ZOOS, NATURE CENTERS, AND BOTANICAL GARDENS IN NEW YORK CITY, LONG ISLAND, NJ, AND CT

Explore zoos, nature centers and botanical gardens in New York City, Long Island, Westchester County, Rockland County, Fairfield County, CT, New Jersey and the entire New York Metro area. Read through our guide to find petting zoos, arboretums, nature preserves, farms and public gardens, all packed with fun nature activities for the whole family. Let your little ones loose to try their hands at zoo feedings and touch tanks, explore wooded trails, and learn about exotic plants. The spring season is the perfect time to explore the outdoors.

NYC SUBURBS

Rockland County, NY

 
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland Education Center
10 Patriot Hills Drive, Stony Point
845-429-7085

The Master Gardener Volunteers of Rockland County design and maintain eight demonstration gardens at the CCE Rockland Education Center, including ferns, herbs, ornamental grasses, native plants, a cutting garden, and a container garden. The Master Gardener Volunteers hold a free tour of the gardens at 1pm on the last Sunday of the month, April through October; children are welcome.

Rockland Lake State Park
Route 9W, Congers
845-268-3020
Hours: Open dawn to dusk. Price: Free; parking is $8 from mid-April through late October.

Rockland Lake State Park’s lake is located on a ridge of Hook Mountain, above the west bank of the Hudson River. It is home to many species of fish, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, and birds such as raptors, water birds, and songbirds. The park has a 3.2-mile bicycling path. The pool will open May 26.

Sterling Forest State Park
116 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo
845-351-5907; nysparks.com
Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk; the visitor center is open daily from 8am-4:30pm. Price: Free.

The park offers a variety of hiking trails with scenic views of hills, valleys, and lakes. The Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Visitor Center overlooking Sterling Lake features exhibits about the local environment and history. On weekends, the park offers walks and talks led by park educators and rangers.

 Orange County, NY

Bear Mountain Trailside Museums and Zoo
Bear Mountain State Park, Palisades Parkway and Route 9W
845-786-2701 x265
Hours: Open 10am-4:30pm daily. Price: Free; donations appreciated. Parking is $8.

Enjoy paved walking trails, scenic views of the Hudson River, and learn about animals native to New York state. All the animals are either permanently injured or orphaned and would not be able to survive in the wild. Trailside has four museums: The Reptile and Amphibian House is home to turtles, snakes, frogs, toads, salamanders, and skinks, as well as many species of fish. The Nature Study Museum houses specimens originally created by the Museum of Natural History to educate people about animal identification. Visitors can learn about geologic formations of the Hudson Highlands in the Geology Museum and local Native American and early settler culture in the History Museum.

Hudson Highlands Nature Museum
Outdoor Discovery Center: 100 Muser Drive (across from 174 Angola Road), Cornwall; 845-534-5506
Wildlife Education Center: 25 Boulevard, Cornwall-on-Hudson
845-534-7781
Hours: Trails are open daily, dawn to dusk. Price: FREE.

The nature museum includes the two centers listed above, 1.5 miles apart, along with pond, field, and woodland hiking trails. Discovery Quests are interactive hikes utilizing Quest Guidebooks ($5 each; can be shared) with hidden messages for each hike. Quests are open on weekends through the end of November. The Quest Visitor Center is open weekends 9am-1pm. The museum also offers exhibits, nature programs for children and adults, an evening speaker series, and a summer nature camp for ages 4-15.

Westchester County, NY

Beczak Environmental Education Center
35 Alexander St., Yonkers
914-377-1900 x12; beczak.org
Hours: Interpretive Center open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm through October. Price: Free; donations appreciated.

Beczak features a riverside park, sandy beach, and tidal marsh. It offers educational programs for children, adults, and groups about rivers, local beaches, marshes, fish, birds, and the weather. The Interpretive Center presents interactive exhibits, seasonal displays, and an aquarium with Hudson River species. The center also serves as a classroom offering free public programs for children ages 3-12 on weekends.

Cranberry Lake Preserve
1609 Orchard St., West Harrison
914-428-1005
Hours: Open Wednesday-Sunday 10am-5pm. July – August: 9am-5pm daily. Price: Free

This 190-acre park includes a variety of habitats, including a 4-acre lake, cliffs and scrubland, mixed hardwood forest, vernal pools, and a swamp. Visitors can follow the History Trail to the remains of a 19th-century farmhouse and early 20th-century stone-mining operation. The nature center offers free family-oriented nature programs on most weekends and houses a variety of interactive, educational displays. The preserve also offers a summer ecology program for children in first through ninth grades.

Greenburgh Nature Center
99 Dromore Road, Scarsdale
914-723-3470
Hours: Grounds open daily, dawn to dusk. Indoor exhibits open weekdays (except Fridays) 9:30am-4:30pm, weekends 10am-4:30pm. Price: $7; $6 seniors and students; $5 ages 2-12; free children younger than 2.

The nature center is a 33-acre woodland preserve with trails, a pond, gardens, and a variety of habitats. Its indoor exhibits include a live animal museum with more than 100 specimens, a greenhouse with a variety of plants from all over the world, and a large exhibit room with changing nature-related art exhibits.

Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veteran’s Memorial
Route 35, Somers
914-864-7263
Hours: Open 8am-4pm daily; Veteran’s Memorial: open weekends only; Veterans Museum: Open March through Christmas, Wednesday-Sunday 11am-3:30 pm. Price: Free

This 234-acre property consists of woodlands, open grass meadow, and formal gardens with flower and shrub specimens from all over the world. The park includes the William and Mildred Lasdon Memorial Garden, the azalea garden, the 4-acre Chinese Friendship Pavilion, the Famous and Historic Tree Trail, the 22-acre Mildred D. Lasdon Bird Sanctuary, Garden Shop, and four memorials and a museum honoring Westchester veterans. The park offers botanical art classes, a plant sale in May, a Halloween train show in October, and a children’s program in the summer.

Lenoir Preserve
19 Dudley St., Yonkers
914-968-5851
Hours: Nature center open September – June: Tuesday-Saturday 9am-4pm; July – August: Monday-Friday 9am-4pm. Trails open daily, dawn to dusk. Price: FREE.

This 40-acre nature preserve is comprised of woodlands and habitats, the Beverly E. Smith Butterfly/Hummingbird Garden, and a nature center featuring various exhibits. Overlooking the Hudson River, Lenoir hosts hawk watches for viewing hawk migrations in spring and autumn.

Marshland Conservancy
Route 1, Rye
914-835-4466

Hours: Nature center: 9am-4pm Tuesday-Sunday and most holidays; call to confirm Friday openings. Trails open daily, dawn to dusk. Price: Free.

The 140-acre wildlife sanctuary borders 35 acres of Jay property and is comprised of forest, meadow, salt marsh, and shore. There are three miles of trails and one-half mile of shoreline along the Long Island Sound. The nature center displays a small number of changing exhibits and saltwater aquaria containing representative species of marine life and offers environmental programs to schools and other groups by pre-registration. The conservancy also offers a summer ecology program for children ages 4-12, and an ecologist-in-training summer program for kids in junior high school.

Muscoot Farm
51 Route 100, Katonah
914-864-7282
Hours: Open 10am-4pm daily. Price: Free; small fee for groups.

Originally a “gentleman’s farm,” Muscoot is comprised of the original barns and farm buildings, including the main house, dairy barn, ice house, corn crib, wagon shed, farm museum, vegetable garden, and 7 miles of diverse hiking trails. It is home to cows, sheep, goats, turkeys, chickens, horses, and pigs; a special treat is a visit to the newborn animals in the spring. Muscoot also offers a variety of programs and special events for families throughout the year, including a farmers market (10am-3pm every Sunday from May through October).

Read Wildlife Sanctuary and Nature Center
Playland Parkway, Rye
914-967-8720
Hours: Nature center: Tuesday-Saturday 9am-4pm. Trails open daily, dawn to dusk. Price: Free

This 179-acre sanctuary is home to a great diversity of marine life and has been recognized by the national Audubon Society of New York as an Important Bird Area due to its significant habitats and flyway. In winter months, the 85-acre lake hosts up to 5,000 ducks. There are 3 miles of trails through forest and field and along the shoreline.

Rye Nature Center
873 Boston Post Road, Rye
914-967-5150

Hours: Grounds and trails open daily, dawn to dusk; Butterfly House open May – October, dawn to dusk. Price: Free; donations appreciated.
The center is located on 47 acres of wildlife preserve, with more than 2 miles of hiking trails, a 14-station self-guided trail, and a museum with about 30 animals, including birds, snakes, gerbils, flying squirrels, and honeybees. The butterfly house/community garden will be open by summer and will be available to the public from 10am-4pm. Grab a bird or wildflower checklist to keep track of sightings on the trails. There is also a full range of environmental education programs and activities for children, adults, and groups.

Sheldrake Environmental Center
685 Weaver Street, Larchmont
914-834-1443
Hours: Open Monday-Friday 9:30am-5pm; closed weekends and holidays. Price: Free for hiking; program fees vary.

Located at the 60-acre Larchmont Reservoir, Sheldrake offers hiking trails and environmental programs for families and schools.

Teatown Lake Reservation
1600 Spring Valley Road, Ossining
914-762-2912
Hours: Open 9am-5pm daily. Trails are open daily, dawn to dusk. Price: Free admission; program prices vary.

This 875-acre nature preserve hosts nearly 15 miles of marked hiking trails. The nature center contains nature education exhibits and a variety of amphibians, birds of prey, mammals, and reptiles. Wildflower Island, a 2-acre island sanctuary located within Teatown Lake, is home to more than 230 native and endangered species of wildflowers. Teatown offers a Natural Science Summer Day Camp throughout the season in two-week sessions.

Trailside Nature Museum at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation
Routes 35 and 121, Cross River
914-864-7322
Hours: Trails are open daily, dawn to dusk. Museum open Tuesday-Saturday 9am-4pm. Price: $2 suggested donation.

Museum exhibits focus on aspects of the natural world along with the human history of Ward Pound Ridge Reservation and the surrounding area. Specimens of birds, mammals, plants, insects, and minerals are on display. The reservation features a wildflower garden behind the museum and 35 miles of hiking trails through a variety of habitats. You can pick up a trail map at the museum or download it from the website. The museum offers interpretive nature programs for children and adults.

