Inside The New York Botanical Garden

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Love is All Around

Posted in Programs and Events on January 15 2014, by Ann Rafalko

ConservatoryIt’s cliche, but it’s true: If you can’t celebrate your love with crystallized carbon, you can always celebrate it with the fermented pit of a South American fruit. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Why chocolate of course! Too trite? Not how we do it!

For the love of your life, we’re celebrating with two fabulous evenings—Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th—in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and for your little loves, we’re celebrating on Saturday the 15th in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden thanks to our Priceless friends at MasterCard.

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The Train Show in Real Life, This Sunday in Queens

Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 5 2013, by Ann Rafalko

Bowne House
Bowne House

This weekend you have a great opportunity to visit some of the buildings of the Holiday Train Show in real life, as the Queens Historical Society hosts the 26th annual Queens Holiday Historic House Tour on Sunday, December 8.

The participating houses are: The Kingsland Homestead, Voelker Orth House, Lewis H. Latimer House Museum, Friends Meeting House, Flushing Town Hall, the Bowne House, and new this year, the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

Start your tour at any house, and then hop on a trolley and head to the next destination! Each location will offer special activities, delicious refreshments, and a glimpse at what life was like during the holidays decades, or even centuries ago.

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Who Am I? A Holiday Train Show Building Quiz

Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 4 2013, by Ann Rafalko

I am a beloved New York City museum, famed for my collection of old masters and important furniture. I am currently riding a wave of popularity based on a coincidental association with one of the year’s most popular novels. I am located on the Upper East Side, was once owned by a prominent American industrialist, and I am home to one of the world’s premier art research facilities and libraries. Who am I? whoami-1

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This Weekend: Ahead of the Holidays

Posted in Around the Garden on November 22 2013, by Ann Rafalko

weekend Next week is a busy one, with Thanksgiving and Hanukkah occurring simultaneously. So why not relax a bit ahead of it? Come stroll our grounds, visit the Holiday Train Show, let the kiddos blow off steam at Holiday Adventures in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, and wander amid the train-themed works of former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins along our Holiday Poetry Walk.

The lights are glittering, the trains are running, there’s a nip in the air, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it! After exploring the wonders of the Holiday Train Show, be sure to visit the rest of the Conservatory’s sultry galleries where you’ll find beautiful and fascinating plants aplenty. Our new, limited-run Holiday Dining Pavilion: “Streets of New York” has treats for everyone in your family, and plenty of comfy seating.

Outside, the Thain Family Forest is the epitome of fall, with plenty of leaves to crunch, even if they have fallen to the ground in many places. The Native Plant Garden and Azalea Garden are also worth a visit this time of year!

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Bar Car Nights: The Spirit of the Season

Posted in Holiday Train Show on November 21 2013, by Ann Rafalko

barcar1One step into the magical world of the Holiday Train Show should convince you of its heartwarming magic. It is a delight for children of all ages! But, should you have an interest in enjoying the Train Show‘s many splendors alongside children above a certain age, we have you covered there, too. Bar Car Nights are an adults-only way to see the Holiday Train Show at night, when the lights are twinkling and the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory‘s domes are aglow, cocktail in hand.

And this year, due to the overwhelming popularity of these delightful evenings, we are offering more Bar Car Nights than ever! Bar Car Nights are the perfect date night, or, come as a group and celebrate the season as a unique alternative to a more formal holiday party! Bring your friends, your adult children, or just come as a couple and enjoy a festive evening out. Bar Car Nights are the perfect way to indulge in the spirit of the holidays as an adult!

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This Weekend: Choo Choo! It’s Holiday Train Show Time!

Posted in Around the Garden on November 15 2013, by Ann Rafalko

hts1Alllllllllll aboard! It’s time for the most anticipated event of the year! It’s Holiday Train Show time! This beloved holiday event under the glittering domes of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory opens to the public on Saturday, November 16, for another magical run through January 12.

This year we’re bringing you more trains than ever and a new dining experience, along with all the twinkling lights, magical ambiance, and buildings created entirely from plant materials you have come to know and love. The Holiday Train Show has become a beloved holiday tradition for New York-area families for a reason; it’s a delightful time for the young and the young at heart!

If you’re visiting the Train Show from the city, why not make a train-filled day of it by taking Metro-North Railroad to Botanical Garden Station from beautiful Grand Central Terminal? Public transportation is one of the easiest ways to visit us at this very busy time of year, and your train-obsessed little ones will love the additional train time!

The Holiday Train Show is one of the hottest tickets in town, especially during holiday weekends. So avoid disappointment and book your tickets now. Tickets are for timed entry. Additionally, while stroller parking is available, strollers and tripods are not allowed in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, so if you’re bringing along a wee one, be sure to pack your favorite baby carrier.

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It’s Time to Climb!

Posted in Adult Education on November 12 2013, by Ann Rafalko

_IVO6742When it comes to climbing our trees, we have a hard and fast rule: Never … Except occasionally when we say it is okay. And one of those rare occasions is this weekend!

When you enroll in this Saturday’s Recreational Tree Climbing class, you’ll learn to climb the Garden’s stately trees like our arborists do—with ropes and harnesses—and you’ll have the chance to see the Bronx from an angle that is usually reserved for our resident raptors.

It is a once in a lifetime chance for all tree-loving daredevils! The class is taught by the Garden’s professional arborists, who are all graduates of NYBG’s storied arboriculture program.

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