Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden on November 20 2015, by Lansing Moore
This year’s all-new Holiday Train Show® opens on Saturday, November 21—with more trains, more landmarks, and more dining options than ever! This year’s exhibition features 3,000 square feet of additional exhibition space, making room for dozens of new trains, bridges, and tracks; a captivating short film of the show’s behind-the-scenes magic; and a stunning multisensory finale of light and sound. With something for everyone, plan your holiday visit today.
New this year, the MasterCard® Gingerbread Café creates a festive setting to enjoy a kid-approved menu of sandwiches, soups, salads, and desserts; two gourmet food trucks offering burgers and tacos; and a variety of holiday-themed activities. Color in a gingerbread activity sheet, and stop by our photo kiosk for a memorable souvenir. MasterCard Cardholders receive a complimentary sweet treat with a purchase of $10 or more.
Frosty’s Schnapps Haus, a Bavarian-themed outdoor dining option to keep you warm in winter, offers a variety of treats such as roasted chestnuts and pretzels from an authentic pretzel cart as well as spiked hot beverages. Also at the Visitor Center, enjoy first-class culinary creations at the Pine Tree Café amid one of the Garden’s arboreal wonders: a world-renowned collection of rare and unusual pines from Asia, Europe, and North America that features century-old specimens nearly 100 feet tall. The family-friendly menu ranges from artisanal panini, Neapolitan-style pizza, and signature salads to sweet treats and snacks. For a full-service dining experience, make a reservation at the Hudson Garden Grill, offering innovative New American cuisine and locally sourced ingredients.
Click through to view the full schedule of special events for this weekend’s grand opening—including our annual holiday tree lighting. Plan your visit, and come hungry!
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Posted in Holiday Train Show on October 19 2015, by Matt Newman
Nearly a half-mile of track winds its way through the Haupt Conservatory come November, when a twinkling 24-year tradition of model trains and cityscapes in miniature returns to NYBG for another winter season. The Holiday Train Show has fast become New York City’s most beloved holiday pastime, a moment when children, parents, and train lovers alike flock to the Garden for a stroll through the nostalgic little world that we’ve dreamed up. And this year, we’re doing it bigger than ever.
Beginning November 21, the show brings along 3,000 square feet of additional exhibition space, making plenty of room for more trains, tracks, and bridges. Look for locomotives chugging along overhead and zipping between 150 landmarks crafted from bark, leaves, and other plant parts; among them, our brand-new Conservatory replica, reimagined just last year, is joined in 2015 by a jaw-dropping model of the New York Public Library building.
Don’t expect to go hungry while you’re here, either. Alongside our year-round offerings, like the casual dining of the Pine Tree Café and the full-service experience of the Hudson Garden Grill, stop for family-friendly seasonal treats from our new Gingerbread Café. And if you’re looking to warm up amid the snow flurries, head to the new Frosty’s Schnapps Haus in the Visitor Center, where fresh-made pretzels and hot spiked drinks are sure to hit the spot before you set off to explore our winter wonderland.
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Posted in Programs and Events on January 16 2015, by Lansing Moore
Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the Garden will be open! Enjoy a well-deserved long weekend at NYBG, and catch the Holiday Train Show® in its final few days before it closes after January 19. The wintry fun continues in Ross Hall with the return of All Aboard with Thomas & Friends™ mini-performances, now through January 25!
This weekend is also the time to come admire the finest treasures of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library’s world-class collection in Flora Illustrata: A Celebration of Botanical Masterworks—there will be three tours scheduled to guide visitors through this exhibition highlighting the greatest botanical library in the Western Hemisphere.
Explore the full schedule below for a full three-day weekend of illuminating and entertaining Garden experiences. We hope to see you soon!
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Posted in Programs and Events on December 22 2014, by Lansing Moore
The holidays are in full swing! For the next two weeks—through January 4, to be specific—the Holiday Train Show will bring in more visitors than ever to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, with families gathering to take part in this 23-year New York tradition as part of their seasonal celebrations. And there’s no reason you and your loved ones shouldn’t join in the fun and make some magical memories together, too!
We would like to ensure that your Garden visit is as whimsical and worry-free as possible, so continue reading below for some simple tips to help you have the best possible experience at the Holiday Train Show! Follow these handy guidelines, and you’ll be riding First Class.
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Posted in Exhibitions, Video on December 3 2014, by Lansing Moore
With Bar Car Nights, adults enjoy access to the Holiday Train Show® alongside delicious cocktails, seasonal treats, and live entertainment, all beneath the glow of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory‘s colorful evening lights. Our latest Garden News video with Kevin Character takes viewers into the Haupt Conservatory after dark during one of these intimate events.
