Wonderland: Curious Nature

nybg.org • T 718.817.8700 • F 718.220.6504

2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10458-5126

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 22, 2024

Wonderland: Curious Nature Complemented by Vibrant Offering of Public

Programming and Culinary Delights Inspired by Alice’s Adventures in

Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There

The All-New, Garden-Wide Exhibition Runs May 18 through October 27, 2024

We Players, some of the roaming Tea Party Parties on Thursday afternoons

performers on weekends during (Photo by Steve Legato)

Wonderland

(Photo by Mark Kitaoka)

Bronx, NY—A vibrant oering of public programming and culinary delights complements

the magnicent ower show and contemporary art installations on view in Wonderland:

Curious Nature at The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG). Inspired by the beloved classic

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice

Found There, the multi-seasonal exhibition runs from May 18 through October 27, 2024.

Visitors of all ages can choose their own adventures from engaging daytime programs and

exciting night experiences to fantastical tea parties and character encounters.

Wonderland: Curious Nature

Programming for Children and for Adults

Opening Weekend Garden Party Celebration

Saturday and Sunday, May 18 and 19, 2024; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Daffodil Hill and Clay Picnic Pavilions

Dine like royalty as a special guest at the Queen’s Tea. Race the White Rabbit, become

tongue-tied with the Tweedles, or sit for a springtime chat with Alice herself. Partake of

Wonderland-inspired tea and crumpets available for purchase, give croquette or other lawn

games a go, and create a hat before joining in a variety of tea sampling demonstrations as

the Mad Hatter makes merry on grounds.

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Character Encounters

Presented by the award-winning theater company We Players, experience wild and

whimsical Wonderland characters at NYBG. We Players has spent more than 20

years staging dynamic, engaging, and thought-provoking performances in iconic

civic landscapes. Led by Founding Artistic Director Ava Roy, We Players explores

both classic tales and brand-new narratives. The troupe connects people with place

through kinesthetic experience that invites audiences to engage fully and awaken to

the spectacular world around us.

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How Do You Like Your Hat? Crafting Activities

Stop by to create your fanciest, most curious hat or crown with friends from

Materials for the Arts to help. Materials for the Arts is New York City’s creative reuse

center supporting the arts. A program of the NYC Department of Cultural Aairs

with support from the Department of Education and Friends of Materials for the

Arts, the organization connects and inspires local students, teachers, artists, and

nonprots to imagine a more creative and sustainable future.

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It’s Tea Time

Nibble and sip an array of teatime favorites available for purchase to round out the

tea party on Daodil Hill.

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Take Some More Tea

Specialty plant-based chef Brandy Cochrane brings Plant Candy’s inspired tea blends

to NYBG. Enjoy a sample and hear more about the origins of tea. Refreshments are

available on a rst-come, rst-served basis. Plant Candy provides fun, accessible, and

delicious plant-based recipes that motivate people to incorporate more fruits,

vegetables, and whole grains into their daily diets.

A Great Big Game

Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays; 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

Daffodil Hill and the Clay Family Picnic Pavilions

Enjoy an assortment of games—big and small—from Jenga, Connect 4, and Cornhole to

chess, croquet, and hopscotch! Games are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Character Encounters

Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays; 12–3 p.m.

Roaming performers across the Botanical Garden grounds

Seek out the characters of Wonderland—the Queen of Hearts, a living Playing Card, and the

White Rabbit—who’ve made NYBG’s 250-acre landscape their home.

• The Queen of Hearts and a Playing Card

May 25, 26 and 27, and June 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 29, and 30

American Circus Theatre presents the legendary Queen of Hearts in search of her

playing card. Where will she demand her next garden improvements? We

recommend searching for her in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. American

Circus Theatre is a New York City-based circus theater company traveling worldwide

and brought to life by Richard and Ashlee, trained ballet dancers and Cirque du Soleil

alumni.