Weinberg Nature Center and Trailside Museum
455 Mamaroneck Road, Scarsdale
914-722-1289
Hours (spring and fall): Wednesday 10am-2pm; Thursday-Friday 10am-5pm; Saturday-Sunday 10am-4pm. Summer hours: Monday-Friday 10am-5pm. Trails open daily, dawn to dusk. Price: Free, but donations are appreciated; program fees vary.

This wildlife sanctuary consists of a meadow, fruit orchard, woodlots, swamp, a Japanese-style Zen garden and a Woodland Indian Village with several trails surrounding the Trailside Museum. The museum features permanent and rotating exhibits, including a live animal exhibit with more than 20 different animal species. The center offers programs and events for adults and children.

Westmoreland Sanctuary
260 Chestnut Ridge Road, Bedford Corners
914-666-8448
Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday10:30am-5pm. The trails are open daily, dawn to dusk. Price: Free.

This 640-acre sanctuary features more than 7 miles of trails, plus a museum and nature center. The sanctuary offers public programs for children and adults such as seasonal nature hikes, bird walks, turtle study, and pond study.

The Wolf Conservation Center
South Salem
914-763-2373
Call or register online to arrange a visit; prices and hours vary by program.

The Wolf Conservation Center promotes wolf conservation by teaching about wolves, their relationship to the environment, and the human role in protecting their future. Visitors can observe gray wolves in spacious natural enclosures. A variety of age-appropriate daytime and evening programs for children and adults are offered; online pre-registration is required.

 
FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CT

Audubon Center of Greenwich
613 Riversville Road, Greenwich
203-869-5272
Hours: Trails open daily, sunrise to sunset; center open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Price: $3; $1.50 children and seniors.

The center’s walking trails span 7 miles and 285 acres, past lakes, ponds, and rivers. The center also has bird blinds, a place to watch for birds where they can’t see you, including many species of hawks.

Bartlett Arboretum
151 Brookdale Road, Stamford
203-322-6971
Hours: Open daily, 10am-4pm. Price: $6.

The arboretum features extensive gardens and a collection of plants and trees, as well as hiking trails in the woodlands nearby.

Connecticut Audubon Society Nature Center
2325 Burr St., Fairfield
203-259-6305
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-3pm. Suggested admission: $2; $1 children.

The birds of prey compound is a viewing area for raptors. The center also includes a sanctuary, wigwam replicas, and hiking trails and is home to animals like blue-tongued skinks, snakes, turtles, and millipedes.

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
1875 Noble Ave., Bridgeport
203-394-6565
Hours: Open 9am-4pm daily; closed major holidays. Price: $12; $10 seniors and children ages 3-12; free children 2 and younger.

The zoo includes the New England Farmyard, Wolf Observation Learning Facility, and South American Rainforest exhibits, with more than 300 animals representing mainly North and South America. Plus, keep a lookout for the peacocks wandering about! Also make sure you stop by to see Viktor, the zoo’s newest addition: a male Amur (Siberian) tiger who was born at the zoo in 2005 and has returned recently from Detroit Zoo.

Darien Nature Center
120 Brookside Road, Darien
203-655-7459
Summer Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-4pm; Saturday 9am-1pm; closed for the month of August. Price: Free; minimum $5 donation suggested.

The center features a small trail system, ideal for kids; a pond with ducks; and rotating exhibits as well as a permanent exhibit with more than 40 animal species.

Earthplace
10 Woodside Lane, Westport
203-227-7253
Hours: Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday 1-4pm; grounds open 7am to dusk daily. Price: $7; $5 seniors and children younger than 12; free admission to the grounds.

With a mission to educate the community about nature and the environment, Earthplace offers 62 acres of wildlife sanctuary, which includes hiking trails, an interactive natural history museum with live animals, and public nature programs and events. For kids, there’s the Explorer’s Clubhouse, Tiny Tree House, Nature Lab, Backyard Resource Center, and Nature Theater.

Nature Conservancy’s Devil’s Den Preserve
33 Pent Road, Weston
203-226-4991
Hours: Open daily, sunrise to sunset. Price: Free

The preserve is the largest tract of protected land in Fairfield County. It offers more than 20 miles of trails, acts as a habitat to about 40 bird species, and holds the remains of charcoal and lumber production sites. The area is deeply wooded, with rock formations, streams, and swamps.

New Canaan Nature Center
144 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan
203-966-9577
Hours: Visitor center and greenhouse: Monday-Saturday 9am-4pm; Birds of Prey, Arboretum, and Gardens: dawn to dusk daily. Price: Free

The center includes 2 miles of hiking trails on the grounds, which include wet and dry meadows, two ponds, wet and dry woodlands, dense thickets, an old orchard, and a cattail marsh. The center also encompasses seven aviaries in its Birds of Prey exhibit, an arboretum full of native and nonnative trees, several specialty gardens including a Wildflower Garden and The Bird and Butterfly Garden, and a 4,000-square-foot greenhouse featuring exotic species of flora.

Pee Wee Horse Farm
5 Silver Hill Road, Easton
203-268-9994
Hours: 9am-2:30pm daily. Price: Lessons and trail rides are $40 per person for 45- and 60- minute rides; $80 per person for 90-minute rides (check or cash only).

The farm offers 30-minute lessons and 45- to 90-minute trail rides for ages 8 and older. Walk and trot rides only.

