6 Best Sights in New York City, New York

A verdant, 52-acre oasis, the BBG charms with its array of “gardens within the garden,” including idyllic the Japanese hill-and-pond, rose, and Shakespeare gardens. Inside the climate-controlled Steinhardt Conservatory, flora thrive in different ecosystems year-round. A variety of free garden tours are available with admission; check the website for seasonal information on the many events held throughout the year, including the bloom at the Cherry Esplanade during cherry blossom season.

Considered one of the world's leading botany centers, this beautiful, 250-acre campus is also one of the best reasons to make a trip to the Bronx. Built around the dramatic gorge of the Bronx River, it's home to lush indoor and outdoor gardens and acres of natural forest, and it offers classes, concerts, and special exhibits. Be captivated by the seasonal fragrance of the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden's 4,000 blooms, which represent more than 650 varieties. Relax in the leafy Thain Family Forest, or explore the Everett Children's Adventure Garden, a 12-acre, indoor-outdoor museum with a boulder maze, giant animal topiaries, and a plant discovery center. The Victorian-style Enid A. Haupt Conservatory houses re-creations of misty tropical rain forests and arid African and North American deserts, as well as exhibitions such as the annual Holiday Train Show and the winter-into-spring Orchid Show, which showcases flowers that look like the stuff of science fiction. The All-Garden Pass gives you access to the conservatory, adventure garden, special exhibitions, and more.

The 6-acre formal garden is known for its ever-changing seasonal plantings, including tulips, lilacs, crabapple trees, summer perennials, and chrysanthemums. Opened in 1937, it is named for the large greenhouse built at this location in 1899 to grow plants for the park's landscapes and to offer seasonal displays to the public. Each of the garden's three areas has a distinct design: the French-style North Garden, the Italianate Center Garden, and the English-style South Garden. The ornate Vanderbilt Gate at the main entrance was donated by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney; it once adorned the Vanderbilt mansion on 5th Avenue.

Adjacent to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, these 39 acres include rose and herb gardens, an arboretum, and plantings especially designed to attract bees and birds. An environmentally friendly visitor center uses solar energy and recycles gray water. To learn more about what you're looking at, use the garden's guides, like the summer plant walk guide, the Indigenous Heritage plant guide, or the winter plant walk guide.

With views of the Hudson River and New Jersey's dramatic Palisades cliffs, Wave Hill is a former 19th-century estate with residents that have included Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain. Today it's a renowned 28-acre public garden and cultural center that attracts visitors from all over the world, with exquisite theme gardens, from an aquatic garden to a shade border. Grand beech and oak trees tower above wide lawns, an elegant pergola overlooks the majestic river view, and benches on curving pathways provide quiet respite. The 1843 Wave Hill House is home to The Café and hosts workshops, talks, and concerts. Exhibitions in the Glyndor Gallery take place spring through fall each year. On the grounds, visitors enjoy a wide range of gardening and wellness programs and walks year-round.