Top 5 New York Indoor Gardens To Escape the Cold

While I love my hometown of NYC, even I admit that winter can be a bit gloomy. But that’s no reason not to visit this incredible city, especially when there’s still some green to be had. Fortunately, there’s plenty of natural beauty to be found inside as these top five New York indoor gardens prove.

New York indoor gardens can provide a welcome respite from the cold and bustle of the streets, making them one of the best things to do in NYC in winter. But these hidden greenspaces can be hard to find when you need them most. Never fear — we’ve got your list of the best New York gardens to visit in winter while staying warm inside.

1. The Tropic Zone at the Central Park Zoo

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Central Park in the winter can be beautiful in its own right, but within this winter wonderland lies one of the most unusual New York indoor gardens. The Tropic Zone of the Central Park Zoo is home to a wide variety of animals, none of which you’d expect to encounter in Manhattan. A hungry squirrel? Sure. A black-and-white ruffed lemur? Probably not! 

Escape the chill of a New York winter in this toasty enclosure. You can listen for the calls of tropical birds and hunt for colorful tree frogs as you explore this corner of South America in the heart of Manhattan. 

Open year-round, the Tropic Zone is home to many species that will transport you to another land. What’s really cool is that the birds inside the Tropic Zone are flying free inside the enclosure, so don’t be surprised if they fly right by you. 

During the winter months, the Central Park Zoo is open from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. every day, and it’s located at 64th Street and 5th Avenue. Tickets for adults 13 and over start at $15.95, though admission for seniors 65+ starts at $12.95. Admission for children 3-12 starts at $9.95, and babies and toddlers 2 and under are always free.

Local tip: There’s a lot more in NYC’s most famous park than just the zoo. Check out our guide to the top things to do in Central Park.

2. Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden

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The glass-domed Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden is iconic in its own right. It’s filled with multiple galleries with different climates and habitats that offer visitors so much to look at. Whether you want to go to the desert or the tropics, you can do that inside this conservatory.

The conservatory was originally designed by Lord & Burnham Co., and groundbreaking took place in 1899. It’s restored every 20 years to ensure it stays in good condition, and this also ensures that all the plant life contained in the conservatory can coexist and thrive.

While the conservatory is a gorgeous place for you to escape the cold weather during your visit to New York City, it’s also a place where scientists from all over the world come to study the flora hosted inside. This building is so much more than just a garden!

Found in the Bronx, the New York Botanical Garden is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. every day except Mondays. Adult admission starts at $35, seniors 65+ and student admission starts at $31, admission for children 2-12 starts at $25, and children under 2 are free. Tickets have timed entry.

3. The Conservatories at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Step into an array of climates without ever leaving the city. The conservatories at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden feature a variety of worlds safely shielded behind glass from the elements. 

Providing the perfect escape from the winter chills, the conservatories feature one of the most extensive collections of orchids in the country inside the Aquatic House, which also has beautiful water features. The cascading waterfall alone is worth the trip to Crown Heights. 

Travel tip: While you’re here, check out some of our other favorite spots in Brooklyn.

Modeled after a rainforest, the Tropical Pavilion has everything from banana plants to rubber trees. The roof tops 65 feet to accommodate the tall trees, so the space feels practically endless. 

Once you enter the Desert Pavilion, you’ll feel like you’ve turned the corner into another world. There are several species of cacti and wildflowers that hail from all around the globe.

There are even more conservatories to explore at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which is open year-round. Winter hours vary, but are generally 10 a.m.-3 p.m., closed on Mondays. Adult admission starts at $22, seniors 65+ start at $16, students 12+ with ID start at $16, and children under 12 are free. 

Local tip: From December to February, weekday admission is pay what you wish.

4. The Ford Foundation Atrium

Only in New York could you expect to find a forest inside a skyscraper. That’s exactly what you’ll see when you step inside the Ford Foundation building. 

The atrium, completed in 1967, is 160 feet tall and flanked by glass facades. It’s possible to cut through the building to get from 42nd to 43rd street, enjoying this verdant space along the way — one of the most beautiful New York indoor gardens. The garden was designed by Dan Kiley. The building and atrium were both named New York City Landmarks in 1997.

During your visit, you can toss a coin into the fountain and make a wish. You can also just sit among the trees — there are nearly 40 species. 

And this space isn’t just green in color, it’s environmentally green, too. The water used throughout, both for the plants and for ornamentation, is collected rainfall, and the coins tossed into the water are donated to UNICEF.

The Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice is located at 320 E. 43rd St. The Atrium is free for visitors to access and is open to the public from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. from Monday to Friday. It’s open on Saturdays as well from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. if there’s an exhibit on display.

5. The Butterfly Conservatory at the Museum of Natural History

When you think of the American Museum of Natural History, you probably picture old bones, but that’s not all that’s here.

Tucked away inside this incredible collection is one of the most vibrant spots in the city: the Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium. Filled with hundreds of these graceful creatures, the butterfly garden invites guests to learn about butterflies up-close.

Within the space, you’ll find up to 80 species of butterflies as well as several moths. The museum provides ID cards on display so that visitors tell exactly which species are fluttering around. There is also a pupae incubator so you can see chrysalises (and if you’re lucky, you might see a new adult butterfly pop out). 

Wander through a balmy 80-degree vivarium containing dense plant life. Hold still, and a few butterflies might just land on you. Be careful not to touch their delicate wings, but lean in close to experience a new perspective.

The museum is located at 200 Central Park West and is open daily from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tickets for adults start at $30, and New York residents with valid ID can pay what they choose. The butterfly garden requires an additional ticket on top of your museum ticket.

Bonus: The New York Earth Room

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A bit of a departure from the norm, the Earth Room is a bit less of a garden and a bit more of an art piece, but there is soil involved, so I’m including it. Created by artist Walter De Maria in 1977, the Earth Room is a second-story apartment filled with over 22 inches of real soil. That’s over 280,000 pounds!

De Maria first created an Earth Room in Munich in 1968, then another in Darmstadt, West Germany in 1974, before bringing the movement to New York. The first two Earth Rooms are no longer around, so fans of the statement piece can only find it here in NYC.

The Earth Room invokes a deep connection with the dirt, a rare commodity in this concrete jungle. The soil is watered weekly, and while it once required regular weeding, the earth here is now barren. Come experience the strange juxtaposition of the natural and the constructed in this unique space.

Free to visit, the Earth Room is a unique place to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the city, if only for a few minutes. It’s located at 141 Wooster St. and is open from 12-3 p.m. and 3:30-6 p.m. on Wednesday-Sunday. 

And while we all love to capture memories for Instagram, Dia Art Foundation, who maintains the room now, asks that patrons don’t take photos while in the space. Instead, simply enjoy the peace.

Discover more of New York

There’s so much to do in New York, and we would love to help you see all of it! You can book one of our New York City tours to see everything from the Statue of Liberty to Little Italy to Wall Street. 

Even in the chilly winter months, New York is still one of the most magical places to visit. You just have to bundle up a little bit while you’re out grabbing one of the most iconic NYC foods or exploring every corner of the city.

Feature photo credit: King of Hearts / CC BY-SA 4.0