Visit with Kids

Discovery Garden: Cool Habitats Kids Will Love

The Discovery Garden is one-acre garden for kids is filled with fascinating plants and habitats.

Look for

• An elevated boardwalk. Walk just beneath the canopies of Lavelle's cork and black locust trees.
• The “insect hotel,” which hosts leaf-cutter bees, praying mantises, and termites.
• Tall native grasses and flowers that attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees.

Download Kid's Field Journal (PDF) ›

Native Flora Garden: A Forest, a Meadow, and a Wildlife Hotspot

Stand in the Native Flora Garden and imagine what Brooklyn and the surrounding area looked like hundreds of years ago.

Look for

• The pine barrens bog. Ducks come to feed on the duckweed growing on the surface, and dragonflies hunt for mosquitoes among the yellow water-lilies. Praying mantises visit the boardwalk and sometimes lay eggs between the slats of the benches.
• The small forest of mature trees. Well-groomed paths allow kids to lose themselves in nature without actually getting lost. The interpretive trail leads past a kettle pond with aquatic plants and a limestone ledge covered with wildflowers in the spring and summer.
• Signs of the changing seasons: mayapples on the forest floor in spring, summer blooms in each plant community, fall foliage and seedpods, and animal tracks in the snow in winter.

Off the Beaten Path: A Pond Filled with Wildlife, a Winding Stream, Plants You Can Smell and Touch

Some of the most delightful features in the Garden can be found in unexpected places. Curious kids are sure to discover their own cherished spots, but here are some perennial favorites.

Look for

• The Japanese Garden's pond—home to turtles, carp, and ducks—and its small Shinto shrine guarded by two stone fox statues.
• The stream that winds through the Plant Family Collection and the plank bridges that cross it.
• Plants you can smell and touch in the Fragrance Garden.
• Cherry Esplanade’s lush, green lawn, perfect for resting or playing.

Plan Your Visit