Things to Do in Garden City

Take a floral safari through 39 acres of eclectic gardens on Queens Botanical Garden's map. Stop to smell the sweet, sweet honey in the bee garden, or hold hands in the beauteous meadow. To further blossom your budding brain, swing by Saturday or Sunday at 12:30 p.m. for the free, first-come, first-served 90-minute garden or building tour. Likewise, you can also enjoy specially scheduled events such as the upcoming MillionTreesNYC tree-care workshops; the workshops held on various dates will detail a citywide program aimed at planting and caring for one million new trees in the next decade (free for members). Other events include dance performances and, on June 20, a tribute class to the tree's greatest gift since sliced paper: origami (free for members).

Haven Art provides a blend of personalized instruction and open studio time, helping students young and old hone their skills in everything from pottery and stained glass to painting and drawing. Inside its 5,000-square-foot warehouse, the company conducts business among a collection of other studios, and an open floor plan enables creativity to flow freely on waves of inspiration or imaginary lava. For extra doses of motivation, visitors can step inside Haven Art's onsite gallery, which houses handmade pottery and jewelry crafted by local artists.

Since 2004, the first-aid- and CPR-trained crew at Port Sailing School has ferried passengers over Manhasset Bay for sailing lessons, charters, camps, and certification courses aboard the school's fleet. The outfit's nine noble vessels include such seafaring specimens as the J 24 keelboat, the two-cabin Beneteau 36, and the Sonar 23, designated as the fleet’s primary lesson boat for its roomy cockpit and no-mutinies record. Aboard the Sonar 23, students learn sailing skills and marine laws through instructional courses that range from private introductory sailing lessons to state safety certifications. Based on the course topic, lessons may focus on such boating aspects as docking, mooring pickup, anchoring, or advanced racing techniques, each dictated by the desires of the student and the daily attitude of the sea.:m]]

Alongside the massage therapists, aestheticians, and nail technicians of Body Works Day Spa, Body Works Yoga & Pilates helps clients keep their bodies fit with a wide selection of fitness classes. Yoga classes range from beginner-friendly candlelit sessions to intensive Vinyasa sessions. Barre and Pilates classes help tone legs and cores, whereas Zumba burns calories through dance moves set to up-tempo beats. Yoga for kids and toddlers rounds out the studio’s offerings, exposing little ones to a practice that can help them focus their minds and escape their cribs.

All instructors at Cosmic Kites Kiteboarding boast certifications from either the International Kiteboarding Organization or Professional Air Sports Association, and instill others with the knowledge they've gained during land- and water-based kiteboarding lessons. During land classes, students launch trainer kites, while water-based lessons allow pupils to skip wakes and mow overgrown seaweed while learning fundamentals. For more advanced or specialized instruction, the staff also teaches participants how to perform special maneuvers, tricks, and jumps on water. Additionally, the staff can introduce clients to a range of complete kitesurfing packages, as well as new or used boards and kites, and boots and wetsuits.

Helming additional locations in North Carolina and the Dominican Republic, Cosmic Kites currently sponsors two Dominican riders in their global quest on the World Kitesurfing Tour. When not supervising adrenaline-soaked adventures, Cosmic Kites maintains existing kiteboarding locations, works to open new ones, supports youth sporting events, and develops new ideas for boarding safety that aren't as costly as installing inflatable beaches.