Stamford Museum & Nature Center
39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford
203-322-1646
Hours: Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday 11am-5pm Price: $10; $8 seniors; $6 students; $5 ages 4-17; free children 3 and younger. Observatory: $3; $2 children.

The center is a New England working farm with heirloom breeds of animals, an otter pond, an observatory with a 22-inch research telescope, changing exhibition galleries, a planetarium, early education classrooms, and a vast hardwood forest with

80 acres of hiking trails.

NEW JERSEY

Bergen County Zoo
201-262-3771
Hours: 10am-4:30pm daily. Price (May – October): $8; $5 ages 3-14; $2 seniors and disabled; free children younger than 3 and active military members.

See farm animals, reptiles, birds, and much more. The zoo hosts a variety of special events throughout the year as well as a wide range of children’s programs. The zoo is part of the Van Saun County Park, which also includes the historic Washington Spring Garden and a train, carousel, pony rides, and picnic and fishing areas.

Closter Nature Center
154 Ruckman Road, Closter
201-750-2778
Hours: Vary by activity. Price: The center appreciates donations.

A nature haven in suburban New Jersey, the center includes 136 acres of ponds, brooks, meadows, and forests, as well as 3 miles of hiking trails. Visitors can explore the area on their own, or attend a lecture, guided nature walk, or other educational environmental program, including after-school programs for children during the school year.

Flat Rock Brook Nature Center
443 Van Nostrand Ave., Engelwood
201-567-1265
Hours: Trails and picnic area are open dawn to dusk daily. Price: FREE.

A 150-acre preserve and education center committed to land conservation and environmental education, this natural sanctuary is open to the public for self-guided trail walks and nature study and offers environmental education programs for all ages, including guided hikes and gardening programs.

Skylands/New Jersey Botanical Garden
2 Morris Road, Ringwood, NJ
973-962-7527
Hours: Open 8am-8pm daily. Price: Free; parking is $5 on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day to Labor Day. 

Visitors can wander through formal gardens or along paths through the woods and see unusual plant species from around the world. Skylands’ specialty gardens include the Annual Garden, Perennial Border, Crab Apple Allée, Wildflower Garden, Lilac Garden (the largest in the country), Peony Garden, and Octagonal Garden. The Rotadendrum Garden and Hosta Garden are new this year, and a Succulent Garden is in the works. Free guided garden tours are available 2pm on Sundays from May through October. The botanical garden also offers tours especially designed for families. Visitors can also take guided tours of the 1920s Tudor Revival Skylands Manor House for $7; $5 for seniors and students.

Tenafly Nature Center
313 Hudson Ave., Tenafly
201-568-6093
Hours: 9am-5pm weekdays; 11am-4pm weekends. Price: Free; donations appreciated.

This nature preserve encompasses nearly 400 acres, including several nature trails (open dawn till dusk) where you may catch sight of red foxes, white tailed deer, or the more than 50 species of birds that reside there, not to mention an impressive display of trees and other local flora. The visitors’ center, in the John A. Redfield Building, houses natural history exhibits and live animals; it also offers public programs for children and families throughout the year.

Turtle Back Zoo
560 Northfield Ave., West Orange
973-731-5800
Hours: 10am-4:30pm Monday-Saturday; 11am-5:30pm Sunday. Price: $10; $7 children and seniors; free children younger than 2.

This expansive zoo houses a wide variety of animals, from kangaroos and emus in the Australian exhibit to leopards and red pandas in the Southeast Asia exhibit. You’ll also see penguins, otters, wolves, bears, a large collection of reptiles, an assortment of farm animals on Essex Farm, and all manner of sea creatures in the Tropical Currents Aquarium. During the warmer months, the zoo also offers rides and attractions including a playground; a train ride through the South Mountain Reservation (price included with admission); and pony rides at Essex Farm ($2). The Endangered Species Carousel is open year-round ($2). See the zoo’s online calendar for regular special events.

 NEW YORK CITY
Manhattan

American Museum of Natural History: The Butterfly Conservatory
Central Park West at 79th Street
212-769-5100
Hours: Open 10am-5:45pm daily through May 28. Price: $25; $19 seniors and students; $14.50 ages 2-12.

Enter a re-created tropical forest environment filled with more than 500 live butterflies.

Central Park Zoo
830 Fifth Ave. (at 64th Street)
212-439-6500
Hours (through Nov. 6): 10am-5:30pm daily. Price: $12; $9 seniors; $7 ages 3-12;  free children younger than 3.

This zoo is best known for the daily feedings of the sea lions at 11:30am, 2pm, and 4pm. You can also visit penguins and polar bears at the Polar Circle exhibit and meet snow leopards at the zoo’s newest exhibit. The exotic indoor rainforest is home to endangered species such as Tamarin monkeys, Wyoming toads, thick-billed parrots, and red pandas. Admission includes entry to the Tisch Children’s Zoo, where kids can feed and pet llamas, bunnies, and a barnyard full of friendly animals.

The Cloisters Museum and Gardens
99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park
212-923-3700
Hours (March – October): Tuesday-Sunday 9:30am-5:15pm. Recommended price: $25; $17 seniors; $12 students up to age 12; free children younger than 12 when accompanied by an adult.

