Designing botanical gardens that appeal to kids is an art that has recently, well, blossomed. Whether set on single-acre plots, expansive formal estates, free-flowing meadows or in glass conservatories, many gardens now invite you to smell flowers, touch fuzzy leaves, feed fish and splash in fountains.

Spring is a great time to get reacquainted with the green outdoors, as tulips and azaleas provide the color you've craved all winter. Throughout the spring and summer, escape from the madness of urban living into the peaceful, meditative setting of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden where your family will discover a variety of activities, vivid scenery and floral scents.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN:
A tranquil walled oasis within city limits, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, with its winding paths and precise borders, seems to fill more than its 52 acres. Still, your kids may root themselves in the single-acre Discovery Garden to make mud pies, tie hay on the Weaving Wall and hide under weeping mulberries. At the Amazing Plants exhibit, your fingers will discover how burdock burrs inspired Velcro. The Cherry Blossom Festival, in late April or early May depending on the blossoms, includes kids' storytellers and crafts, taiko drummers--and 200 cherry trees in bloom. Admission is $5 for adults (16 and older) and free for kids under 16; it's free for everyone all day Tuesday and on Saturday until noon (except holidays). Call (718) 623-7200.



Joan Huyser-Honig is a freelance writer in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated July 2005.