Brooklyn · Kings County
Narrows Botanical Gardens
NYC Parks
- Location
- Shore Road between Bay Ridge Avenue and 72nd Street, Bay Ridge
- Size
- 4.5 acres
- Hours
- Dawn to dusk daily
- Type
- NYC Parks
Narrows Botanical Gardens is a volunteer-run community garden in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, overlooking the Narrows and the Verrazano Bridge. The gardens feature themed sections including a native plant garden, a butterfly garden, and a rose garden.
The gardens were established in 1995 by local volunteers who transformed unused parkland into a cultivated botanical space. The all-volunteer model makes Narrows Botanical Gardens unique among New York City's botanical institutions.
The location within Shore Road Park gives the gardens a waterfront setting with views across the Narrows to Staten Island. The combination of cultivated gardens and waterfront scenery creates one of the most pleasant outdoor spaces in southern Brooklyn.
Narrows Botanical Gardens hosts seasonal events including a harvest festival, plant sales, and educational programs for children and adults. The gardens demonstrate what community engagement can achieve in creating public green space.
The gardens serve the Bay Ridge community as a peaceful retreat and a model of volunteer-driven park stewardship in a city where most parks are maintained by professional staff.