A plant-made model of One Vanderbilt, the skyscraper next to Grand Central, is the new addition to this year's Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden, which sits across Southern Boulevard from Fordham University's Rose Hill campus. The show opens to the public on Saturday, Nov. 14, and runs through Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027, inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

Members get a preview day on Friday, Nov. 13.

A skyline made from bark, cones and cinnamon

The show places nearly 200 replicas of New York landmarks along the tracks, each built from plant materials such as palm fronds, pinecones and cinnamon sticks. Model trains run past and around them through the conservatory's glass galleries.

The One Vanderbilt model includes pieces of SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, the observation deck at the top of the tower. NYBG says the model was paid for by SL Green Realty Corp. and the Summit OV Foundation. The garden has also built a glowing mountain landscape outdoors this season, with additional trains running through it, and says other new pieces will be revealed once the show opens.

Evenings with live music

On select nights the conservatory stays open until 8 p.m. (last entry 7:15 p.m.), with live music from 5 to 8 p.m. and chances to take photos with NYBG's train conductors. The evening dates are:

  • November: 27, 28 and 29
  • December: 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30
  • January: 2

Two sensory-friendly mornings

For visitors who do better with less noise and fewer crowds, NYBG is holding sensory-friendly sessions on Saturday, Nov. 21, and Saturday, Jan. 9, from 9 to 11 a.m., before the garden's usual opening. Videos and music are switched off for those mornings while the trains and waterfalls keep running. A quiet room and a separate exit are available, a conductor is on hand for family photos, and the ticket includes an All-Garden Pass for the rest of the day.

Tickets and admission

Holiday Train Show tickets are sold through the event page on nybg.org. NYBG members get in free every day, with the number of tickets depending on membership level; reservations are recommended for members but optional on weekdays that are not peak days.

For the rest of the garden, the All-Garden Pass, which covers the conservatory, the tram tour and the outdoor collections, costs $35 for adults on weekdays and $39 on weekends, with lower prices for seniors, students and children, and free entry for children under 2. New York City residents can buy a Grounds Access Pass on site (adults $15, students and seniors $7, children 2 to 12 $4) for the outdoor gardens only, and grounds admission is free for city residents all day on Wednesdays. Neither of those grounds options includes the conservatory, so they do not cover the train show.

The garden is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, plus Monday federal holidays.

Getting there from Fordham and beyond

From the Fordham side, the Everett Garden Gate on Southern Boulevard faces the university, though NYBG uses it only for school groups on weekdays. Most visitors enter at the Main Entrance, 2900 Southern Boulevard, or the Mosholu Entrance at 2950 Southern Boulevard.

  • Metro-North: The Harlem line local stops at Botanical Garden station, about 20 minutes from Grand Central and across the street from the Mosholu Entrance. A City Ticket is $5.25 off-peak and $7.25 peak. The southbound platform's pedestrian overpass has been closed since July 21, so riders heading back to Manhattan should allow 10 to 15 extra minutes for the detour over the Bedford Park Boulevard bridge.
  • Subway: Take the B, D or 4 to Bedford Park Boulevard, then the Bx25 or Bx26 east to the Mosholu Entrance, or walk about 20 minutes downhill on Bedford Park Boulevard and turn left on Southern Boulevard.
  • Bus: The Bx9, Bx12, Bx17, Bx19 and Bx22 stop near the Main Entrance. The Bx25, Bx26, Bx34 and Bx41 stop near the Mosholu Entrance.

Reserve a date at nybg.org, or call the garden at 718-817-8700 with questions. The show's first public day is Saturday, Nov. 14.

Sources