A medieval annex of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cloisters were designed based on horticultural information found in medieval treatises and poetry, garden documents, and works of art. A central garden is set in a courtyard with arcaded walkways, while another garden area contains nearly 300 plant species that were grown during the Middle Ages. A third, smaller garden blooms with flowers through the fall. The Cloisters regularly hosts programs and workshops for kids and families.

Conservatory Garden in Central Park
Central Park, entrance on Fifth Avenue at 105th Street
Hours: Open 8am to dusk daily. Price: Free

This six-acre garden features French, Italian, and English designs. In the French North Garden is the Three Dancing Maidens fountain. Seasonal plants include 20,000 tulips each spring and 2,000 Korean chrysanthemums each fall. An Italian Central Garden features crabapple trees, wisteria, and a lush lawn. The English-style South Garden, planted to be enjoyed year-round, features the Burnett Fountain, depicting a young boy and girl based on characters from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Free tours start at the front gate each Saturday at 11am (through Oct. 29).

Manhattan in Bloom
Parks across Manhattan, such as Theodore Roosevelt Park, Riverside Park, and Jackie Robinson Park
Hours: April – September, daily. Price: Free

Every month, new flowers and trees bloom in these parks and others across the city. Plants such as crocus, daffodil, butterfly bush, Asiatic lilies, roses, Hollyhock, cherry trees, and many more can be seen and smelled by all.

 Queens

Alley Pond Environmental Center
228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston
718-229-4000
Hours Monday-Friday 9am-4:30pm; call for weekend hours. Price: Free

The center is an aquatic and terrestrial habitat and nature preserve that features a learning center and environmental laboratory. Its mission is to educate children and adults in the New York City area about preservation of open spaces and water, while advocating for sustainability and crucial environment policies and practices. The center offers animal, science, and nature programs at the Center at Alley Pond Park for both children and adults. The site also hosts monthly events, including nature walks, workshops, and an Evening with the Stars astronomy program.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Grand Central Parkway, Van Wyck Expressway

At 1,255 acres, it’s the largest park in Queens, which means there’s plenty of recreational space. The park also encompasses the Queens Zoo, Queens Museum of Art, Queens Botanical Garden, the New York Hall of Science, Arthur Ashe Stadium (home of the U.S. Open in tennis), the Queens Theater, Citi Field (home of the Mets), an aquatic center, a carousel, six playgrounds (including a wheelchair-accessible playground for kids with all abilities), and two lakes. Spring trees and flowers are in bloom, such as Cornelian cherry tree, forsythia, redbud tree, tulips, and horse chestnut tree, as well as roses and other planted beds in the summer.

Forest Park
Between Jackie Robinson Parkway and Park Lane South
718-760-6565
Hours: Park is open from dawn to dusk, unless otherwise posted. Price: Free.

In this large, multi-neighborhood park, there is a golf course, multiple playgrounds, and a walking and bike trail that weaves through the entire park. Visitors can also explore the park on horseback.

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Between North Channel Bridge and Cross Bay Bridge on Cross Bay Boulevard
718-318-4340
Hours: Visitor center open 9am-5pm daily; park open sunrise to sunset daily, year-round. Price: FREE.

A 1.75-mile loop trail features views of the west pond, Jamaica Bay, and an osprey nest. A shorter trail, a little less than a mile, features views of the east pond and bird life.

Queens Botanical Garden
43-50 Main St., Flushing
718-886-3800
Hours (April – October): Tuesday-Sunday 8am-6pm. Price: $4; $3 seniors; $2 students and children; free children younger than 3; free November through March and year-round during the following hours: Wednesday 3-6pm and Sunday 4-6pm.

Includes the Queens Rose Garden, Green Roof Plant Collection, Fragrance Walk (shrubs, perennials, and bulbs that are especially fragrant during the growing season), Children’s Garden, Bee Garden, and other thematic gardens and historic plantings. Visitors can see a variety of different plants in bloom each month. The garden regularly hosts programs that demonstrate environmental stewardship, promote sustainability, and celebrate the rich cultural connections between people and plants. Children can get involved by planting vegetables, herbs, and annual flowers in the Children’s Garden during QBG’s spring, summer, and fall Children’s Garden sessions.

Queens Zoo
53-51 111th St., Flushing
718-271-1500
Hours (April – October): Monday-Friday 10am-5pm; weekends and holidays 10am-5:30pm. Price: $8; $6 seniors; $5 ages 3-12; free children 2 and younger; free parking.

Besides being home to a wide variety of wildlife—from penguins, to mountain lions, to Andean bears—that visitors can view at their leisure, the zoo also offers a walk-through aviary and hands-on learning experiences for kids with an emphasis on wildlife conservation. Young children can also relax and explore in the Discovery Center, which offers projects and special activities along with a library full of animal-themed storybooks and games, a microscope and fossils, and a crafts station. Plus, watch California sea lions Butch, Phoenix, and Howie flip for fish during their 11:15am, 2pm, and 4pm feeding times at the sea lion pool in the center of the zoo.

