Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a 52-acre garden next to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum, home to the famous Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. This guide covers opening hours, ticket prices, transport and parking, accessibility, and practical tips for planning a visit — part of my wider New York City travel guides.
This guide was last checked in August 2026. Hours also change month to month right now: August and September have different weekday schedules, so it’s worth checking the current week rather than assuming last month’s hours still apply.
Quick facts
| Opening hours | Varies by month; currently Tue & Thu 10am–8pm, Wed & Fri–Sun 10am–6pm, closed Mondays. Last entry 30 minutes before closing. |
| Ticket prices | Adults $22 (box office) / $23.67 (online); Seniors & Students $16/$17.47; children under 12 free. |
| Address | Enter at 455 Flatbush Avenue or 990 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225 (150 Eastern Parkway temporarily closed). |
| Nearest transport | 2/3 train to Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum, or B/Q/S to Prospect Park, both wheelchair accessible. |
| Typical time needed | Around 1.5 to 3 hours. |
Brooklyn Botanic Garden opening hours: when to visit
Hours change through the year. In August, the Garden is open Tuesday and Thursday, 10am–8pm, and Wednesday, Friday–Sunday, 10am–6pm. In September, hours shift to Tuesday–Thursday, 10am–7pm (with exceptions on 1 and 2 September) and Friday–Sunday, 10am–6pm. The Garden is closed Mondays year-round, including Labor Day.
Last entry is always 30 minutes before closing, and specialty gardens begin closing 30 minutes before the main gates too.
5 great New York City experiences to book
- 🕊️ Make sure you get into the 9/11 Memorial Museum by booking tickets in advance.
- 🗽 Take a boat cruise out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
- ⛴️ Learn about NYC’s top buildings on an architecture-themed 1920s-style yacht cruise around Manhattan.
- 🌳 Take a pedicab tour around Central Park – and spot the hidden secrets on the way.
- 🍜 Taste the local flavours of New York on a Chinatown and Little Italy food tour.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden ticket prices: how much does entry cost?
Like most botanic gardens in the US, such as the Denver Botanic Gardens and the Atlanta Botanical Garden, this garden charges an entry fee.
Standard admission is $22 for adults at the box office ($23.67 online, including a small fee), $16 for seniors (65+) and students 12+ with ID ($17.47 online), and free for children under 12. Members receive free admission every day.
Opening hours and ticket prices were checked on the official website and last updated in August 2026. Check the official site for current details or to buy tickets online.
A combined Museum & Garden ticket, bought at BBG, also covers same-day entry to the neighbouring Brooklyn Museum: $34 for adults, $24 for seniors and students 20+, and $16 for students aged 12–19 (children under 12 are always free, with no combo ticket needed). BBG also offers pay-what-you-wish admission on winter weekdays (December–February), plus free entry for a long list of academic, community and reciprocal-membership groups detailed on the official site.
How to get to Brooklyn Botanic Garden: transport guide
The 2/3 train to Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum and the B/Q/S trains to Prospect Park both serve wheelchair-accessible entrances (note: no B train on weekends). The 4/5 train to Franklin Avenue is closer to some entrances but has no elevator. Several buses stop nearby, including the B41, B43, B45 and B48, and the LIRR to Flatbush Avenue/Atlantic Avenue connects to the subway or B41 bus.
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Parking at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Attended parking is available at 900 Washington Avenue, open 7am to 10pm with no overnight parking. Rates are tiered: $10 for up to 1 hour, rising to $24 for the maximum stay to closing, or $35 for up to 24 hours. On First Saturdays, a flat $27 pay-on-entry rate applies instead. Rates are subject to change and special event pricing can apply on busy days.
How long to spend at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Most visitors spend around 1.5 to 3 hours exploring the grounds, conservatories and specialty gardens. Add extra time during peak cherry blossom season or major exhibitions, when the Garden is busiest.
Accessibility at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
All public entrances are wheelchair accessible when the Garden is open, and paved pathways run throughout, though some historic paths may be narrow, rough, uneven or steep. Wheelchairs are available free at each entrance, first-come, first-served, with valid photo ID. After hours, wheelchair users should exit through the Administration Building at 1000 Washington Avenue.
