Looking for a break from the endless concrete and brick throughout Brooklyn? The borough has dozens of parks to provide the verdant oasis you so desperately crave. Unfortunately, many of the parks are either small or overcrowded. For those willing to travel outside their neighborhood, Bay Ridge’s Narrows Botanical Gardens (NBG) is a serene sliver of green space overlooking the Narrows of New York Bay. The volunteer-run 4.5-acre plot of land features New York’s only outdoor cactus garden, regular events, and even live chickens walking around.

In 1995, Joan Regan and Jimmy Johnson began working to revive the previously wasted park space, and Narrows Botanical Gardens was formed. Over the past 23 years, the duo has had tons of help from volunteers in bringing the space to life. The exhibits at NBG include the Native Plant Sanctuary, Lily Pond, Zen Garden, and the Old and Modern Rose Gardens. Thanks to everyone’s hard work, Condé Naste named NBG to their top five gardens in NYC to visit in 2013, and in 2015 ProFlowers put NBG on their top 15 botanical gardens in all of New York state.

Hidden Gem Alert: Narrows Botanical Gardens
Even the entrance to Narrows Botanical Gardens is adorned with beautiful flora | Photo by Austin Ruby/OurBKSocial

Hidden Gem Alert: Narrows Botanical Gardens
Where else in Brooklyn can you get a view with beautiful roses and the waterfront? | Photo by Austin Ruby/OurBKSocial

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All accolades and exhibits aside, NBG is a small, quiet open space where visitors can go to bask in a little bit of natural beauty. Bordering NBG to the east, Shore Road is a lightly trafficked neighborhood street that doesn’t make much noise. To the west is the Belt Parkway, but NBG volunteers strategically lined the garden’s eastern border with bushes and trees to filter the sound of passing cars. The Great Lawn in the heart of NBG is a perfect place for sunbathers to catch some rays, and Cedar Tree and Willow Groves offer shady refuge from the beating sun. NBG’s regularly scheduled events include movie screenings (Grease 6/22, Lion King 7/13, and more), Children’s Poetry Reading and Art Show (6/10), and the annual Harvest Festival in the fall.

If you tour the NBG and are looking for something a little bigger, sprawling Owl’s Head Park is just down the street. If the views of the water draw you in, mosey down to the Shore Parkway Greenway to sit/walk/run/bike south along the water. Also on the water is the Bay Ridge NYC Ferry station and its accompanying dock, where fishermen flock and the constant breeze is a refreshing respite from the heat of any day. The South Brooklyn ferry line runs every 30 minutes starting at Bay Ridge and heading north through Brooklyn and into Manhattan.