Outdoor Activities

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
www.bbg.org
1000 Washington Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11225 (Clinton Hill)
718-623-7200
Tues-Fri 8am-6pm, Weekends 10am-6pm, closed on Monday (but open holiday Mondays)
Children under 14 must be supervised by an adult 18 or over, with the exception of bottled water and baby bottles, food and beverages cannot be brought into the Garden Food can be purchased and consumed at the Terrace Café. Picknicking is not allowed, sitting on the lawn  is only allowed at the Cherry Esplanade. Blankets and folding chairs are not permitted, no athletic or recreational equipment is allowed, pets are not allowed. Service animals must have accompanying documentation. The Terrace Café offers a full menu of gourmet lunches and beverages. Dining is outdoors from spring to early fall and in the Steinhardt Conservatory during late fall and winter. Picnicking is not permitted in the Garden. The Gardener's Resource Center provides reference services to home gardeners, staff, and to the professional horticultural community. It is a convenient access point from which to learn more about all of the Library's collections and about the Garden's plant collections. The Gardener's Resource Center is located on the second floor of the landmark McKim, Mead & White Administration building.

Coney Island Friday night fireworks
Surf Ave btw. 10th and 12th Sts
Coney Island, Brooklyn
718-372-0275
All summer you can see fireworks at 8:30 pm every Friday.  Check them out along the Coney Island boardwalk.

Downtown Boathouse
http://downtownboathouse.org/
Pier 40 at the Western end of Houston St on the river side of the West Side Highway. They are on the walkway of Pier 40. 
Walk-up kayaking: This is our original and most popular program. The only requirement is that you know how to swim. It runs at all of our locations on weekends and holidays from May 12th to October 14th, and on many weekday evenings. You can take one of our kayaks out for a short 20-minute paddle inside the protected embayment in front of the boathouse. We give you a life jacket, a kayak, a paddle, and some tips on paddling. You will need to stay inside our protected embayment where we can keep an eye on you, but otherwise you are on your own to enjoy the river and the sunshine. Bring a bathing suit, or shorts and a T-Shirt. We have changing rooms, and a hose to rinse off.
Three Hour Trips: We run guided trips every weekend and holiday morning from June 16th 2007 to September 16th 2007 from our Pier 96 Clinton Cove (56th St.) location. The trips leave our protected enclosed area, and go out into the Hudson River and the lower harbor. The exact destination depends on the tides and the weather, but we usually go at least 4 or 5 miles. To go on the trip you must go out several times on our walk-up program, or have previous kayaking experience. We require this to build-up your strength and allow you to get familiar with the boats. The trips are three hours of constant paddling and require you to be physically fit.

Millennium Skate Park
http://www.nycgovparks.org
Owl's Head Park, Colonial Road, between 68 Street and Wakeman Place
Brooklyn, NY 11220 (Bay Ridge) 
Thu-Mon, 11am-7pm (until July 1); In season, daily 9am-8pm
Ages 5 and up
Free
The Department of Parks & Recreation has an attendant on duty during operating hours at Millennium Skate Park. All participants have to sign a waiver; those under 18 need their guardian's signature.The Park is a boarder's paradise, with two concrete bowls, three wood ramps, a three-foot high pyramid, and more. Helmets, knee pads, and elbow pads are required.

Narrows Botanical Gardens
http://www.narrowsbg.org
Shore Road between Bay Ridge Avenue & 72nd Street
Brooklyn, NY 11228 (Bay Ridge)
 718.238.1692
Daily, dawn to dusk
Nestled in Bay Ridge, between Shore Road and the waters of The Narrows, are four and a half acres of rambling parkland that were transformed by sheer community dedication in the mid-1990's.The Gardens host numerous family-friendly events during the year (see our calendar), and they're also a lovely spot for a spring, summer, or autumn stroll.

Pratt Institute
200 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205
http://www.pratt.edu/saturday_art_school http://www.pratt.edu/ 

I view this as one of Brooklyn’s most valuable resources, and a little known one at that. Bring your tot(s) to the open campus during daylight hours and enjoy a picnic or stroll on the “Pratt Beach” (two wonderful green grass areas). No dogs are allowed on this 25 acre campus in Clinton Hill so that you aren’t dodging mine fields as your child crawls, sits and plays in the grass. Their sculpture park is the largest one in New York City with approximately 50 sculptures that are on a revolving exhibition.  Birch loves to climb the sculptures, peek in and out of them and just gaze at some of their extreme heights.  The Pratt Power Plant is open to the public and you can explore the engine room and search for the 25 domesticated cats that the engineer takes care of. It is fun to try and spot them all.  The Institute has a great pool of babysitters too: young, energetic and educated.  The MFA open studios that are held twice a year are always interesting and fun to attend with your kids as well as the gallery exhibitions.  They offer a pre-college for students aged 16-18 and Saturday Art School for ages 3-18 and adults. The classes are taught by the esteemed Pratt faculty and some scholarships are provided.
-Karen

Prospect Park
http://www.prospectpark.org/
Bounded by Prospect Park West, Prospect Park Southwest, Flatbush Avenue, Ocean Avenue and Parkside Avenue
718-965-8999
Brooklyn's 526-acre park includes picnic house, carousel, skating rink, Audubon center at boathouse, lawns, lakes and playgrounds. 

