Lightscape Dazzles Visitors At Brooklyn Botanic Garden
PROSPECT HEIGHTS, Brooklyn Miles and miles away from the crowds and noise at Times Square on New Years Eve, there was a very peaceful and calming light show at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Many visitors who attended said the inclement weather made the experience even better.
There was an eerie beauty in the fog and mist and rain at Lightscape at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. At the first Lightscape installation called Shunkashinto, there was a serenity and simplicity that 8-year-old Niko and his father felt on this New Years Eve.
It feels like Japan, Niko Lopez said.
Being here is mystical. I almost canceled because of the rain but I am glad I did not, said Tim Lopez, Nikos father from Ditmas Park. I think its phenomenal. I think they did a really good job with this light show.
With more than one million dazzling lights along a festive trail of 52 acres, the rainy night added to the magic and the beauty of the music at every installation.
Its actually more magical in the rain, said Neelam Vaswani, the Lightscape event director. It has a beautiful effect, which creates a magical, mystical feeling.
The colorful light displays highlight the gardens trees and landscapes. Besides the iconic winter cathedral, the reimagined fire garden has a surprising crackle when rainwater is added.
Theres the display with fire and it sizzles when the rain comes down, said Joaneva Atamian, a visitor to Lightscape. Its really spectacular with the music.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Hours
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden hours vary depending on the time of year, currently, the Brooklyn gardens are closed on Mondays.
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays you can visit between 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays you can visit from 10:00 am to 8:30 pm.
Keep in mind that specialty gardens begin to close 30 minutes before closing time and in the summers, only members are able to visit from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm on Wednesdays.
What To Do Near Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Since you only need a few hours to enjoy all there is to do in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden we recommend planning the rest of your day, either before or after your visit to the Brooklyn Gardens to enjoy any of these neighborhoods or attractions nearby!
Prospect Park Zoo
Just a few steps away from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is the Prospect Park Zoo in Prospect Park. There are almost 900 animals in this quaint zoo with the main attraction being the Sea Lion Court in the center of the zoo!
We recommend planning around 1.5-2 hours for your visit, be sure to see our entire guide for tips for visiting the Prospect Park Zoo including all the animals and exhibits inside.
Brooklyn Museum
Right next to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens is the Brooklyn Museum which houses 1.5 million pieces of work. The Brooklyn Museum is the third largest museum in NYC and has a notable permanent collection from all over the world.
Each collection is organized by culture, geographic locations, or time period. A few of the popular collections include the Egyptian, American Art, Arts of Africa, Arts of the Pacific Islands, Arts of the Islamic World, and European art sections of the museum.
Famous artists on display include Norman Rockwell, Edward Hopper, Edgar Degas, Georgia OKeeffe, and Mark Rothko to name a few.
Admission is suggested but not mandatory, a $10 admission is suggested for adults. Closed Mondays & Tuesdays.
Prospect Park
Park Slope
Downtown Brooklyn
Flatbush
Crown Heights
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Members Of Affiliated Organizations
Visitors with valid membership cards for the following organizations receive complimentary admission. Not valid during festivals, ticketed or member events, and other nonpublic hours.
- Individual members of the American Horticultural Society and Association of Public Gardens receive free admission with 1 guest.
- Individual members of the Museums Council of New York City are admitted with their family members.
- Present valid membership card and photo ID with your timed-entry ticket at admission booth.
- Members of botanic gardens participating in the AHS Reciprocal Gardens Program receive free admission.
- Present valid membership card and photo ID with your timed-entry ticket at admission booth.
- See list of participating gardens
What Is The Best Way To Get To The Brooklyn Botanic Garden Via Public Transport
Subway transport is the easiest and most convenient.
The BBG is accessible by trains 4 and 5 to Franklyn Avenue-Botanic Garden Stop and trains 2 and 3 to Eastern park way-Brooklyn Museum and Grand Army Plaza.
The B, Q, and S lines will also take you here via the Prospect Park Station. But the B train only runs on weekdays.
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Over One Million Lights Create A Dazzling Mile
By Scott Lynch
Lightscape, an immersive experience featuring 18 different light installations spread throughout the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, is back for its second holiday season and, considering last years debut sold out almost every night for its entire run, the time to order your tickets is now.
Winter Cathedral, by Mandylights
Some favorites from last year are back, like the twinkling tunnel that spawned a million selfies , and an updated, sadly somewhat safer version of the vaguely-satanic Fire Garden.
Fire Garden, by Ashley Bertling
But the mile-long illuminated trail also has plenty of new surprises in store this year. Marsha Tsimrings towering Light Like Water makes excellent use of disco balls and music by LCD Soundsystem.
Light Like Water, by Masha Tsimring
Culture Creatives Neon Tree transforms a Japanese Elm into a, uh, neon tree. And Norma Mooneys spiky Windseeds are simple, lovely, and bold.
Neon Tree, by Culture Creative
Colorful projections highlight the Gardens trees and landscapes all along the route. Music accompanies you the entire way, from a fiddle-heavy rendition of Auld Lang Syne to a cover of Wish You a Merry Christmas that will remind all of you 70s kids of Emerson Lake and Palmer, to the deathless Charlie Brown Christmas classics of Vince Guardali Trio.
