Inside The New York Botanical Garden

This Weekend: Farewell to Paradise

Posted in Programs and Events on February 21 2014, by Lansing Moore

This weekend we bid farewell to the Tropical Paradise exhibition, so this weekend is the last chance to enjoy all the tours, demonstrations, and samples surrounding this trip to the tropics. After Sunday, it won’t be long before the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory’s next stop in the Florida Keys for The Orchid Show: Key West Contemporary, opening Saturday, March 1.

In the meantime, make sure to bring your appetite when you join us at the Garden this weekend. In addition to the usual samples of coconut, vanilla, and banana available to smell and taste during Tropical Paradise, Saturday and Sunday mark the final days of this winter’s Culinary Kids Food Festival in the Dining Pavilion! From the Cheesemonger’s Shop to Spice Adventures, expect a world tour of science and nutrition with plenty of hands-on fun.


Saturday, February 22

Tropical Paradise Roaming Guides – 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory

Take a trip through paradise with a Garden guide who will highlight interesting plants of our permanent collection in Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Touch and smell samples of featured plants including vanilla, coconut, and nutmeg and get a sense of place through photographs of these plants in the wild.

Tropical Interactive Encounters – 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory Lowland Rain Forest Gallery

See, smell, and taste the rejuvenating and healing powers of tropical plants like coconut, nutmeg, annatto, and banana through interactive demonstrations and samplings. This showcase will provide insight to the historical and cultural importance of various plants throughout the world.

Culinary Kids Food Festival – 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
In the Dining Pavilion behind the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory

As part of the Garden’s Edible Academy initiative, join us for a family-friendly, weeklong food festival celebrating the relationships among plants, farms, and your favorite foods. Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden staff and the culinary team, Growing Chefs, will be on hand offering cooking demonstrations, recipes, and hands-on activities, with plenty of music and tastings to add to the fun. Bring your Festival passport along as you tinker with the science of kitchen chemistry and get to the root of foods from pickles to cheese at a variety of activity stations. The daily 1 p.m. cooking demonstration will feature kid-friendly recipes and tasty samples, while local chefs will share tips and recipes. Learn more here.

Bird Walk – 11 a.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center

The diverse habitats of the Botanical Garden offer visitors a chance to see dozens of species of birds throughout the year. Bring your binoculars and walk the Garden grounds with an expert to learn about bird-friendly habitats, migrating species, and birds that make a permanent home at the Garden.

Landmarks of the New York Botanical Garden: The LuEsther T. Mertz Library Building Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet in the Orchid Rotunda of the Library Building

Learn how this historically significant structure complements our magnificent landscape and discover the ways this space is used to promote and advocate for the plant kingdom.


Sunday, February 23

Tropical Interactive Encounters – 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory Lowland Rain Forest Gallery

See, smell, and taste the rejuvenating and healing powers of tropical plants like coconut, nutmeg, annatto, and banana through interactive demonstrations and samplings. This showcase will provide insight to the historical and cultural importance of various plants throughout the world.

Tropical Paradise Roaming Guides – 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory

Take a trip through paradise with a Garden guide who will highlight interesting plants of our permanent collection in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Touch and smell samples of featured plants including vanilla, coconut, and nutmeg and get a sense of place through photographs of these plants in the wild.

Culinary Kids Food Festival – 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
In the Dining Pavilion behind the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory

As part of the Garden’s Edible Academy initiative, join us for a family-friendly, weeklong food festival celebrating the relationships among plants, farms, and your favorite foods. Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden staff and the culinary team, Growing Chefs, will be on hand offering cooking demonstrations, recipes, and hands-on activities, with plenty of music and tastings to add to the fun. Bring your Festival passport along as you tinker with the science of kitchen chemistry and get to the root of foods from pickles to cheese at a variety of activity stations. The daily 1 p.m. cooking demonstration will feature kid-friendly recipes and tasty samples, while local chefs will share tips and recipes. Learn more here.

Winter Plant & Tree Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center

With the deciduous trees now stripped of their leaves, explore the many colorful winter berries found throughout the Garden and marvel at the sculptural forms of trees and tree bark.

Bronx Arts Ensemble Family Concert: Hansel and Gretel1 & 2:30 p.m.
In the Ross Hall

Hansel and Gretel sing, dance, juggle, and do slapstick to tell the famous story of the pair meeting the Witch in the forest with a wonderful gingerbread house. Animated actors perform to live music played by the Bronx Arts Ensemble musicians. The audience will be introduced to each instrument and join in the adventure! Admission included with an All-Garden Pass.

Tropical Paradise Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory

With the deciduous trees now stripped of their leaves, explore the many colorful winter berries found throughout the Garden and marvel at the sculptural forms of trees and tree bark.


Ongoing Children’s Programs

Tropical Discoveries and Wintertime Wonders
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden

Inside the cozy Discovery Center, kids of all ages can take a closer look at the differences between tropical and temperate plants. Pot up a specimen plant to take home and compare its characteristics with foliage in your neighborhood. Use a field notebook to explore the Adventure Garden and discover the vital sparks of life that lie just below the surface of this quiet season.