When you think of New York City, the first things that might come to mind are the glass-and-steel buildings that make up the skyline, the big Broadway shows, internationally renowned museums, and the amenities of modern life. But outside of a trip to Central Park, you might not think to experience some of the “wildlife” and outdoor fun the city has to offer. Here are some of our favorites places to get in touch with nature.
You know that winter is behind us once one of our favorite annual events pops up on the calendar: the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Hanami, a celebration of the cherry-blossom-viewing season that began in early April and culminates with Sakura Matsuri, the 27th annual two-day cherry blossom festival on May 3rd & 4th from 10am-6pm. This meditative spot is 52 carefully tended, intensively planted acres of flora , but the cherries take center stage during this weekend, with more than 60 family-friendly events and performances celebrating Japanese culture. 1000 Washington Ave., Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, 718-623-7200; www.bbg.org
The Bronx’s New York Botanical Garden also offers a great variety of gardens and plant collections and events, including 50 acres of the city’s historic original forest. The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the nation’s largest Victorian glass house, features A World of Plants -- biomes from the rain forests to the deserts -- and the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden is an indoor and outdoor interactive center where you can investigate how plants live and function. Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W at Fordham Rd.), The Bronx, or by Metro-North Railroad to Botanical Garden Station, 718-817-8700; www.nybg.org
Thousands of exotic aquatic creatures reside in naturalistic habitats at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island. Permanent exhibits include: Alien Stingers, featuring sea jellies; Explore the Shore, which hosts a salt marsh, sandy shore, a rocky coast with a 400-gallon crashing wave, 12,000-gallon tanks featuring a coral reef, schooling fish, and swaying kelp, and a seaside village; and Sea Cliffs, a 300-foot naturalistic habitat that’s home to walruses, seals, penguins, and sea otters. And everyone loves to watch the daily feedings of sharks, penguins, seals, and walruses. Surf Ave. & W. 8th St., Coney Island, Brooklyn, 718-265-FISH; www.nyaquarium.com
The Bronx Zoo is the largest urban zoo in the U.S., featuring more than 4,000 animals (many endangered) in award-winning naturalistic habitats on 265 acres. The Butterfly Garden is home to up to 55 species that flutter around a meadow setting; the Russell B. Aitken Sea Bird Colony is home to Inca terns, guanay cormorants, and Magellanic penguins; JungleWorld, an indoor home for tropical Asian wildlife, includes tree kangaroos, Malayan tapirs, black leopards, and more; the Himalayan Highlands habitat is a realistic environment for endangered snow leopards, red pandas, Asian pheasants, and white-naped cranes; and the Congo Gorilla Forest is home to the largest breeding group of western lowland gorillas in North America. And don’t forget World of Birds, World of Darkness, the Baboon Reserve, and Tiger Mountain! Fordham Rd. & Bronx River Pkwy., 718-367-1010; www.bronxzoo.com
In Manhattan, the Central Park Zoo has become an intensive zoological garden based on principles of wildlife exhibition, conservation, and education promoted by the New York Zoological Society since its founding in 1895. The zoo provides naturalistic habitats for a cross section of international wildlife, like the simulated rainforest of the Tropic Zone, the Temperate Territory, and the Polar Zone. And in case you miss the winter, the climate-controlled Edge of the Ice Pack exhibit has penguins and puffins that can be seen above and below the water against a panoramic view of the Arctic horizon. Central Park, Fifth Ave. at 64th St., 212-439-6500; www.centralparkzoo.com
The Great Outdoors, New York City Style - The City’s Top Zoos, Aquariums, and Gardens
New York City Activities
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