The lower level of the Conservatory (gallery, Desert Pavilion, Tropical Pavilion) is reachable by elevator, as is the Auditorium and Library in the Administration Building. Induction loops at entrances and information booths transmit to hearing aids with T-coils, and Personal Care Attendants assisting visitors with disabilities are admitted free.
Inside Brooklyn Botanic Garden: what to see
The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, one of the oldest Japanese-style gardens at a US public garden, features a pond with turtles, a Shinto shrine, and views that shift dramatically with the seasons. The Cherry Esplanade draws large crowds each spring during Sakura Matsuri, the Garden’s cherry blossom festival, while the Rose Garden and Fragrance Garden (designed with raised, touchable beds for visitors who are blind or have low vision) offer a different kind of seasonal highlight.
Elsewhere, the Native Flora Garden showcases plants indigenous to the New York region, the compact Shakespeare Garden holds more than 80 plants mentioned in Shakespeare’s work, and the hands-on Discovery Garden is designed specifically for children. The Steinhardt Conservatory houses tropical, desert and warm-temperate plant collections year-round, regardless of weather outside.
Practical visitor tips
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| Timing | Weekday mornings, especially outside cherry blossom season, tend to be quietest. |
| Crowds | Sakura Matsuri weekend and peak bloom periods draw the biggest crowds of the year. |
| Layout | With the Eastern Parkway entrance closed, plan your route via Flatbush Avenue or Washington Avenue instead. |
| Entry process | All visitors, including members, must present a ticket; advance booking is recommended since same-day tickets depend on availability. |
| On-site logistics | Tripods and easels aren’t allowed in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden or Conservatory, so plan photography accordingly. |
Frequently asked questions about Brooklyn Botanic Garden
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is Brooklyn Botanic Garden free? | Not generally, though children under 12 are always free, and winter weekdays (Dec–Feb) are pay-what-you-wish. |
| Do you need to book tickets in advance? | Advance tickets are recommended; same-day tickets are available at the booths depending on availability. |
| Is Brooklyn Botanic Garden open on Mondays? | No, it’s closed on Mondays year-round. |
| Is the Eastern Parkway entrance open? | No, it’s temporarily closed; use the Flatbush Avenue or Washington Avenue entrances instead. |
| Is Brooklyn Botanic Garden wheelchair accessible? | Yes, all entrances and most pathways are accessible, though some historic paths are uneven. |
Things to do near Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Brooklyn Museum: A major art museum immediately next door, with a combo ticket available at BBG.
- Prospect Park Zoo: A family-friendly zoo inside neighbouring Prospect Park.
- New York Transit Museum: A museum of NYC subway history, a short subway ride away in Downtown Brooklyn.
- Brooklyn Children’s Museum: An interactive museum for younger visitors in Crown Heights.
- New York Aquarium: A large aquarium at Coney Island, roughly a 45-minute to 1-hour subway ride away.
Alternative attractions to visit
- New York Botanical Garden, Bronx: A larger botanical garden near the Bronx Zoo, about an hour’s subway ride away.
- Museum of the City of New York: A museum covering New York’s history, roughly a 40-minute subway ride away in Manhattan.
- Fraunces Tavern Museum: A small historic museum in a colonial-era tavern building, about a 40-minute subway ride away.
- Queens Botanical Garden: A smaller botanical garden near Flushing Meadows, roughly a 1-hour subway ride away.
- Staten Island Botanical Garden: A garden within the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, reachable by ferry and bus, about a 1.5-hour journey away.
More New York City travel
Other New York City travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- Guides to NYC’s wildlife attractions: Queens Zoo, New York Aquarium and Prospect Park Zoo.
- New York City’s other parks: Roberto Clemente State Park, Riverbank State Park, Fort Tryon Park.
- Upper Manhattan attractions: The General Grant National Memorial and the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum.
- Bronx attraction guides: New York Botanical Gardens, Van Cortlandt House Museum, Wave Hill and Pelham Bay Park – including Orchard Beach and the Bartow-Pell Mansion.
- Brooklyn attraction guides: Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the City Reliquary Museum.
- Westchester Country attraction guides: Playland Park.
