Nature for kids in the Bronx

New York Botanical Garden

A huge garden with forests, conservatory displays and themed gardens. Kids can dig into hands-on science at the Everett Children's Adventure Garden.

All ages Tue–Sun Outdoor

Pelham Bay Park

Orchard Beach

The Bronx's only public beach, a crescent of sand on Long Island Sound inside Pelham Bay Park, with a playground, promenade and a seasonal nature center.

Pelham Bay

Pelham Bay Park

The city's largest park at nearly 2,800 acres, with Orchard Beach, salt marshes, forests, rocky shoreline on Hunter and Twin Islands, and a seasonal nature center. Families come for beach days, hiking and wildlife spotting.

Van Cortlandt Park

Van Cortlandt Park

A 1,146-acre Bronx park with forests, a lake, freshwater marsh, a historic house and miles of trails including the John Muir Trail. Kids can join ranger programs at the nature center and hike to the old Croton Aqueduct structures.

Throgs Neck

Ferry Point Park

A waterfront Bronx park beneath the Whitestone Bridge with lawns, a playground, sports fields and paths along the East River. It is a breezy spot for picnics and watching boats.

Hunts Point

Rocking the Boat Free Community Rowing

Rocking the Boat

On summer Saturdays this South Bronx nonprofit lends out wooden rowboats built by its students so the public can paddle the Bronx River with staff guidance. Select weekends add sailing and community birding.

Ages 5–17 Sat Outdoor

Bedford Park

New York Botanical Garden

Everett Children's Adventure Garden (NYBG)

An outdoor children's garden at NYBG where kids climb boulders, find their way through a hedge maze, and explore wetland habitats with cattails and lily pads. Hands-on plant science activities run through the seasons, led in part by teen explainers.

Bronx Park

New York Botanical Garden

Edible Academy at NYBG

The Botanical Garden's Edible Academy is a children's garden and learning center where kids and families explore how food grows through hands-on garden programs.

Pelham Bay Park

Orchard Beach Nature Center

A seasonal nature center at Orchard Beach in Pelham Bay Park where rangers introduce families to shoreline life, from horseshoe crabs to shorebirds, along with the park's salt marshes and forests.

Ages 2–14 Indoor

Soundview

Soundview Park

A large Bronx waterfront park where the Bronx River meets the East River, with restored salt marsh, oyster restoration areas, ball fields and a playground.

Pelham Bay Park

Urban Park Rangers Family Programs – Bronx

Free ranger-led walks, wildlife watches and nature activities for families in Bronx parks such as Pelham Bay, Van Cortlandt and Crotona parks. Rangers teach kids to spot birds, identify trees, explore shorelines and learn outdoor skills, with seasonal events like wildlife festivals.

Ages 3–17 Outdoor

Riverdale

Van Cortlandt Nature Center

A seasonal nature center in the Bronx's Van Cortlandt Park that anchors ranger walks into the park's forests, lake and freshwater marsh. It's a jumping-off point for the John Muir Trail and other hikes.

Ages 2–14 Indoor

West Farms

Bronx River House at Starlight Park

Bronx River Alliance

The Bronx River Alliance's headquarters and environmental learning lab on the Bronx River, base for guided canoe paddles, community paddles and river stewardship activities.

Ages 8–17

Crotona Park

Crotona Park Nature Center

A nature center in the Bronx's Crotona Park near Indian Lake, used for ranger programs about the park's trees, birds and pond life. Open for programs and by appointment.

Ages 2–14 Indoor

Riverdale

Riverdale Park

A narrow strip of steep woodland along the Hudson River in the Bronx, offering quiet forest trails with river glimpses.