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Well past its 100th birthday, this sprawling zoo on 265 acres gets better all the time. The newest exhibits are a Butterfly Garden and Tiger Mountain, while the 6.5-acre Congo Gorilla Forest, an African rainforest habitat, brings visitors nose to nose with the inhabitants. The unusual World of Darkness shows nocturnal animals like bats in action.

A small but magnificent oasis, this 52-acre garden designed by the Olmsted brothers in 1910 is home to more than 12,000 plantings. It is best known for the Cranford Rose Gardens where thousands of roses cascade down arches and climb lattices, and the authentic Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, planted in 1915. It is also known for its Cherry Esplanade and Cherry Walk, one of the foremost cherry-blossom sites outside Japan. The Steinhardt Conservatory houses tropical and desert plants and one of America’s largest bonsai collections.

Permanent collections and changing exhibits.

Overlooking the East River and lower Manhattan skyline, the Brooklyn Heights Historic District is an enclave of old-world charm. Along its quaint streets are preserved, Federal, wooden and brick townhouses of the 1820s and even grander Greek Revival homes of the following decades.

This tiny Bronx outpost on Long Island Sound was founded in 1685. The boatyards are a forest of masts, and the main street is lined with seafood restaurants and nautical bars. The North Wind Institute Museum is full of nautical lore.

The site of two World Fairs, this is now a spacious park with picnic areas, fields for cricket and soccer, paths for bikers and skaters, boating lakes, and many other attractions. The New York Mets’ Shea Stadium, the U.S. Tennis Center, the New York Hall of Science, and the Queens Museum of Art are also here. The Unisphere, the symbol of the 1964 World Fair, still stands.

A rare 18th-century Dutch Colonial farmhouse shows early farm life.

Walk through a swamp and stay dry beneath a waterfall (see Coney Island/ New York Aquarium).

One of the oldest and largest botanical gardens in the world, this National Historic Landmark covers 250 acres and includes 48 gardens and plant collections and 50 acres of forest, the only remains of woods that once covered New York. The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a restored Victorian glass house, is home to tropical rain forest and arid desert plants. A tram makes it easy to see the highlights, and guided tours are offered. The new Leon Levy Visitor Center has a visitor orientation area, a shop and a cafe.