One of New York’s greatest treats is the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, which is located on Eastern Parkway next to the Brooklyn Museum near Prospect Heights, Crown Heights and Park Slope. It is smaller than the Bronx Botanical Gardens, but has its own individual attractions such as the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, the Cherry Esplanade and the Shakespeare Garden, which are unique to it. Founded in 1910, the Garden holds over 10,000 varieties of plants and each year welcomes over 700,000 visitors from around the world. The Garden has more than 200 cherry trees of forty-two Asian species and cultivated varieties, making it one of the foremost cherry-viewing sites outside of Japan. The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden was the first Japanese garden to be created in an American public garden. It was constructed in 1914 and 1915, a gift of early BBG benefactor and trustee Alfred T. White. It first opened to the public in June 1915. There are many other wonderful gardens to explore there as well. There is not better place to be on a beautiful spring day in New York than the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.