NYC Arts: The Complete Guide to Art and Culture

Nestled in the grounds of Snug Harbor is a place of tranquility and natural beauty. The Staten Island Botanical Garden comprises 83 acres of historic Victorian gardens, rolling lawns, natural ponds, woodlands and wetlands, which surround the museums and galleries of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center. The garden is best known for its old-style rose garden, English perennial border, butterfly garden and sensory garden, which is specially designed to serve the disabled, and a truly delightful experience in texture, fragrance and sound for all. Inside the greenhouse, exotic plants are displayed.

The New York Chinese Scholar's Garden, the first of its kind in the United States, is an excellent example of Chinese landscape design and a pre-eminent cultural venue. A vibrant place of beauty and ever-changing displays no matter what season, the Staten Island Botanical Garden offers guided tours from spring through fall and provides brochures for self-guided tours year-round.

• On-Site Parking: On-site lots
• Disability Access: Fully accessible; special garden for the physically handicapped
• Gift Shops: Garden-related items, jewelry, books; open Wed-Sun noon-4 pm and Thurs noon-3:30 pm
• On-Site Food: Melville's Café at the Snug Harbor Visitors Center; open Mon-Fri 11 am-2 pm; picnics also possible