

High Rock Park contains five ponds and various wetlands, including Walker Pond and Loosestrife Swamp. There are also six walking trails, along which visitors can see stands of red maples, Highbush blueberries, and patches of skunk cabbage. Wood ducks, Great blue herons, and muskrats all make their homes here along with hawks, owls, migrating colorful warblers, woodpeckers, frogs and turtles. Visitors can also climb Mt. Moses, a 260-foot hill named for City builder and Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. The 360-degree panoramic view offered by the site is considered one of New York City’s most spectacular.
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New York Botanical Garden
200th Street and Kazimiroff Boulevard
Bronx, NY 10458
718-817-8700

A grand museum of plants. A place to relax, rejuvenate, and experience the wonders of nature. A living “tip sheet” for your home garden. A worldwide leader in studying the Earth’s plant life. The New York Botanical Garden is all of these things and a great deal more. Founded in 1891, the Garden is one of the world’s great collections of plants, the region’s leading educational center for gardening and horticulture, and an international center for plant research. The Garden is alive with opportunities for discovery, from an “ecotour” of the world in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory to an innovative indoor/outdoor science museum for kids to 48 exquisite gardens and plant collections, all on a 250-acre National Historic Landmark site in New York City’s Bronx borough.
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Pelham Bay Park
City Island Road
Bronx, NY 10464
718-430-1890

At over 2,700 acres, Pelham Bay Park is the city's largest park. Like many of New York City's parks, the land on which it sits has a long and intricate history. Many of the park's historic features remain observable to the modern park visitor. Pelham Bay Park has many significant environmental features. Its variety of habitats enables one to see a diversity of wildlife throughout the park.
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Prospect Park
95 Prospect Park West
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-965-8951

Prospect Park is a 526-acre urban oasis located in the heart of Brooklyn, New York City's most populous borough. The masterpiece of famed landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who also designed Central Park, Prospect Park features the 90-acre Long Meadow , the 60-acre Lake and Brooklyn's only forest. The nation's first urban Audubon Center, the Prospect Park Zoo, and the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival are just a few of the cultural attractions that make their home here at the Park.
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Staten Island Botanical Garden
1000 Richmond Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301
718-273-8200

A short ferry ride away from Manhattan's powerful downtown financial district sits one of New York City's best kept secrets, The Staten Island Botanical Garden. Nestled within the grounds of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, The Staten Island Botanical Garden with its Victorian charm and stately elegance is a "must visit" that should be on every tourists' list. Founded in 1977, The Staten Island Botanical Garden is constantly evolving. From its initial plantings of its English perennial border to its newest addition, the New York Chinese Scholar's Garden, this institution is a cultural assimilation of gardens.
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Queens Botanical Garden
43-50 Main Street
Flushing, NY 11355
718-886-3800

Experience the beauty of Queens Botanical Garden (QBG), the place where people, plants, and cultures meet. Set on 39 acres in theheart of New York City's largest borough, the Garden is an oasis of green space serving our nations's most ethnically diverse county. More then 60 years after its birth as an exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair, QBG continues to welcome an international audience with rose, bee, herb, and perennial gardens, changing displays, and public programs accessible to all. QBG is just steps away from some of the finest ethnic restaurants in New York City and the cultural attractions of Flushing Meadows Corona Park, home of the 1939 and 1964 New York World's Fairs.
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The Greenbelt Nature Center
700 Rockland Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10306
718-351-3450

The Greenbelt Nature Center is open from 11 am - 5 pm, Wednesday through Sunday, November through March. Located at the intersection of Brielle and Rockland avenues, the center, which is FREE and open to all, offers access to the hiking trail system, and a variety of programs and educational opportunities - including the state-of-the-art Richmond County Savings Foundation Exhibits. The center is closed on major holidays and on Easter. The opening of this long-awaited public facility, located on Rockland Avenue at the intersection of Brielle Avenue on Staten Island, fulfills a major part of the Greenbelt's Masterplan. The Masterplan, published by the Greenbelt Conservancy in 1991, describes a park for the 21st century that embodies respect for the Greenbelt's natural systems, sensitivity to its historic and cultural past, and a commitment to the needs of the community. The center is a hub for Greenbelt activities and programs. Visitors can obtain a trail map and access the Greenbelt's trail system, sign up for programs and activities, speak with a Greenbelt representative, or just relax and enjoy the beautiful wooded grounds.
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Wave Hill
West 249th Street and Independence Avenue
Bronx, NY 10471
718-549-3200

Wave Hill maintains award-winning gardens and greenhouses; manages an urban woodland; provides environmental education for City children, teachers, and over 110,000 visitors annually; offers arts activities for children that strengthen environmental awareness; and presents exhibitions, concerts, lectures and workshops that examine the aesthetic response to nature.
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