What If, by Adjua Gargi Nzinga Greaves
A Magical Season, by Christopher Wren
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Light Show
Visitors can grab a drink to enjoy while walking the trail of lights and music.
The show takes place after dark and is open to all visitors as long as you have a valid ticket.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Light Show tickets are available online for $34 for an adult and $18 for children under $12.
Like all admission tickets, online Light Show tickets must be purchased in advance. You can also reserve tickets by calling ShowClix at 888-850-8718 .
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Presidents Circle $1500 And Up
Go behind the scenes with invitations to a private Garden tour, insider receptions, and seasonal previews.
- Invitations to insider receptions and seasonal previews
- Invitation to Cherry Blossom Celebration
- Individual gift membership for a friend
- Unlimited admission for guests
- Unlimited parking for a year
- $1,334 and up tax deductible
Safe And Secure Ticket Purchasing
TicketSmarters platform is designed to provide you with a worry-free Brooklyn Botanical Garden ticket buying experience. We use the highest standards in the online ticketing industry to ensure your safety when making your purchase. TicketSmarter has a 100% guarantee that you will receive valid tickets for your event just as if you had made your purchase from the ticket office at Brooklyn Botanical Garden.
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Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Everything To Know + Tips
What is changed in the article: general updates based on the most recent and available information.
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes. Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes. Silver white winters that melt into springs. These are a few of my favorite things. Yes, the spring in New York is beautiful, serene, and full of life. And the best place to enjoy this season is one of the citys botanical gardens.
Here, we will share everything you need to know about this stunning 52-acre garden in the heart of Brooklyn, plus tips to visit and the best things to do in addition to cherry blossom viewing.
Friends & Family $175
All Dual membership benefits, plus, bring two guests free each time you visitâincluding members-only hour and events!
- All Dual membership benefits, plus…
- 2 guests admitted free every time you visit, including membersâ hours and events
- 2 additional single-time-use guest passes
- 2 additional single-time-use parking passes
- $146 tax deductible
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Brooklyn Botanic Garden Parking
Brooklyn Botanic Garden has attended parking that opens at 6.00 a.m. on weekdays and 7:00 a.m. on weekends until 10:00 p.m.
The parking lot is right next to the Gardens gift shop and behind the Brooklyn Museum. It serves both institutions.
Parking rates are:
- $17 for 5 hours
- Maximum $20 above 6hrs
Overnight parking is not allowed at this 900 Washington Avenue Lot. But if you leave your car for more than 24 hours, you will be charged $32.
There is also street parking along Flatbush Avenue and Union Street. However, most street parking is metered and sometimes difficult to find.
Quick Facts About Brooklyn Botanic Garden
This beautiful garden is made of 52-acres of over 14,000 kinds of plants from all over the world. It was founded in 1910 and was previously known as Institute Park. The first garden was the Flora Garden, with many to follow in the next thirty years. In the 1990s, many of the gardens were renovated, and educational programs around conservation, horticulture, and environmental studies were also added.
Today, you will find specialty gardens within the Garden, three climate-themed plant pavilions, the Steinhardt Conservatory that houses the C. V. Starr Bonsai Museum, a white cast-iron-and-glass aquatic plant house, and an art gallery.
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Alice Recknagel Ireys Fragrance Garden
Next to the Shakespeare Garden is the Fragrance Garden, which has braille information signs for visitors with impaired vision. It was created in 1955 by landscape architect Alice Recknagel Ireys and was the first garden in the country to be designed for the vision-impaired. Visitors are encouraged to rub the fragrant or pleasingly textured leaves of the plants between their fingers. There are four themed sections in the garden plants to touch, plants with scented leaves, plants with fragrant flowers, and kitchen herbs. The garden is wheelchair-accessible and all planting beds are at an appropriate height for people in wheelchairs. A fountain provides a calming sound and a place to wash one’s hands after touching the plants.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Hours And Location
Location: 990 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225.
Operating hours
The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens hours of operation vary depending on the time of year.
Currently, the Garden remains closed on Mondays.
It opens on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Wednesdays, Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The last admission to the Garden is 30 minutes before closing . Some specialty gardens such as Rose, Japanese Hill and Pond, Native Flora, and Discovery Gardens begin closing 30 minutes before official closing time.
Check the official Brooklyn Botanic Garden website for current hours of operation.
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The Guide To Visiting Brooklyn Botanic Garden
If you live in Brooklyn, NY, chances are you have heard of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This urban oasis is located in Central Brooklyn near Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum. It is a sprawling 52-acre garden filled with lush greenery and plants galore. The botanic garden is a must see for every New Yorker and a staple of Brooklyn culture. This article covers the complete guide to visiting the museum. We will take you through getting there, paying less, and exactly what to look for depending on when you plan to visit.
Plant Science And Conservation
Between 1990 and 2010, scientists at Brooklyn Botanic Garden made a comprehensive study of the plants of metropolitan New York City. The study was called the New York Metropolitan Flora project its purpose is to catalog and describe all vascular plants growing in the region.
