On weekends starting this spring, the New York Botanical Garden is offering parents an opportunity to celebrate their child’s birthday in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, and the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. The party package includes pizza and beverages from a famous restaurant in the Little Italy section of the Bronx, all paper goods, a party coordinator, and an instructor from the Botanical Garden’s Children’s Education department who will conduct a fun, seasonal craft activity with party guests. The “icing on the cake” for the birthday parties is access to all Garden exhibitions and programs that are open to the public on the date of party.
Birthday party slots are available 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and Sundays. The basic package allows for ten children and ten accompanying adults to attend the party.
When the program began last year, the birthday parties were only available to garden members as an additional benefit. Starting this spring, non-Members will also have the opportunity to celebrate their child’s birthday at the Garden.
Garden birthday parties have received rave reviews from visitors since the program debuted in summer 2008. Elizabeth Berne DeGear from Manhattan, held her daughter’s 3rd birthday party in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, a 1.5 acre garden filled with playful topiaries, a pond, a flourishing meadow, and individual garden plots that teach children about plants and the natural world through hands-on gardening.
According to Ms. DeGear, “The Family Garden is a magical place for children to celebrate a birthday party.” While the children enjoyed creating corn husk dolls and digging for worms, the adults were treated to a tour of the award-winning Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden featuring more than 3,000 rose plants, from exquisite antique roses to modern hybrid teas, floribundas, and shrub roses. “Our guests really enjoyed being in the garden on a nice September day. It was a wonderful experience for everyone,” she said.
Karen O’Brien, from Westchester County, celebrated her son’s 6th birthday party in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, a 12-acre indoor/outdoor science museum where children explore, experience, and discover nature. According to Ms. O’Brien, the children “enjoyed participating in a scavenger hunt in the Children’s Garden.”
For reservations and pricing, contact the Botanical Garden’s Group Tours department at (718) 817-8687.
