New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden presents stunning floral displays like this vertical wall of orchids.
The New York Botanical Garden wasn’t on my must-see list the first time I visited New York City. Nope. Instead, I chose to wait in line interminably to take the elevator to the top of the Empire State Building, and I rushed back and forth across Manhattan from one mega-museum to another. I don’t regret these newbie decisions. That’s what first-time travel is about…
However, this site is called “Authentic Luxury Travel” for a reason. This is the place I get to enjoy leading readers off the beaten path, beyond the obvious – to places that reflect the local history and current lifestyle of the destination. The New York Botanical Garden does just that.
The popular Holiday Train Show includes 15 G-scale trains on a layout of NYC landmarks.
A bit of backstory
The New York Botanical Garden has played a significant role in New York history since 1888 when Columbia University botanist Nathaniel Lord Britton and his bride visited Kew Gardens near London on their honeymoon. They returned home determined that New York should have one of the world’s great botanical gardens and sought the support of renowned captains of industry: Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, J. P. Morgan, and John D. Rockefeller. The new botanical garden was chartered by New York State in 1891.
Today, the NYBG, located on 250 acres in the Bronx, is home to 50 gardens and more than one million living plants, including 30,000 mature trees. These collections include the most beautiful rose garden in the United States and tropical and desert plants displayed in the Victorian-era Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. The site was designated is a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1967.
The Victorian-era Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is a New York landmark.
Live like a local at New York Botanical Garden
The Garden plays an important role in the life of New Yorkers. Attending annual events, including the Holiday Train Show, is a favorite family tradition. Locals also visit in spring to walk among the wonderland created by flowering cherry, crabapple, and magnolia trees, as well as 3,000 azaleas and rhododendrons that begin to bloom in the first warm days of the year. NYBG also offers horticulture classes and presents an annual lecture series that is very well attended
Blooming crabapple, magnolia, and cherry trees create a visual wonderland in the spring.
The New York Botanical Garden is also a popular place for charity galas, beautiful weddings, concerts, film shoots, and corporate events. These are held in three historic buildings on the grounds: The Goldman Stone Mill (circa 1840), the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (1902), and the Museum Building (1901) – all New York City Landmarks.
Visits to the NYBG are a family tradition for many New Yorkers.
Getting to New York Botanical Garden
We took the train from Grand Central Station, which is right behind the Library Hotel. (I just love this place.) When you buy your ticket for the Metro North train, select “Botanical Garden” as your destination. Click here for more “getting there” info.
Tips for visiting New York Botanical Garden
- Plan ahead. Look online to see what special exhibits are coming up. At the moment you can look forward to:
Sept. 20 – Oct. 31, 2014 – The Haunted Pumpkins Garden
Oct. 2 – 26, 2014 – Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden
Nov. 15, 2014 – Jan. 19, 2015 – The Holiday Train Show (includes 15 G-scale train layouts through New York landmarks).
Feb. 28 – April 19, 2015 – The Orchid Show
May 16 – Nov. 1, 2015 – Frida Kahlo’s Garden
- Wear comfortable shoes and a hat (in warm weather) or scarf (when it’s chilly)
- Use sunscreen.
- Pace yourself. Stop and have lunch in the café. Take advantage of the narrated tram tour.
- Consider a guided tour or the self-guided smart phone tour.
- Allow lots of time at the end of the day for browsing in the wonderful gift shop. I bought my very favorite tea mug during the 2012 orchid show.
NYBG’s Shop in the Garden carries plants, pots, garden books, clothing, mugs and more.
Authentic Luxury Travel
New York Botanical Garden is a prime example of an authentic travel experience. Most first-time visitors will want to see the view from the top of the Empire State Building – and I don’t blame them. A day at NYBG is a real (vs. touristy) experience for travelers who want to sample the local lifestyle and venture beyond the well worn path of tourist sites. Wandering here, drinking in the beauty of one of New York’s great treasures is truly a luxury.
Enjoy!
P. S. If you love gardens and walking, read an earlier post I wrote about New York City’s Highline Trail and the Conservatory Garden in Central Park.
Category: garden visits, USA Eastern States
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Another stellar example of going off the well worn tourist path in the Big Apple. The New York Botanical Garden is an American gem.
I agree, Peggy. We’ve both seen notable gardens all over the world, and I can’t think of any that are better than NYBG.
Also spectacular and off the beaten path is The Cloisters (part of the MOMA), The #4 bus which travels 5th Avenue is the best and most scenic way to get there (Central Park to the left and historic mansions to the right)
Kate, I can’t tell you how much I wanted to go to the Cloisters the last time we were in NYC, but I was out of time (and somewhat overwhelmed by the number of subways I thought we had to take). Now you tell me I can just take the #4 bus! Thank you so much. I can’t wait to go.