• The White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat

July 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, and 28

The City University of New York’s Lehman Stages theater company enlivens

Wonderland’s beloved furry friends with their signature theatrical antics—and a bit

of Bronx flair. Lehman Stages is a professional arts component of Lehman College,

which creates original performances and events for the Bronx, using their own

home-grown community of performing artists.

• The Mad Hatter

August 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, and 31; September 1 and 2

Multi-hyphenate fiddler, dancer, and singer Ian Moore interprets Wonderland’s

favorite milliner friend. Can you spot his beloved haberdashery as he dashes across

Garden grounds?

Wonderland Nights

Saturdays, June 1, 8, and 15, 2024; 7–10 p.m.

Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and Botanical Garden grounds; Ages 21+;

Special ticket required: $29 for NYBG Members and $39 for Non-NYBG Members

Enter Wonderland: Curious Nature at dusk—a madly beautiful world—and experience the

exhibition in a new light, with a full cast of characters on the scene and specialty themed

cocktails that make for the perfect evening out. In a spectacular show of rhythm and

delight, N.Y.C.-based group Thistle Dance invites you to let loose during the Mad Hatter’s

dance party.

Mushroom Workshops

Mushrooms play a pivotal role in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. They make Alice grow

taller when she eats one side of the giant fungus and shrink when she eats the other side,

fueling the whimsical and nonsensical nature of the story. Workshops offer curious visitors

of all ages the chance to discover facts about these earthy bonbons and tiny woodland

umbrellas.

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Mushroom Tincture/Oxymel Workshop

Sunday, May 26; 2 p.m.

Bring the family to learn about the medicinal benefits of mushrooms and craft your

own mushroom tincture to take home with experts from Mi Oh My Hydroponic

Farm. Available while supplies last.

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Introduction to Mushrooms Workshop

Saturday & Sunday, September 15 & 16; 2 p.m.

During NYBG’s Fantastic Fungi Weekend, learn about the magnificent world of

mushrooms and the ways they’re important to us.

Wonderland: Wonder Thyme

Everett Children’s Adventure Garden Pop-Up

Kids can always find something fantastic to explore at NYBG. Pique their interest in plants

at the new pop-up, where the Garden’s Teen Explainers are eager to engage their curiosity

and sense of adventure with crafts and hands-on activities like potting up plant seedlings.

• Self-Guided Family Fun, Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Everett Children’s Adventure Garden Pop-Up

At the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden Pop-Up designed especially for kids and

their grown-ups, explore a caterpillar topiary buzzing with pollinators, visit Humpty-

Dumpty on his wall of mycelium-based bricks, and join us for make-believe tea

parties, Caucus Races, and other fun interactive exhibits.

• Guided Family Fun, Weekdays; 1:30–3 p.m., Weekends & holidays; 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

Everett Children’s Adventure Garden Pop-Up

Create an insect inspired by the fantastical creatures of Alice’s Adventures in

Wonderland. Mix a fragrant herbal tea blend using familiar and flavorful plants like

thyme, chamomile, peppermint, hibiscus, catnip, and butterfly pea flower. Pot up

your own thyme plant to grow at home, and use to make your own teas and other

culinary delights. Play our Caucus Race matching game to learn about planting and

harvest times in the garden. Visit the Discovery Cart to learn all about mushrooms

and why they’re important to all of us. Craft a mycelium egg sculpture to take home.

Storytime

June 22; 2 p.m.

Everett Children’s Adventure Garden Pop-Up

Gather around for story time when author Jennifer Adams and illustrator Alison Oliver stop

by the Botanical Garden for a reading of their children’s book, Alice in Wonderland: A

Babylit Colors Primer.

The Edible Academy

Tuesdays–Saturdays; 1:30–5:30 p.m.

Sundays and federal holidays; 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Programs at the Edible Academy reinforce important connections among plants, science,

nutrition, and the benefits of a healthful lifestyle. The three-acre campus hosts year-round

programming in a LEED Gold-certified classroom building featuring green technology, a

teaching greenhouse, a demonstration kitchen and technology lab, and organic vegetable

gardens. While you’re exploring the Edible Academy, cultivate the crops in the vegetable

garden during the Dig! Plant! Grow! program.