The BBG Herbarium collection holds over 300,000 specimens of preserved plants, particularly those from the New York metropolitan area. These specimens, some from as early as 1818, aid scientists in tracking species, analyzing the spread of invasive plants, and modeling changes in the metro region’s vegetation. There are also holdings from the western United States, the Galapagos Islands, Bolivia, and Mauritius.
The BBG Library, which is housed in the McKim, Mead & White Administration Building, holds a collection of books on horticulture and botany that is available to home gardeners, professionals, and staff. This building houses a Rare Book Room that holds valuable and historic botanical literature and also features classrooms, auditorium, a rotunda, and offices.
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Employees Of Affiliated Organizations
Free admission is extended to individuals with current employee IDs for an affiliated organization, plus one guest .
- See bbg.org/support/corporate for a list of all current corporate members.
- Current employees are admitted with 1 guest during public hours. Employees of Con Edison, National Grid, Orange Utilities, Rockland Utilities, and Stavros Niarchos Foundation are admitted with up to 5 guests.
- Corporate members also receive 10% discount at the Garden Shop and on BBG classes.
- Present valid, photo work ID with your timed-entry ticket at admission booth.
Aquatic House & Orchid Collection
This is one of the most impressive features of the garden! Here, you will find a variety of tropical and subtropical aquatic and wet-environment plants from all over the world, including the collection of over 6,000 orchids representing over 1,000 species. Dont miss the 300-pound tiger orchid specimen!
In addition to these above, there are also Rock Garden, Lily Pool Terrace, Shakespeare Garden, which pales in comparison with the one at Central Park, Fragrance Garden, and Three Peony Collection.
Lavender growing between rocks at BBGs Rock Garden.
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Brooklyn Botanic Garden Is Offering Pay
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is offering pay-as-you-wish admission on weekdays to all visitors throughout the winter. And through this Friday , it even applies to weekends as well!
After Friday, January 14, full price ticket purchases will still be necessary on weekends you can enjoy the wintry grounds for whatever cost youd like from Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.! Heres the exact breakdown for the winter:
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Brooklyn Botanic Garden Location
Brooklyn Botanic Garden is located at 990 Washington Avenue in Mount Prospect Park, adjacent to Prospect Park and near popular attractions like the Prospect Park Zoo, the Brooklyn Museum, and Grand Army Plaza. There are three main entrances to the garden, including 150 Eastern Parkway, 455 Flatbush Avenue, and 990 Washington Avenue.
To get to the garden, you can take 2 Train to Brooklyn Museum or Times Square first, transfer to the downtown Q train, and get off at Prospect Park. It takes about 1 hour and 3 minutes. The nearest subway stops that service the surrounding area of Brooklyn Botanic Gardens are:
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Prospect Park Station
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Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden Station
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Eastern Parkway-Brooklyn Museum Station
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Grand Army Plaza Station
Regular admission to Brooklyn Botanic Garden is currently:
-
Children under 12
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Community tickets: A portion of each days tickets are available free of charge to those who need them
-
Winter Weekdays : pay what you wish
BBG also offers free tickets to members and affiliates who must show proof of eligibility upon entering. Check out the website for detailed info – under Free Admission Opportunities.
Brooklyn Botanic Gardens hours vary depending on the time of year and currently, it is:
Preregistered Groups & Individuals
These programs require registration in advance of a visit. Admission is free however, space may be limited.
- Culture Pass is a program for cardholding patrons of Brooklyn Public Library, the New York Public Library, and Queens Library. A limited number of single-use passes to Brooklyn Botanic Garden are available by reservation. Each pass provides free admission to up to 2 people.
- Book your visit at culturepass.nyc and print or download your pass to redeem at admission booth.
Childrens groups from pre-K through high school are admitted for free as space allows. See bbg.org/teachers.
Group visits cannot be accommodated at this time.
- Members of the press on assignment should contact Elizabeth Reina-Longoria at to make advance arrangements.
- A portion of each days tickets are available free of charge to those who need them.
- Reserve Community Tickets at bbg.org/tickets and present at the admissions booth.
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Student & Family Programs
Academic members and participants in the following programs are admitted free of charge during public admission hours.
- Current students and employees of Medgar Evers College are admitted free of charge.
- Current students, employees, and alum of Pratt Institute are admitted free of charge.
- Show timed-entry ticket with valid school ID plus photo ID at admission booth.
- Note: Brooklyn College and Kingsborough are no longer Academic Members.
- Current students and employees of Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment are admitted free of charge.
- BASE student family passes admit up to 4 family members free.
- Show timed-entry ticket with valid school ID or family pass at admission booth.
- Children in the NYC Cool Culture program and their families are admitted free.
- Each pass admits up to 5 family members. Not valid during nonpublic hours.
- Present pass at box office. Photo ID may also be required.
- Teens in the Garden Apprentice Program participate in programming from March through November.
- GAP students enter free with Brooklyn Botanic Garden ID.
- Classrooms participating in Project Green Reach receive free guided tours of the Garden.
- PGR family passes admit family members free of charge.
- Show PGR family pass at admission booth.