Brooklyn Botanic Garden

If you don’t know where the BBG is, you’re hardly likely to stumble upon it. Just as it’s hidden from the city at large, the city is hidden from it once you set foot inside. Wooded trails, rose gardens and a gem of a Japanese hill-and-pond garden await on the other side of the lovely new visitors’ center—a far more garden-worthy entrance than any other to date. And if nature alone doesn’t do it for you, the BBG also puts on some of the most colorful (and kid-friendly) fests in the city, from the Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom) celebration to fall’s Chile Pepper Fiesta and Ghouls & Gourds festival. Plus, admission is free till noon on Saturdays, except on special event weekends.