New York City's got tons of amazing parks, and it's absolutely packed to the brim with enchanting spots.
These are amazing in their own regard, as we all clearly need respite from our crowded and rushing city.
There's always the question, though, about what's fun about parks everyone knows about? Isn't the real splendor in all the secret, hidden gardens that you have to search to find?
So we searched high and low to compile the list of secret gardens below. You may need to scour the city to find them yourselves, but rest assured that they're absolutely splendid, and worth looking for.
Plus, you'll feel like an absolute badass knowing about such tranquil, secret city places. Read on to discover the following 5 secret gardens in NYC.
1. Green Dome Garden in McCarren Park (North 12th Street - Brooklyn)
This beautiful 2,500-square-foot flower garden and "quiet zone" was created by local volunteers in the Williamsburg and Greenpoint communities.
It's a magnificent green space, planted ferns, ivy, pampas grass and butter fly bushes. It's also got roving stone paths that allow for exploration without disturbing others' experiences.
[anad]
The paths are fantastically myriad and topped with professionally laid stone. Green Dome Garden is a lovely place to explore, or spend the day reading.
2. Heather Garden in Fort Tyron Park (1 Margaret Corbin Drive)
This garden was given to the city in 1935 by John D. Rockefeller Jr. Its three acres are the largest public garden with unrestricted entrance in the city. It's also incredibly beautiful, and its flowers change with each visit.
The Heather Garden radiates different beauty for each season, each with a patchwork of flowers and stunning views of the Hudson River.
It's got a Japanese cherry blossom tree, and seeing it bloom in spring has got to be one of the earth's greatest wonders. The Heather Garden also grows oak-leaf hydrangea, white wood aster, and many other flowers.
3. Samadhi Garden in the Jacques Marchais Museum (338 Lighthouse Avenue - Staten Island)
djinbetween Fumbling towards peace and resolution one breath at a time. Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum #padmasambhava #dhyana #jacquesmarchais #samadhigarden #meditation "The suffering itself is not so bad, it's the resentment against suffering that is the real pain." #allenginsberg #vajrasattva #dharma #compassion Samaya Sattva/Ah Hum Phat! #latergram #nofilter Photo by @nathanielshannon
This peaceful oasis is located right beside Lighthouse Hill in the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art.
It was founded in 1945 by Jacques Marchais, a collector and expert on Tebet art.
The museum was designed by Marchais to resemble a Tibetan mountain monastery. It's the first Himalayan style architecture constructed in the United States.
[anad2]
The gardens offer quiet meditations to visitors, as well as classes in tai chi and meditation, films, musical performances, lectures and travel talks, plus more.
It's also got a fish pond, and many of Marchais' original plantings. Admission to this garden, and the museum as a whole, costs $6.
,4. Seton Falls Park (East 233rd Street)
monkeymacho1387 Seton Falls Park.... Beautiful. Some murders and mayhem will happen here on camera. #indie #movies #indiefilms #setonfallspark
This tranquil haven is made even more special by its location in such a bustling area of the Bronx.
It's nestled amidst 30 acres of preserved natural land, a human made waterfall, gorgeous woods, and 30 species of birds.
[anad]
It's also got a baseball field, and a complicated nexus of paths and trail systems. There are also boardwalks propped into the wetlands for more pleasant strolling.
If you need a reprieve from the city grind, take refuge in the serene bliss of Seton Falls Park.
5. Elizabeth Street Garden (209 Elizabeth Street)
lamazing At the #elizabethstreetgarden with @jessefreckles who is enjoying her favorite time of year #fall
The Elizabeth Street Garden is a beautiful, unique 20,000 square-foot-garden located in Little Italy between Elizabeth and Mott Streets.
In this dense, tightly packed neighborhood it's a relief to have such a pretty, thriving space for plant life nestled between two residential streets.
[anad2]
Sometimes it's closed to the public, but when it's open it's absolutely enchanting. It's filled with garden statues who appear as though they've gathered for a party.
This garden is especially charming with the knowledge of how vehemently the community in Little Italy came together to protect this garden from being paved over into an apartment building.
Check out 7 Most Wonderfully Beautiful Rooftop Gardens in NYC.