Bronx Things to Do

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A trip to New York City cannot be complete without visiting Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees, located in the Bronx. Tickets are available, starting at $10 in the bleachers. Beware scalpers outside the stadium, numerous fake tickets abound! Food within the stadium can be pricey ($3 for a hotdog, $8 for a beer, and $4.50 for frozen lemonade), so come with a full belly.

The first night game was played on May 28, 1946. Yankee Stadium is often referred to as "The House that Ruth Built", but usually as simply "The Stadium". It was the first baseball park to be labeled a "Stadium" rather than a "Field," a "Park," or a "Grounds," and it conformed to the usage of the term in ancient Greece, where a stadium was a foot-race arena.

Several rules exist as of Sept 11th:
No video cameras
No backpacks
No briefcases
No large bags
No coolers
No bottles or cans

Security is strict, they will not allow you in with any of the above.

Yankee Stadium, home of the legendary New York Yankees. For any baseball fan, this is hallowed ground, and even if you don't like baseball it's a central part of New York City and America as so many heroes of the American pastime have roamed the field here.

There's nothing like watching the Yankees defeat yet another opponent on a warm summer day. For those of you coming for some history, make sure to get to the stadium early so that you can tour Monument Park (behind Left field), where all the Yankee greats are honored.

Among the best seats to watch the game in are the bleachers. While they are not super comfortable, they are a bargain at $8. Just make sure to not wear any Red Sox gear, or expect to get taunted like crazy.

A little warning though, some fans can be rowdy, especially after they get some alcohol in them. But they are mostly harmless, as long as you don't argue with them.

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And now for something completely different, make your way to the extreme northwest part of the Bronx, to the posh Riverdale section of town. Along the Hudson River is a storied estate known as Wave Hill. This place has seen many famous residents, including Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain. The estate has breathtaking views, lovely flowers, pleasant walking paths, and notable architecture to enjoy. If you're hungry, you can get a light snack at the cafeteria, or you can bring a picnic lunch, as long as you enjoy it in the picnic area just outside of Glyndor House. Or just stroll around the grounds and take in the scenery, as more than a few locals do on a regular basis.

Admission to the site costs $6 per person. Annual memberships are available for purchase starting at $40. Parking on the site costs $8 per car per day (no overnight parking allowed).

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And I thought when they mentioned "The Bronx Zoo," it was just a colorful way to describe my workplace.

Pleasantly situated in Bronx Park, the zoo gives you a chance to see a very large collection of animals from all around the world. Snow Leopards and Polar Bears are big attractions, but the biggest camera hams are almost certainly the sea lions. Check out the monkeys while you're at it.

Admission is $15 for adults, $11 for children aged 3-12, and $13 for Seniors aged 65 and up. Admission on Wednesdays is "pay what you wish" (allowing poorer residents to visit the zoo). But if you had enough money to buy a plane ticket to New York, you probably should pay the full entry fee anyway. Parking costs $12.

The zoo is open 365 days a year, opening hours vary with season.

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My very first trip here was when I was eleven years old. My Aunt Dody brought me, my brother and my sister here while my mom was out of town for work. Even then this wonderful zoo amazed me. The modern Bronx Zoo is even more fantastic. They have added dozens of exhibits over the years and they continue to add them every year. This year they have added the African Dogs exhibit.

The summer hours for the zoo are 10:00-5:00 weekdays, and 10:00-5:30 weekends and holidays. Admission is $15 adults and $11 children (2-12) and $13.00 for seniors Thursday-Tuesday. The zoo is by donation on Wednesday. I do not recommend going to the zoo on Wednesdays due to the large crowds. The extra exhibits inside the zoo are at an additional fee, these are the Skysafar, Bug Carousel, Shuttle, Camel Rides, Butterfly Garden, Gorilla Congo, and the Monorail. The fees for these extras vary so please see the website for specifics. You can buy a POP pass which includes all the extras, see the website for details. If you plan to visit the Bronx Zoo several times or if you plan to visit any of the other zoos in the NYC area or even the NY Aquarium, you may want to consider purchasing a membership.

One of our favorite areas to visit in the zoo is the aviary. Patrick loves the birds, especially the really large ones. When we went this past spring we were able to see the absolutely adorable gorilla babies, as well as many other animal babies. I love the butterfly garden myself, although I have to admit its incredibly hot inside of it, but beautiful.

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A couple of weekends ago, I went to the Bronx Zoo with my son Patrick and one of his friends from school and her dad (also Patrick) and little brother Benjamin. We had such a great time. One of the nice things about going to the Bronx Zoo in the later fall is that the crowds really aren't crowds. We had little or no difficulty checking out all our favorite exhibits. One of our favorites was the Poloar Bears. They seemed to be right at home in the crisp fall air.

The best thing about going this time of year is the chance to see the Holiday Lights at the zoo. As the sun sets on the animals and visitors, light displays all over the zoo begin to light up. Of course they had the usual drummer boys and gift boxes, but they also had light display of the animals living at the zoo.

We also visited the Children's Zoo after dark and were treated to an absolutely fantastic story teller. The children were mesmerized by the story about the hedge hog that didn't want to sleep and the mice by the edge. Most of all they loved the song "The Twelve Days of Diving". Patrick was still singing the song today while he took his bath.

Entrance fees to the Bronx Zoo have gone higher in the last year, but for me it's worth it. I buy a yearly membership since Patrick and I travel down to the zoo several times a year.
Entrance fees are:

$15.00 for an adult, $13.00 for seniors and $11.00 for children.

If you are already at the zoo you do not need to pay a separate fee to view the Holiday Lights, otherwise the fee to see the Holiday Lights is the same as a regular zoo entrance fee.

This museum and gardens is absolutely beautiful. It's located on 9 acres in the Pelham Bay Park. Visitors can chose to explore the museum, the carriage house or simply to picnic on the grounds. The carriage house is a great representation of affluent and elegant country living of the middle 19th century. The museum has an extensive collection of historic artifacts which makes it possible for visitors to take a look back at the social history of those who worked and lived on the estate during the Civil War era and the immediate decades surrounding it. I almost forget to mention the carriage house pool. The Bartow-Pell Mansion is a national landmark. There is an admission fee to tour the mansion but it won't break the bank: $5 for Adults, $3 for Seniors and students and children under 6 are free. You can tour the mansion Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4. The mansion is closed on the following holidays Christmas, New Year's Day, Easter, July 4th and Thanksgiving. The carriage house is open April thru October and the grounds and gardens are open from 8:30 AM to dusk daily, there is no fee to use the grounds. See the website for a complete listing of the special events and programs offered here.

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I've been to the this Botantical Garden more times than I can remember. It is huge and a wonderful place to spend a day with your family or loved one. Accordingy to the Tram Guide, the gardens were modeled after Kew Gardens in London.

The gardens are quite expensive to visit and if you want to visit all the different gardens and ride on the Tram, you must purchase an all pass ticket for $20 per adult.

It had been many years since I last visted the gardens. A Moore Sculpture exhibit gave me an excuse and reason to visit this year so I invited my daughter and her family to come along and spend our usual day together at the gardens.

The Moore Sculptures are found through out the many different gardens and are quite interesting to see with all the beautiful natural surroundings.