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The Secret Glass Gardens

1/30/08 - By Anna Fader

Sadly, this garden has closed. New York is filled with amazing little secret spots that are cool to discover. One that's fun for kids on a cold winter day is the Rusk Institute's Glass Gardens at NYU Medical Center. This beautiful 1,700 square foot conservatory garden is right in midtown Manhattan, has a koi pond, tropical birds, a sand pit for kids and extra-wide stroller-friendly paths, since it was designed as a therapeutic garden and to accommodate wheelchairs.

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The Glass Gardens specializes in therapeutic programs for people with disabilities, seniors and children, but it is open to the public and provides a wonderful respite from cold winter days in its heated conservatory. And frankly, nothing is more therapeutic to home-bound parents than a free, warm, beautiful and fun place to hang out with little kids in the winter.

There is also an award-winning outdoor children's PlayGarden that can't be beat for warmer months.

Unfortunately, the Gardens (and the entire Rusk Institute) are scheduled to be demolished in March 2013 to make way for a hospital expansion. So if visiting is on your bucket list, best to go soon.

The Glass Gardens
at the Rusk Institute, NYU Medical Center
400 East 34th Street
Monday-Friday 8am-6pm, Saturday-Sunday noon-6pm.
FREE!

Find more great activities like this in our Indoor Activities Guide.

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About the Author

Anna Fader

Founder of Mommy Poppins

A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.

Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.

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