Socrates Sculpture Park
Broadway at Vernon Boulevard
718-956-1819
Hours: 10am to sunset, daily. Price: Free

An outdoor park that features large-scale sculptures and hosts weekly workshops for children.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
1000 Washington Ave.
718-623-7200
Hours: Tuesday-Friday 8am-6pm; Saturday-Sunday 10am-6pm; open Memorial Day and Columbus Day 10am-6pm. Price: $10; $5 seniors and students; free children younger than 12.

A 52-acre “living museum” with various plant collections and special gardens, BBG strives to teach visitors the importance of plants in our everyday lives. Must-see May highlights include Bluebell Wood, the Lilac Collection, tulips in the Annual Border, and azaleas and wisteria in the Osborne Garden. Check out bbg.org/bloom for updates on what’s in bloom. BBG also hosts nature-based educational programs and camps for young children and their caregivers from April through August. Registration is now open.

Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Remsen Street to Orange Street, along the East River
Hours: Open daily. Price: Free

This scenic/historic walking area features views of Staten Island, Governor’s Island, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the South Street Seaport, Fulton Fish Market, and the Brooklyn Bridge. From April through September, see spring and summer trees and flowers in bloom, featuring azalea, daffodil, forsythia, Japanese skimmia, lily-of-the-valley, tulip, coral bells, and more.

Fort Greene Park
Bordered by Myrtle Avenue, Cumberland Street, and DeKalb Avenue
718-722–3218
Hours: 9am-5pm daily. Price: Free
At this park, visit the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, which towers over the crypt where more than 11,000 people that died in the Revolutionary War are buried.

Prospect Park
718-965-8999 (events hotline)
Hours: Audubon Center and Lefferts Historic House are open weekends 12-4pm. Price: Free

A 585-acre park, including a 90-acre meadow, 60-acre lake, and Brooklyn’s only forest. Hosts four unique hiking trails that vary in difficulty and length; trail guides are available at the Audubon Center. The Audubon Center at the Boathouse, dedicated to wildlife preservation and natural education, houses the park’s Visitor Center on the first floor, including a café and interactive exhibits, along with the Con Edison Discover Nature Theater and the Verizon Learning Lab on the second floor, where you can see live animals and more exhibits. It also hosts interactive, nature-based programs for kids and adults, including scavenger hunts for ages 8 and older. Lefferts Historic House is located in the park’s Children’s Corner, near the Carousel and zoo (see following entry), and encompasses a working garden, historic artifacts and documents, and period rooms and exhibits. Visitors can engage in pre-colonial activities such as candle making, sewing, butter churning, and children can engage in games played by their peers more than 100 years ago.

Prospect Park Zoo
450 Flatbush Ave.
718-399-7339
Hours: Monday-Friday 10am-5pm; weekends and holidays 10am-5:30pm (April – October). Price: $8; $6 seniors; $5 ages 3-12; free children younger than 3.

Meet a troop of Hamadryas baboons and watch their antics; experience various types of animal habitats, including gardens, marshes, and scrubland; visit the Barn & Garden area, where you’ll find farm animals like sheep, cows, and llamas; and watch some high-fiving sea lions catch fish on the fly at 11:30am, 2pm, and 4pm daily in the Sea Lion Court.

Salt Marsh Nature Center
3302 Ave. U
718-421-2021
Hours: Thursday-Tuesday 11am-5pm. Price: Free.

The center houses nature exhibits and fish tanks for viewing.

Underwood Park
Along Washington Avenue, between DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues
Hours (April through September): Open daily. Price: Free.

As one of Brooklyn’s most blossom-filled parks, Underwood features daffodil, forsythia, flowering dogwood, mountain laurel, rose, butterfly bush, black-eyed Susan, and more (in season).

Staten Island

Blue Heron Park and Nature Center
222 Poillon Ave., Annadale
718-967-3542
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11am-4pm. Price: Free

This 222-acre park surrounds wetland ponds, swamps, and streams that drain into the Raritan Bay. View the bird-feeding station at the edge of the woodlands, which attracts a wide variety of local birds, and stop in the Nature Library to browse its nature-themed collection of guidebooks, books, and magazines. Participate in nature-based educational programs run by urban park rangers at the nature center or visit the activity center, open to the public on the weekends. Naturalist-guided walks offered at 1:15pm and 2:15pm each Saturday and Sunday, but please call to verify availability. The park includes a handicap-accessible trail.

Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden
1000 Richmond Terrace
718-448-2500
Hours: Grounds open dawn to dusk; gardens open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm; galleries open Wednesday-Sunday 12-5pm. Price: For gardens and galleries: $5; $4 students and seniors; free children younger than 12.

Snug Harbor’s 83-acre park-like setting contains gardens, museums, theaters, educational opportunities, and seasonal festivals. It includes a Chinese Scholar’s Garden, Healing Garden, Rose Garden, White Garden, and Tuscan Garden, and several other gardens, each of which feature aesthetic and functional flora. Also features regular educational programs for kids as well as group tours.

Staten Island Zoo
614 Broadway
718-442-3100
Hours: 10am-4:45pm daily; closed major holidays. Price: $8; $6 seniors; $5 ages 3-14; free children younger than 3; free parking.

The zoo’s mission is to instill in visitors, especially children, an understanding and appreciation of living creatures, through programs, camps, and various other events. Visitors can view small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and tropical fish in the zoo’s exhibits.

