Creative Little Garden

On our list of the best activities in New York.

Behind a sunny yellow gate on East 6th Street, this 2,395-square-foot community garden has been open to the neighborhood since 1978, with no individual plots -- volunteers tend the whole space together. Inside there's a chair swing, scattered benches, bird feeders and hanging plants, and the garden holds a National Wildlife Federation habitat certification. Anyone can come in to read, eat lunch or just sit, member or not.