Cherry Esplanade at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Image courtesy Rebecca Bullene.

8. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York

In the heart of trendy Brooklyn, smack dub in the middle of one of the world’s largest urban jungles there’s a 52-acre oasis that makes the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple feel like a world away.

Strolling through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden it’s hard to believe that 150 years ago the grounds were home to an ash dump. The lush green is home to 12,000 different plant species spread across dozens of mini gardens each with their own unique flora and fauna.

The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden is the first Japanese garden of its kind in America and features elaborate walking paths, koi ponds, wooden bridges, hills, stone laterns and a Shinto shrine.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden also boasts the most beautiful collection of cherry trees outside of Japan. Thousands of visitors visit the park in April mesmerized by the garden’s rows of magical blossoming cherry trees. The first cherries were planted in the garden after World War 1, a gift from the Japanese government. Each spring when the trees are in bloom there is a month-long cherry blossom viewing festival called Hanami. The blossom sequence is tracked online on the Cherry Watch page of the BBG website, so visitors can make the most of their visit.

Visit bbg.org for more information.