Brooklyn in Bloom: A Tour of Brooklyn Botanical Garden in Spring

I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a magnolia tree.
Cheesy, perhaps, not to mention plagiarized, but true.
Photo by Charish Badzinski.

Manhattan seems to get the bulk of the attention when tourists head for The Big Apple. But if you’re planning a trip to New York anytime soon, you must venture over to Brooklyn to visit The Brooklyn Botanical Garden.

On a chilly spring Saturday, visitors don their sweaters to enjoy the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.
Photo by Charish Badzinski.

Though it’s beautiful almost any time of year, in spring it’s more beautiful than most anything I’ve seen, the world over. That’s because many of the garden’s magnolia trees are in their full glory right now, and the abundant cherry trees will soon follow.

The trees at Brooklyn Botanical Garden bloom at different times, so you’re sure to
see something in full bloom during a spring visit. Photo by Charish Badzinski.

If you stroll around the Brooklyn Botanical Garden this time of year, you will enjoy a
stunning display by the magnolia trees. Photo by Charish Badzinski.

In fact, due solely to the magnolia trees, Brooklyn is arguably at its most beautiful this time of year. And despite what you may have heard about Brooklyn, or may have seen in movies, it’s a lovely place to visit or live. Locals just perpetuate the rumors that it’s dangerous to keep you from moving there and driving up their rent. (I’m only half kidding on that one. Though there are some questionable areas of Brooklyn, a little research will help you stick to the safe sidewalks.)

Lilacs are in bloom in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden this time of year,
too. Photo by Charish Badzinski.

Brooklyn Botanical Garden is located near the lovely neighborhood of Park Slope, which has wonderful boutiques, celebrated restaurants and cozy coffee shops too numerous to mention. My recommendation is that you dedicate a sunny Saturday in spring to this excursion. Rise early, get a good Brooklyn brunch with a nice, juicy mimosa, then take a taxi or stroll over to the Botanical Garden.

Get there between 10 a.m. and noon, and your admission to the garden is free.

Yes, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden really is this lovely. Eat your heart out, Central Park.
Photo by Charish Badzinski.

The garden features a mix of annuals an perennials.
Photo by Charish Badzinski.

If you’re going to New York in a few weeks, you’re in luck, because the Brooklyn Botanical Garden is on the cusp of Hanami, a Japanese tradition of celebrating every moment of the cherry blossom season.

The Cherry Esplande is stunning, even before the blooms burst. When they’ve bloomed, the cherryblossom petals fall around you like pink rain. Photo by Charish Badzinski.

The cherry blossoms are an excellent reason to celebrate.
Photo by Charish Badzinski.

You can celebrate along with them by bringing your camera, nestling down on the thick grass of the Cherry Esplande, and watching the petals dance and drift on the light spring breeze. If you are like me, the experience will leave you elated, as if you somehow, magically, fell into a poem.

Photo by Charish Badzinski.

The garden has a variety of cherry trees by design, as they bloom at different times. A visit in April is sure to satisfy your hunger for beauty, and your thirst for these sweet blossoms.

The Cherry Esplande is lined with cherry trees which will soon be in full bloom.
Photo by Charish Badzinski.

A visitor attempts to capture the beauty of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden on camera.
Fair warning: no photo does it justice. Photo by Charish Badzinski.

Want to know the status of the cherry trees, and when you can expect to see them bloom? Visit the CherryWatch Blossom Status Map on the BBG website.

If you can’t make it to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden on Saturday mornings, regular admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and free for kids 12 and under. Even with the cost of a subway ride, it’s an entertainment bargain in The Big Apple, and a priceless experience.

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Charish Badzinski is an explorer, foodie and award-winning travel and food writer. When she isn’t working to build her blog: Rollerbag Goddess Rolls the World, she applies her worldview to her small business, providing strategic communications, media relations and writing support to individuals and organizations.

Find Charish on Twitter: @charishb

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Rollerbag Goddess Rolls the World by Charish Badzinski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at rollerbaggoddess.blogspot.com.

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