NYC Arts: The Complete Guide to Art and Culture

This garden is an 86-acre sanctuary of natural and cultivated land and the borough's only public garden. Since opening in 1977, its English perennial border has become one of the largest in the city.

Inside the conservatory, exotic blossoms change with the seasons. Rolling lawns are dotted with specimen trees and bordered by wetlands and woodlands. The garden also includes the White Garden, Butterfly Garden and Herb Garden as well as the Pond Garden, the Rose Garden and the Sensory Garden, specifically designed to enhance the experience of the physically challenged visitor. In the reception hall are changing exhibitions on horticulture, such as Mechanical Gardens, a view of forgotten mechanical relics in America's natural landscape and shows featuring the work of artists interested in the nature. The phenomenal new exhibit here is the New York Chinese Scholar's Garden—a subtle juxtaposition of plantings, architecture and rock garden, it may be the garden's single most impressive feature.

• On-Site Parking: On-site lots
• Disability Access: Fully accessible; special garden for the physically handicapped
• Gift Shops: Garden-related items, jewelry, books; open Wed-Sun noon-4 pm and Thurs noon-3:30 pm
• On-Site Food: Melville's Café at the Snug Harbor Visitors Center; open Mon-Fri 11 am-2 pm; picnics also possible