For my academic blog post, this week I decided to find an institution that was either discounted or free to visit with a CUNY id. After considering all the options online my I decided to visit the queens botanical garden with my family, a gorgeous place filled with nature. Previously I had visited another botanical garden within the city (near the bronx) and because we had liked it so much we thought seeing another one would be nice and would be an opportunity to do something together as a family. Seeing all the plants was and the multiple garden they offered was truly amazing as well as the way buildings and technology were integrated within the area which made it even nicer to explore. While I was there it was a pleasure to see the huge diversity in plants that they had throughout the compound and range of activities and events they host every year. We were introduced to several events they host throughout the year, one being very soon that I was considering attending, such as the harvest fest and pumpkin patch where the whole family can partake in enjoying live music, bounce houses, petting zoo, face painting, tours, composting demonstrations, craft and food vendors, beer & wine tent, the ever-popular Pumpkin Patch, and more. Furthermore I also found out the garden can also be used for various events such as weddings etc. The botanical garden was split up into more than 20 small gardens/sections all dedicated to a specific type of plant or theme. Although I didn’t get to see all of them due to time constraints my personal favorite were pinetum and the magnolia walk. Overall I found this visit very enjoyable and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys seeing nature and/or plants in a beautiful environment. It is also something that is great to return to at different points in the year because of the events they have and the seasonal effects on the garden, each one with its own beauty.