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Edible Academy Fresh from the Garden Tastings

Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 2 and 4 p.m.

Get hands-on with healthy cooking using new recipes featuring plants grown in the

Edible Academy. NYBG staff create these family-friendly recipes using seasonal

vegetables, fruits, and herbs, and kids and adults alike can learn how garden-to-table

cooking is not only nutritious, but fun, too.

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Dig! Plant! Grow! Salad Days

Through June 14, 2024

Visitors explore salad crops to learn about the parts of a plant, and are invited to

plant their own rainbow salad seed mix to take home.

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Dig! Plant! Grow! Foodways

June 18–July 14, 2024

Visitors explore the Edible Academy’s wide range of food crops to learn more about

culture, history and growing practices from around the world. Visitors are invited to

make their own take-home tea sachet inspired by our Bronx neighbors.

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Dig! Plant! Grow! Scent-sational Herbs

July 16–August 11, 2024

Learn how herbs—delicious edible leaves—are used in all parts of our daily lives, then

pot up an herb plant to take home.

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Dig! Plant! Grow! Pollinator Pals

August 13–September 15, 2024

Discover garden pollinators with a focus on NYBG’s very own honeybees, and

support pollinator pathways by making a wildflower mix to take home.

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Dig! Plant! Grow! The Three Sisters

September 17–October 11, 2024

Uncover facts about corn, squash and beans—the Three Sisters—and the “fourth

sister,” sunflowers, in our own garden and in Native American traditions. Visitors

will take home their own “Three Sisters” inspired seed craft.

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Dig! Plant! Grow! Goodnight, Garden

October 15–November 3, 2024

Be part of the Edible Academy’s preparation for the winter season ahead, and learn

seed-saving traditions that prepare for next year’s growing season by making a seed

packet.

Fantastic Fungi Weekend

Saturday and Sunday, September 14 and 15, 2024; 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Will you grow larger, or smaller? The wild and wonderful fungi of Alice’s Adventures in

Wonderland are illuminated during a weekend celebrating all things fungi, with mushroom-

themed activities and music. Discover the fascinating world of mushrooms through the eyes

of scientists, and learn how these unique organisms help make life on Earth possible. Step

into Homegrown, our mycelium house—made of bricks using actual fungus!—and

explore Wonderland: Curious Nature.

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Fungi Disco with Tarun Nayar of Modern Biology

With over 100 million views of his TikTok videos, Modern Biology has brought plant

music to the masses. Originally educated as a biologist, veteran musician Tarun

Nayar, who performed at Art Basel, MOCA (L.A.) and the Vancouver Art Gallery,

brings his passion for nature and sound together in an ambient project that is

immediate, uplifting, and deeply contextual.

Dining Options During the Exhibition

Throughout the Botanical Garden, opportunities for themed refreshment abound. Whether

looking for a hearty meal, a sweet “unbirthday” treat, a savory nibble, or an inventive

handcrafted cocktail, all can find something delightfully mad to spark their curiosity and

whet their appetites.

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Pine Tree Café

Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Known for its grab-and-go pastries and coffees, Pine Tree Café serves Alice’s “Drink

Me” Lavender Lattes, hot or iced; Queen’s Lemonade inspired by the Queen of

Hearts; and themed pastries, including Illustrated Wonderland Sugar Cookies and

Mad Hatter Chocolate Brownies. Visitors can also fuel their madness with beverages,

sandwiches, salads, and wraps.

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Hudson Garden Grill

Tuesdays through Fridays, 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

Saturdays, Sundays, and Holiday Mondays, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

Wonderland Nights: Dining Room until 8 p.m., Patio Tent 7–10 p.m.

Reservations required at https://www.opentable.com/hudson-garden-grill-at-the-new-

york-botanical-garden

NYBG’s full-service, sit-down restaurant features an exhibition-themed menu and

custom cocktails and mocktails. With a whimsical individual tea service and

delectable, three-course prix-fixe options, including Vichyssoise, Heirloom Tomato

& Watermelon Heart Salad, Roasted Freebird Chicken Breast, and Cauliflower Steak,

the Hudson Garden Grill is an enchanting extension of the Wonderland experience.

