Best Parks & Gardens in New York
9 parks & gardens in New York
Botanical gardens, city parks and playgrounds.
Editorial oversight by James Morgan. AI-assisted, human-edited. Our editorial standards
Parks & Gardens in New York: what to expect
New York has 9 parks & gardens we would happily take our own kids to. Brooklyn Botanic Garden is the one most families start with. Wander 52 acres of themed gardens, from a Japanese Hill-and-Pond to a fragrant Rose Garden, in the heart of Brooklyn. Brooklyn Bridge Park (Piers 1‚ 6) is the other name that comes up again and again. Kayak, play ball, or picnic on a reclaimed waterfront with the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge as your backdrop. Domino Park rounds out the pick of the bunch. A reimagined Brooklyn waterfront park where a sugar-refinery-themed playground meets East River views of the Manhattan skyline. Also worth your time: Gantry Plaza State Park, Little Island at Pier 55, New York Botanical Garden and Queens Botanical Garden.
Tickets at New York Botanical Garden start from $35 per person. The rest of the list does not publish a set price, so confirm admission on the official site.
The parks & gardens on this page are spread across Brooklyn (3), Queens (2), Manhattan (2) and The Bronx (2), so it is easy to pair two into one trip.
Parks Gardens
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn, New York
Wander 52 acres of themed gardens, from a Japanese Hill-and-Pond to a fragrant Rose Garden, in the heart of Brooklyn.
Parks Gardens
Brooklyn Bridge Park (Piers 1‚ 6)
Brooklyn, New York
Kayak, play ball, or picnic on a reclaimed waterfront with the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge as your backdrop.
Parks Gardens
Domino Park
Brooklyn, New York
A reimagined Brooklyn waterfront park where a sugar-refinery-themed playground meets East River views of the Manhattan skyline.
Parks Gardens
Gantry Plaza State Park
Queens, New York
A waterfront East River park with open lawns and skyline views over Long Island City.
Parks Gardens
Little Island at Pier 55
Manhattan, New York
An artificial island on concrete "tulips" over the Hudson, part park and part stage.
Parks Gardens
New York Botanical Garden
The Bronx, New York
A 250-acre living museum of plants in the Bronx, crowned by a historic glasshouse conservatory.
Parks Gardens
Queens Botanical Garden
Queens, New York
A peaceful Queens garden made for slow strolls through the seasons.
Parks Gardens
The High Line
Manhattan, New York
Stroll an elevated park built atop a disused Manhattan railway, wild plantings and all.
Parks Gardens
Wave Hill
The Bronx, New York
A Bronx public garden where cultivated beds frame sweeping Hudson River views.