Free 'Heart of Brooklyn' Events

Looking for ways to enjoy the warmer weather? Heart of Brooklyn recently sent us a schedule of free events along the cultural corridor near Grand Army Plaza. Many low- or no-cost activities are available at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Prospect Park and Prospect Park Zoo. Information about the free shuttle is provided at the end of this article.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden:
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden presents Hanami, the cherry blossom-viewing season, beginning April 4 and culminating in Sakura Matsuri, New York's Rite of Spring, on May 2 and 3. Spring viewing includes magnolias, forsythia, tree peonies and tulips—with FREE Tuesdays, FREE Fridays for seniors, and FREE weekend hours (from 10-noon every Saturday, except Sakura Saturday on May 2). bbg.org.

Prospect Park: Opening Day Parade, Saturday, April 4, 10am
The 585 acres of Prospect Park offer an urban oasis. Visit Long Meadow, 60-acre lake, Audubon Center, Lefferts Historic House and Brooklyn’s only forest. April 4: Celebrate the coming of spring and the crack of the first bat as Brooklyn Little Leaguers and their parents march through Park Slope and into the Bandshell for the first pitch of the season.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum:
Free: Wednesdays, 2-5pm & Thursday, April 9 to Saturday, April 18, 10am-5pm
In addition to the free hours above, while school's out for the spring recess you can see New York City's first "green" museum and take part in the Spring Break EcoFest with hands-on programs, daily from April 9th to 18th. brooklynkids.org

Brooklyn Public Library:
Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library at Grand Army Plaza offers thousands of programs to Brooklyn’s 2.5 million inhabitants and more than 850 free Internet-accessible computers available for public use. brooklynpubliclibrary.org

Brooklyn Museum: Target First Saturday: MayFest! Saturday, May 2, 5-11pm On this Target First Saturday, Brooklyn Museum presents a FREE night of music, dance, and art-making classes that celebrate the environment and the special exhibition Gustave Caillebotte: Impressionist Paintings from Paris to the Sea. Interactive Eco-Art demonstrations, learn bike repair tips; Pee-Wee Herman’s Big Adventure on the big screen; and an earth-friendly puppet show by the Puppeteer's Cooperative. brooklynmuseum.org

Prospect Park Zoo:
Free with admission: Meet a Keeper, weekends at 11am and 3pm; view a Sea Lion demonstration daily at 11:30, 2pm and 4pm at the Sea Lion Pool. Or explore hands-on activities at the Discovery Center for Kids, weekends from 11am – 3pm prospectpark.org

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The HOB Connection: Weekends in Spring
The HOB Connection is a FREE weekend shuttle to central cultural Brooklyn. The Connection features on-board tour guides, discount coupons for local businesses, and brochures of information about places to eat, drink and shop near the world-class institutions located near Grand Army Plaza.

The HOB Connection operates three routes on weekends: Saturday Scene, from DUMBO (first and third Saturdays of every month), Bay Ridge (every second Saturday) and Williamsburg (every fourth Saturday) to the Heart of Brooklyn from 10am-6pm. On Target First Saturdays, the TFS Shuttle delivers riders to local restaurants and hotspots. Every Sunday, The HOB Connection’s Museum Mile to Brooklyn Style route offers a free, easy, hop-on hop-off loop from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA and Bryant Park to the cultural attractions near Grand Army Plaza. heartofbrooklyn.org/connection

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