Finish the meal with a tier stand of sweets, featuring themed “Eat Me” Sugar

Cookies, Classic Petite Fours, and house-made Scones with Clotted Cream. Evening

seatings are available during Wonderland Nights, alongside an Alice-inspired dessert

extravaganza.

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The Rose Court at the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden

Tuesdays through Sundays, and Holiday Mondays, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Stone Cottage

The Rose Court, a Queen of Hearts-inspired pop-up at the Peggy Rockefeller Rose

Garden, with thousands of roses and lush natural beauty, is a jewel box destination

nestled in the shade of the Garden’s historic Stone Cottage. Visitors can indulge in

the Queen’s berry lemonade, an array of cookies, sweets, and frozen treats such as ice

cream sandwiches, complemented by refreshing cold beverages, including an

enticing red spiced hibiscus iced tea.

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The Looking Glass

Tuesdays through Sundays, and Holiday Mondays, 12–6 p.m.

Wonderland Nights: Open until 10 p.m.

Step through the pages of Wonderland into a world of boxwood and vintage looking-

glasses at the Looking Glass, a weekend and evening pop-up in the Visitor Center

patio, offering delightful Tea-To-Go service, a curated selection of wines, beers, and

frosé, cookies, decorated sweets, and kid-friendly fare perfect for al fresco dining.

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The Unbirthday Truck and Ice Cream Cart

Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 12–6 p.m.

Charm and a bit of cheekiness await at The Unbirthday Truck and Ice Cream Cart.

With tea sandwiches and Tea-To-Go service, sweet and savory afternoon and

seasonal frozen treats, and Wonderland Snack Mix, every day feels like a golden

birthday.

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Tea Party Parties

Thursdays, 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Guests can check in from 4 to 4:30 p.m., and doors open and seating begins at 4:15 p.m.

$80 per adult plus tax, cocktails, and gratuity; $45 per child plus tax, mocktails, and

gratuity.

Reservations required at https://www.opentable.com/booking/experiences-

availability?rid=162823&restref=162823&experienceId=290168&utm_source=external&

utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=shared

For those looking for a Mad Hatter’s experience, the Hudson Garden Grill also hosts

an enchanting Tea Party Party, by reservation-only on Thursday afternoons from

4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., offering visitors the opportunity to bring Wonderland to life

with individual pots of tea, delectable hors d’oeuvres, tea sandwiches, and an array

of sweets. The Tea Party Party elevates guests’ experiences with a Mad Hatter

cocktail flight, savory treats including Mini Meat Pies, Stuffed Vine-Ripe Cherry

Tomatoes, and kid-friendly dishes like Bunny-Shaped Sandwiches for the littlest

wonderers. Guests are invited to don their finest Wonderland-inspired attire and

costumes for an extra sense of adventure.

For more information about Wonderland: Curious Nature and its complementary

programming offerings and dining options, visit our website at

https://www.nybg.org/event/wonderland-curious-nature/.

Major Support for Wonderland: Curious Nature is provided by:

Oscar de la Renta

Delta

Wonderland: Curious Nature is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts

with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Generous support:

Wolf Kahn Foundation and the Emily Mason | Alice Trumbull Mason Foundation

New York State Council on the Arts

Additional support:

The William Talbot Hillman Foundation

Exhibitions in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory are made possible by the Estate of Enid A. Haupt.

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The New York Botanical Garden is located at 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New

York 10458. For more information, visit nybg.org

The New York Botanical Garden is located on property owned in full by the City of New

York, and its operation is made possible in part by public funds provided through the

New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. A portion of the Garden’s general

operating funds is provided by The New York City Council and The New York State

Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. The Bronx Borough President

and Bronx elected representatives in the City Council and State Legislature provide

leadership funding.

Media Contacts: Nick Leshi at [email protected]

Patricia Sullivan at [email protected]