The Greenbelt Nature Center
700 Rockland Ave. (at Brielle Avenue)
718-667-2165 (718-351-3450 for nature center)
Hours: The Greenbelt is open dawn to dusk daily; the nature center is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm, April through October. Price: Free

The Greenbelt consists of 2,800 acres of woodlands, wetlands, and meadows. It features four major foot trails, each marked on the trail maps (available online and at the nature center) with their length and difficulty, and includes three easy-to-moderate trails ranging in length from 3.8 to 8 miles. The nature center offers a variety of environmental education programs, summer camps, and other family-friendly events and programs.

LONG ISLAND

 Nassau County

Clark Botanical Gardens
193 I. U. Willets Road, Albertson
516-484-2208
Hours: Open 10am-4pm daily. Price: Voluntary donations are appreciated.

A 12-acre living museum and educational facility dedicated to understanding and appreciating the world’s plant life through horticulture, education, and research. Garden collections include native spring wildflowers, conifers, roses, perennials, daylilies, wetland plants, rock garden plants, herbs, butterfly plants, medicinal plants, and more than a dozen collections of particular plant families. Programs for family and children are available upon registration.

Garvies Point Museum & Preserve
50 Barry Drive, Glen Cove
516-571-8010
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm; closed holidays. Price: $3; $2 ages 5-12; free children younger than 5 with an adult.

A 62-acre site set along Hempstead Harbor, Garvies Point has permanent exhibits and educational programs about Long Island and New York state geology and Long Island Native American culture and archaeology. Changing exhibits cover a variety of natural history subjects, including the glacial exhibit, which illustrates and explains the formation of contemporary land features. The Discovery Room is an interactive Native American-themed exhibit for kids in kindergarten through third grade.

Hofstra Arboretum
Hofstra University, Hempstead
516-463-6623
Hours: Dawn to dusk daily. Price: Free.

This 240-acre, nationally recognized arboretum houses more than 12,000 evergreen and deciduous trees that represent in excess of 625 species and varieties, including both Native American and rare exotic trees. Two acres of the campus are home to a distinctive bird sanctuary featuring hummingbirds and a naturalistic rock waterfall.

LIU Post Community Arboretum
720 Northern Blvd., Brookville
516-299-3500
Hours: Dawn to dusk daily. Price: Free

Forty acres of the LIU campus is designated as an arboretum, which features more than 125 trees (some very rare). Each tree is labeled with interesting horticultural facts and origin information. The trees are located along a self-guided walking trail that encircles the campus’ main academic buildings. One of the landmarks along the trail is the breathtaking Tudor mansion that was once the home of cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. The self-guided walking trail starts and ends at Hillwood Commons and lasts anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. Pick up a free map at the Hillwood Commons Information Desk.

Nassau County Museum of Art
1 Museum Drive, Roslyn Harbor
516-484-9337
Hours: 11am-4:45pm Tuesday-Sunday. Price: $10; $8 seniors 62 and older; $4 ages 4-12; $2 parking fee on weekends.

The museum’s garden provides a sanctuary of carefully reconstructed brick paths, perennial borders, and intricate boxwood designs in four garden rooms that give families a place to stroll, sit, and enjoy nature.

Old Westbury Gardens
71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury
516-333-0048

Hours: April 30 – October 31, 10am-5pmdaily. Price: $10; $8 seniors; $5 children
Includes 200 acres of formal gardens, landscaped grounds, woodlands, ponds, and lakes. Family activities include concerts and environmental educational programs that teach children about plants, wildlife, and agriculture.

Planting Fields Foundation
1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay
516-922-9200
Hours: Open 9am-5pm daily. Price: $8 per car

One of the few remaining Gold Coast estates on Long Island’s North Shore to retain its original 409 acres of historic buildings and landscape. Families can visit rolling lawns, formal gardens, hiking trails, and specimen plantings as well as the Camellia Greenhouse and the Main Greenhouse, which have seasonal displays. The grounds are both wheelchair- and stroller-accessible.

Science Museum of Long Island
1526 N. Plandome Road, Plandome
516-627-9400
Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-3pm. Program times and prices vary.

A science activity center located on the Leeds Pond Preserve, this museum offers hands-on science workshops for children. All programs and workshops are by pre-registration only.

Tanglewood Park and Preserve
Lakeview, Tanglewood Road between Ocean Avenue and Lakeview Road
516-764-0045
Park Hours: Dawn to dusk; Price: Free
Center for Science Teaching and Learning- Hours: Wed- Sun 10- 4; Price: $6 per person

The 17-acre park and preserve, allows families to enjoy a lovely nature trail and a beautifully renovated brick walkway surrounding a pond. Restocked with fish by the New York State Bureau of Fisheries, the pond permits fishing and children ages 16 years and younger are not required to have a fishing license. Tanglewood also houses the nonprofit educational organization Center for Science Teaching and Learning (CSTL). CSTL’s mission is to encourage science learning.

Suffolk County

The Animal Farm Petting Zoo
296 Wading River Road, Manorville
631-878-1785
Hours: Open weekdays 10am-5pm; weekends 10am-6pm. Price: $13.50; $11.50 seniors and children ages 2-16; free children younger than 2.

At the zoo, see a large selection of rare and unusual birds, monkeys, llamas, reptiles, and other exotic animals. Hold baby animals and bottle-feed baby cows, goats, pigs, and lambs. There are also pony rides, a Super Cow musical puppet show, and the Safari Tour Train.