See what’s in store for our eight remaining Bar Car Nights and hear from visitors on what they love most about the Holiday Train Show® in the clip below. This year features more Bar Car Nights than ever, so reserve your tickets today! MasterCard cardholders also enjoy free access to a champagne pre-party in Shop in the Garden on select nights, but spots won’t stick around forever. Reserve now!
Posted in Programs and Events on November 14 2014, by Lansing Moore
Tomorrow is the big day! At long last the Holiday Train Show, a New York Favorite, returns to NYBG. Over 150 plant-based replicas fill the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, including several new and updated landmarks! From dearly departed monuments to familiar favorites, these miniature models are suspended in time, criss-crossed by almost a quarter-mile of tracks. Tickets are reserved in advance, so check out our schedule of programs now and pick a day to enjoy this 23-year tradition with your family.
Tickets for the most popular dates and events do sell out quickly!
Tomorrow we kick off the new season of festivities with our Holiday Tree Lighting at 4 p.m., so don’t miss it if you’re planning to be hear toward sundown! And when you’re in the Conservatory, keep an eye out for replicas marked by a red label. These represent the many designated New York City Landmarks represented in this year’s Holiday Train Show as part of an exciting partnership with the NYC Landmarks50 Alliance to commemorate 50 years of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
This weekend also marks the opening of two very unique exhibitions in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library. Flora Illustrata: A Celebration of Botanical Masterworks, in the Art Gallery, highlights many of the treasures from the Mertz Library’s unparalleled Rare Book Collection. Journey through botanical history as you admire books, manuscripts, maps, private letters, and art from around the world—some of which are on public display for the first time! In the Ross Gallery, NYBG is also proud to present Hudson Valley Seed Library: Art of the Heirloom, a display of art commissioned by the Hudson Valley Seed Library for a series of limited edition seed packets.
Continue reading for the full schedule of programs and events this weekend, including all-new children’s programs!
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Posted in Programs and Events on November 11 2014, by Lansing Moore
November 15 marks the long-awaited opening of NYBG’s annual Holiday Train Show®! This beloved holiday tradition is now in its 23rd year, with more trains, more landmarks, and more fun than ever. The Holiday Train Show® is a whimsical reintroduction to New York through a mini-metropolis of landmarks both past and present.
See the monumental Brooklyn Bridge and the unmistakable Statue of Liberty alongside buildings from bygone eras revived as plant-based replicas, such as the original Penn Station and the TWA Flight Center. Admire New York’s most iconic structures as you have never seen them before and explore detailed models of nearby historic gems that may be completely new to you. Throughout the exhibit, more than a dozen large-scale model trains zip along almost a quarter-mile of track, for a thrilling display for the whole family.
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Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 18 2013, by Ann Rafalko
I am one building out of many that make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most famous cultural attraction in an historic kingdom in an ancient land. Rediscovered in 1812 by a Swiss explorer, I was originally established as the capitol of a civilization that controlled an important trade route, which was subsequently diminished under Roman rule. An ingenious system of water management allowed me to thrive, but these systems were damaged by an earthquake in the fourth century, which accelerated my decline. My facade is pockmarked by bullet holes because I was rumored to hold riches within my decorations.
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Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 11 2013, by Ann Rafalko
If you follow Broadway north from the Battery until it turns into New York State Route 9, and keep going to a town in Westchester, you will find me by taking a left and heading for the river. I was the home of a famous author, synonymous with New York City and New York State whose extensive travels influenced his most famous work and my architecture. I was once one of the most famous houses in all the land because of my beauty and my owner’s fame, but now I slumber until the spring when perhaps a spectral game of nine-pins will awaken me for the tourist season once again.
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Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 4 2013, by Ann Rafalko
I am a beloved New York City museum, famed for my collection of old masters and important furniture. I am currently riding a wave of popularity based on a coincidental association with one of the year’s most popular novels. I am located on the Upper East Side, was once owned by a prominent American industrialist, and I am home to one of the world’s premier art research facilities and libraries. Who am I? 
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This year’s all-new Holiday Train Show® opens on Saturday, November 21—with more trains, more landmarks, and more dining options than ever! This year’s exhibition features 3,000 square feet of additional exhibition space, making room for dozens of new trains, bridges, and tracks; a captivating short film of the show’s behind-the-scenes magic; and a stunning multisensory finale of light and sound. With something for everyone, plan your holiday visit today.