Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Photography on November 17 2015, by Matt Newman
We’re in the last moments of Holiday Train Show prep before we throw open the Conservatory doors on Saturday, November 21. Got your tickets yet?
The Holiday Train Show in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Programs and Events on November 13 2015, by Matt Newman
This Saturday and Sunday mark the last of our Fall Forest Weekends, because while it’s still technically fall, we’ve got the Holiday Train Show on the horizon—and all the twinkling winter settings that come with it.
In the meantime, we’re still enjoying the fireworks of autumn, especially in the Forest. Stop in this weekend to join us for terrarium building demos, woodcarving with Ivan Braun, canoe trips on the Bronx River (the only freshwater river in New York City!) and all of the incredible color you’ve come to expect from this urban oasis.
Next weekend’s long-awaited Holiday Train Show grand opening will bring along all sorts of activities, whether you’re looking to explore with the whole family during the day or spend an evening at the Garden during Bar Car Nights. Tickets to the exhibition and the special events that come with it are available now, so don’t miss out on your preferred date!
Posted in Photography on November 13 2015, by Matt Newman
There’s a flurry of activity in the Haupt Conservatory right now as we set up shop for the 24th annual Holiday Train Show, our biggest ever! Working day in, day out, our horticulturists and the artistic geniuses from Paul Busse’s Applied Imagination are creating an incredible landscape in miniature for the exhibition’s grand opening on November 21.
The Astro-View Towers of the World’s Fair, 1964–1965, in the Haupt Conservatory — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Holiday Train Show on October 19 2015, by Matt Newman
Nearly a half-mile of track winds its way through the Haupt Conservatory come November, when a twinkling 24-year tradition of model trains and cityscapes in miniature returns to NYBG for another winter season. The Holiday Train Show has fast become New York City’s most beloved holiday pastime, a moment when children, parents, and train lovers alike flock to the Garden for a stroll through the nostalgic little world that we’ve dreamed up. And this year, we’re doing it bigger than ever.
Beginning November 21, the show brings along 3,000 square feet of additional exhibition space, making plenty of room for more trains, tracks, and bridges. Look for locomotives chugging along overhead and zipping between 150 landmarks crafted from bark, leaves, and other plant parts; among them, our brand-new Conservatory replica, reimagined just last year, is joined in 2015 by a jaw-dropping model of the New York Public Library building.
Don’t expect to go hungry while you’re here, either. Alongside our year-round offerings, like the casual dining of the Pine Tree Café and the full-service experience of the Hudson Garden Grill, stop for family-friendly seasonal treats from our new Gingerbread Café. And if you’re looking to warm up amid the snow flurries, head to the new Frosty’s Schnapps Haus in the Visitor Center, where fresh-made pretzels and hot spiked drinks are sure to hit the spot before you set off to explore our winter wonderland.
Posted in Programs and Events on January 16 2015, by Lansing Moore
Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the Garden will be open! Enjoy a well-deserved long weekend at NYBG, and catch the Holiday Train Show® in its final few days before it closes after January 19. The wintry fun continues in Ross Hall with the return of All Aboard with Thomas & Friends™ mini-performances, now through January 25!
This weekend is also the time to come admire the finest treasures of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library’s world-class collection in Flora Illustrata: A Celebration of Botanical Masterworks—there will be three tours scheduled to guide visitors through this exhibition highlighting the greatest botanical library in the Western Hemisphere.
Explore the full schedule below for a full three-day weekend of illuminating and entertaining Garden experiences. We hope to see you soon!
Posted in Programs and Events on January 15 2015, by Lansing Moore
Everyone’s favorite train has arrived at NYBG as the star of a mini-performance that families can enjoy on their next Garden visit, now through January 25. Driver Sam and Thomas lead All Aboard with Thomas & Friends, providing a fun-filled, interactive musical show where you can bring your camera to capture the moment during a photo-op with Thomas or purchase a souvenir photo from our professional photographers.
The 23rd annual Holiday Train Show is open through Monday, January 19, when the Garden will be open for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, so complete your family’s Garden visit with this kid-friendly experience in Ross Hall. Have a look at the video below for a peek into this larger-than-life Thomas experience!
Even after the Holiday Train Show ends this coming Monday, January 19, kids can enjoy wintry fun with All Aboard with Thomas & Friends—not to mention Evergreen Express in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. Check out the full performance schedule and plan your visit today!
Posted in Programs and Events on December 23 2014, by Lansing Moore
With the holidays upon us and the New Year just around the corner, the Holiday Train Show begins the next season of winter fun on January 3 when All Aboard with Thomas & Friends™ pulls into the station! Everyone’s favorite train comes to life as Thomas and Driver Sam star in these fun-filled, sing-along, mini-performances each day at various times through January 25. Be sure to bring your camera for a photo-op with Thomas, or purchase a souvenir photo from our professional photographers.
Check the full schedule of upcoming performances, including special 9 a.m. Members-only performances on select dates. MasterCard cardholders can also enjoy priority VIP seating on January 4 & 11!
When purchasing your ticket, please be sure to select the All-Garden Pass ticket option that specifies All Aboard with Thomas & Friends Mini-Performance & All-Garden Pass. All Aboard with Thomas & Friends™ includes access to the Holiday Train Show through January 19. Thomas tickets purchased for January 23 through 29 include access to Wild Medicine in the Tropics. While there is no additional cost for the mini-performance, this is the only ticket type that allows access to All Aboard with Thomas & Friends™.
(Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends™ ©2014 Gullane (Thomas) Limited.)
Posted in Programs and Events on December 22 2014, by Lansing Moore
The holidays are in full swing! For the next two weeks—through January 4, to be specific—the Holiday Train Show will bring in more visitors than ever to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, with families gathering to take part in this 23-year New York tradition as part of their seasonal celebrations. And there’s no reason you and your loved ones shouldn’t join in the fun and make some magical memories together, too!
We would like to ensure that your Garden visit is as whimsical and worry-free as possible, so continue reading below for some simple tips to help you have the best possible experience at the Holiday Train Show! Follow these handy guidelines, and you’ll be riding First Class.
Posted in Photography on December 13 2014, by Lansing Moore
Nobody—at least not in this one! The Holiday Train Show® is full of these lovingly constructed plant-based models.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Programs and Events on December 10 2014, by Matt Newman
The poetry of Billy Collins has long bridged the gap between the generations with its evocation of all things New York. For those who live here, his verse is a painted representation of daily life in the city, winter trips along the Hudson, and workaday commuter rituals unchanged for decades. At large, he’s a classic American poet, something recognized by virtue of the fact that he’s a former U.S. Poet Laureate. But as timeless as his words are, the effect is all the more potent when you hear them read aloud by Collins himself.
This Saturday, December 13, Billy Collins returns to The New York Botanical Garden for an intimate reading of his works in our Ross Hall. For those of you who’ve enjoyed strolling the Poetry Walk that winds its way through the Perennial Garden—just outside the Holiday Train Show taking place in the Conservatory—this is a chance to hear these poems as they were intended by the writer. Of course, if you haven’t had the opportunity to stroll through Poetry for Every Season, you’ll have the best of both worlds. And it’s not a bad time to check out the Train Show, either.