Bayard Cutting Arboretum
440 Montauk Highway, Great River
631-581-1002
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm through October. Price: Free; $8 parking on weekends. From May 26 through Sept. 3, parking is $8 per car every day.

Located along the Connetquot River, the arboretum contains more than 690 acres of meadows, centennial oaks, and brightly colored nature walks among rhododendron and swamp cypress. Don’t miss the Pinetum—it has one of Long Island’s largest collections of fir, spruce, pine, and hemlock. The arboretum is also home to many varieties of bird species. For information on classes and programs, visit bcahs.net.

Bridge Gardens
36 Mitchell Lane, Bridgehampton
631-537-7440
Hours (April 16 through October): Weekends 2-5pm. Price: $10; $20 for groups of four or more.

Bridge Gardens is five acres of lush Long Island landscape. Not only are there traditional gardens of seasonal flowers and herbs, there are also unique garden mazes, a knot garden, and beds of culinary, medicinal, ornamental, textile, and dyeing herbs. Learn how herbs and plants are cultivated and used in kitchens, hospitals, and factories. Walk through the woodland paths, smell the lavender and roses, and view the water garden.

Brookhaven Ecological Site and Animal Preserve/Holtsville Park and Zoo
249 Buckley Road, Holtsville
631-758-9664
Hours (through May 27): Monday-Friday 9am-3pm; weekends 10am-3pm. May 28 – Sept. 30: 9am-4pm daily. Price: Free

Located on a reclaimed landfill, this recreational and educational facility includes a triple pool complex; exercise-trail fitness course; nature preserve and ecology center, featuring buffalo, bobcats, bears, eagles, ecology exhibits, and tours; greenhouses; and a picnic area. Educational classes, such as gardening and plant propagation, are offered to families in the spring and fall.

Caleb Smith State Park Preserve
Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown
631-265-1054
Hours: Trails and museum open 8am-4pm Wednesday-Sunday. Price: Free; $8 parking Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Most of the preserve’s 543 acres are undeveloped, allowing views of its many different habitats, including freshwater wetlands, ponds, streams, fields, and woods. The preserve is a refuge for wildlife and its diverse habitats support a variety of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and ferns. It offers hiking opportunities and also operates a nature museum with wildlife displays and nature programs for children and adults.

Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium
1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor
516-692-6768
Hours: 10am-5pm weekdays; 10am-6pm weekends in June, July, and August. Price: $6; $4 seniors and children ages 3-12; free children younger than 2.

This nonprofit center is dedicated to educating visitors about the freshwater ecosystems of New York. It has the largest living collection of New York state freshwater reptiles, fish, and amphibians. Tour two aquarium buildings and eight outdoor ponds, or feed the hungry trout. The Catch and Keep Fishing program runs Friday-Tuesday, 10am-12pm and 1-3pm.

Long Island Game Farm Wildlife and Children’s Zoo
638 Chapman Blvd., Manorville
631-878-6644

Hours (May 28 – Sept. 5): Monday-Friday 10am-5pm (closed Mondays in May); Saturday-Sunday 10am-6pm. Price: $17.95; $15.95 seniors and children ages 3-11 and seniors; free children younger than 2.

“Please touch” is the motto at Long Island’s largest zoo and encounter park. There are hundreds of animals, including an 18-foot-tall giraffe, red kangaroos, kinkajous, cougars, peacocks, and the only lemurs born and bred on Long Island. Petable animals include ducks, rabbits, ponies, and turtles.

Suffolk County Farm and Education Center
350 Yaphank Avenue, Yaphank
631-852-4600
Hours: 9am-3pm daily. Price: Donations accepted.

Youth development programs are available to children of all ages, including hands-on learning activities taught by professionals. The farm features a butterfly house, a nature explore classroom, wagon rides, and an animal discovery area. Summer camp and birthday party options are also available for children all ages.

Sweetbriar Nature Center
62 Eckernkamp Drive, Smithtown
631-979-6344
Hours: Preserve open 9am-4:30pm daily; butterfly and moth vivarium open 10am-4pm daily (June 2 through September). Price: Free admission to preserve (donations accepted); Butterfly House admission is $3; $2 seniors and children younger than 12.

The center is located on 54 acres, with nature trails going through diverse areas that include wetlands, fields, and forests along the Nissequogue River. It is home to a large rehabilitation aviary, public gardens, nature museum, and the Butterfly House that contains about 20 species of native North American butterflies and moths.

Uplands Farm Nature Sanctuary
The Nature Conservancy, Long Island Chapter
250 Lawrence Hill Road, Cold Spring Harbor
631-367-3225
Hours: Grounds open daily, dawn to dusk. Price: Free

Walk trails through 97 acres of fields; the marked, mostly level trails make this a good place for family friendly hikes. Red maple, black cherry, red cedar, and hickory trees are in the eastern woodlands, while tulip trees, black birch, and maple-leaf viburnum are in the western woodland. The fields and hedgerows provide habitats for a wide variety of animals, including birds, small mammals, and 40 species of butterflies.

More Zoos Articles

Zoos, Nature Centers, and Botanical Gardens in New York City, Long Island, NJ, and CT