New York City is known for it’s towering skyscrapers and historical sites. When people visit they make plans to be entertained on Broadway, peer out from the top of something tall, or breath in the bustle of Times Square.

The incredible parks throughout the city are rarely included on the tourists must dos, except for Central Park. (For good reason, it is awesome).

When you go to New York City with kids (and possibly even without) there will be moments when you want to escape the bustle. If you live here that is even more true.

Fortunately there are many spots where you forget, just for a moment, that you are in a huge city.

Spots where your kids can run free. Spots where it is quiet(ish). Spots where green outweighs horns and hurrying.

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden is one of our favorite such spots.

4 Things to Do with Kids at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden

1. Scope out their events

Their event calendar is often busy with fun things for families. One of our favorites is FREE tuesdays! Children under 12 are always FREE however so this is a relatively inexpensive adventure any day of the week.

2. Visit the Children’s Garden

We usually start our visit at the Children’s Garden. It is a delightful, thoughtfully laid out space for kids to explore. It does tend to get more crowded as the day progresses so starting here affords us some quieter time to move about as we want.

Often there are stations for kids set up in this area – check the calendar. On this particular morning there were instruments to try of all kinds.

There were various booths set up around the child gardens. Each had a theme and all were staffed with attentive, wonderful staff, but our favorite was the booth about Monarch Butterflies. Even I learned something and our kids loved every bit of it. From completely the butterfly life cycle to pretending to be butterflies themselves.

Read Also: Our Favorite Things to Do with Kids in New York City

3. Have Lunch

There is a nice spot near the conservatory for lunch. They have yummy (slightly expensive options) and spots to sit outside. Picnicking is not otherwise allowed in the gardens. Bathrooms are located in the building next door for a convenient toilet try break!

4. Wander the Gardens

After lunch we venture into the rest of the gardens which are HUGE. Walking around you wonder how this can all possibly be tucked into Brooklyn between the busy streets.

One of our favorites was the Rose Garden. There we saw beautiful roses (of course), bees and butterflies. Perfect for a Spring Adventure!

I usually treat walks in gardens the same as hiking and remember the 2 essentials to keep my kids engaged.

Before we know it most of the day has flown past. Our feet are tired but we are happy for a day of exploring and nature. If you still have energy though, Prospect Park which houses the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has fun playgrounds and lots of rolling space to roam. It reminds me of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco if you’re familiar with that.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a truly wonderful spot for families. I highly recommend it if you are in Brooklyn with kids.