Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Brooklyn Museum

Housed in a 560,000 square-foot building, the Brooklyn Museum is one of the oldest and largest in the country. Its permanent collections house items representative of virtually all the world’s cultures, ranging from the ancient to the contemporary, and the museum prides itself on its long tradition of acquiring both Western and non-Western art. In the permanent gallery are a range of collections, each containing thousands of pieces, including African Art, Arts of the Islamic World, Decorative Arts, European Art, Egyptian, Classical & Ancient Near Eastern Art, Arts of the Pacific Islands, Arts of the Americas, Asian Art, Photography, and the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art.

Exciting temporary exhibits rotate through the halls of the Brooklyn Museum, and include such diverse displays as “Body Parts: Ancient Egyptian Fragments and Amulets”; “Sam Taylor-Wood: Ghosts”; “Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera”; “Assyrian Reliefs”; “Tipi: Heritage of the Great Plains”; and “The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago”.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Brooklyn is surprisingly green, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a great place to spend a day breathing in the fresh air and enjoying. The garden is located right next to the Brooklyn Museum, making for a full day’s worth of activities. 52-acres of world-famous botanical gems will leave you in awe, as you walk around the soothing Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, and the Cherry Esplanade, with its stunning blooms. The reflective nature of water is a central theme in this garden, as you will notice when looking at the Lily Pool Terrace, which is home to almost one hundred different kinds of water lilies. Also featured at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden are the Steinhardt Conservatory, with its collection of exotic plants, and the C.V. Star Bonsai Museum. Even if the weather is a bit chilly, this garden is worth a trip, as it contains plants and exhibits that thrive in all climates and seasons.

Don’t pass up the chance to explore this green oasis of Brooklyn, and its museum neighbor the next time you visit New York!