Prospect Park Zoo
http://www.prospectparkzoo.com/
450 Flatbush Avenue
718-399-7339
Entrance to zoo within Prospect Park at northeastern part of park called near Carousel and Audubon Center,
Zoo open 365 days per year.  Winter hours 10 am to 4:30 pm.  Other seasons open from 9am to 5:00 pm or 5:30 pm.
Children under 3 enter free.  Admission $5 per adult, $1 for children ages 3 to 12 and $1.25 for seniors.
Naturalistic habitat exhibits replaced bars, cages, and pits. And three major exhibit areas were designed to engage children, especially, in learning about wildlife: The World of Animals, Animal Lifestyles, and Animals in Our Lives. These approaches to wildlife education are based on WIZE (Wildlife Inquiry through Zoo Education), the nationally-acclaimed education programs developed by Bronx Zoo educators.

Prospect Park Audobon Center at the Boathouse
http://www.prospectparkaudubon.org/
Follow Lincoln Road into the park, across Central Drive. You will see the Cleft Ridge Span on your right. When you exit the tunnel you will see the Boathouse!
Prospect Park
Free
There are scopes to examine elements from the park and singing birds overhead. Special programs in the past have included storytelling and crafts, drop-in crafts, discover tours, drumming circles and a history cruise. 

Salt Marsh Nature Center
http://www.saltmarshalliance.org
info@saltmarshalliance.org
3302 Avenue U
Brooklyn, NY 11229 (Flatbush, Brownsville)
This is one of 10 Urban Park Ranger Nature Centers and serves as in-park community center for public education, recreational activities and environmental studies.  Take a walking tour, check workshops or educational programs.  Jr. Ranger Camp (ages 8-11) is open during the month of July for just $10 a day.

Socrates Sculpture Park
http://www.socratessculpturepark.org/
Socrates Sculpture Park   
32-01 Vernon Blvd.
Long Island City, NY 11106
(718)956-1819
The Park is located in Long Island City, Queens at the intersection of Broadway and Vernon Boulevard. The Administrative Offices are located directly across the street from the Park's Broadway entrance at the intersectionof Broadway, Vernon Boulevard and 11th Street.  BY SUBWAY Monday through Friday take the N or W train to the Broadway stop in Queens and walk eight blocks along Broadway toward the East River. On Saturday and Sunday take the N train to the Broadway stop. Socrates Sculpture Park was an abandoned riverside landfill and illegal dumpsite until 1986 when a coalition of artists and community members, under the leadership of artist Mark di Suvero, transformed it into an open studio and exhibition space for artists and a neighborhood park for local residents. Today it is an internationally renowned outdoor museum and artist residency program that also serves as a vital New York City park offering a wide variety of public services.

Water Taxi Harbour Tours
http://nywatertaxi.com/
Choose from many tour options: sunset and live music cruises, Mets Express, Fall Foliage Cruises, New Years Even, Hop On/Hop off- 11 stops at cool sightseeing spots and 2 days of unlimited water taxi use with a 2 day pass. Gateway to America- is a one hour tour of NY history will show you the the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Brooklyn and Verrazano Bridges, Fort Wadsworth, and Castle Clinton. You will also learn about the military forts that defended the city in the American Revolution and the War of 1812.
Departs from South Street Seaport and Battery Park and DUMBO.

Kate Wollman Center and Rink
http://www.prospectpark.org
Lincoln Road off Ocean Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215 (Park Slope)
 718.287.6431
Hours: Mon 8:30am-2pm; Tue 8:30am-5pm; Wed 8:30am-3pm; Thu 8:30am-6pm; Fri 8:30am-9pm; Sat 10am-10pm; Sun 10am-6pm
Cost: Adults $5; Children and Seniors $3; Skate Rental $5.50
Kate Wollman Rink is located near the Lincoln Road entrance of Prospect Park and is open forice skating from late November (usually Thanksgiving Day) through March. In spring and summer, the Wollman Center is the start-off site for pedal boating.
Skate rentals are $5.50 and are available for all sessions. Free lockers are available at the Rink; bring your own lock or purchase one at the Gift Shop. Group skating classes are offered on Fridays, at 4pm and 4:30pm, and weekends from 10am on. A series of four classes costs $100, plus a $10 registration fee. For group or private skating instruction, call The New York Skating Center (718.282.1226) on Wednesdays between 4pm-5pm, Fridays between 2pm-5pm, or weekends from 9:30am-3pm, to register. Skating parties can be scheduled by calling 718.287.6215.Ice hockey enthusiasts can join the Brooklyn Blades by calling 718.595.2808; or try the figure skating club, 718.659.5565.

The Wyckoff House
http://www.wyckoffassociation.org/
5816 Clarendon Road
Brooklyn, NY 11203
718-629-5400
open: Tues-Sat from 10-4.  Walk-in tours given at 11, 1 and 3 pm. 
Begun c. 1652, the Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House is New York City’s oldest structure and one of the oldest wooden frame houses in the country. It was the first site to be designated a Landmark upon the creation of the Landmarks Preservation Commission   in 1965 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968. Pieter Claesen emigrated from the Netherlands in 1637 as an indentured servant and through connections to Peter Stuyvesant, Director-General of New Netherlands, settled in what was then known as New Amersfoort in 1652. Successive generations of Wyckoffs farmed the land until 1901. His descendents donated the house to the City in 1969 and   after an exhaustive restoration it opened as a museum in 1982. The Museum’s mission is to educate New Yorkers about the earliest patterns of Dutch and English agrarian life in the region. They now have a farmers market that started in summer of 2007 with rotating workshops and demonstrations on gardening topics.  They also have cooking demos.