Designed by
Frederick Law Olmsted and
Calvert Vaux, Built between 1858 and 1873, Central Park is the most visited urban park in the nation, attracting more than 20 million visitors a year. In 1858 when construction on Central Park began at 59th Street, Manhattan had only been developed to 38th Street. The Park is 843 acres, 2.5 miles long a half mile wide, 58 miles of pathways, 26 ballfields, 21 playgrounds, 9,000 Park benches, 57 monuments and sculptures and 7 bodies of water. Central Park seems so natural, people may not realize it is entirely man-made.
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Bethesda Terrace |
Central Park Zoo |
Kerbs Memorial Boathouse |
Northern End of Central Park
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center - offers visitors Park information, art exhibitions, environmental displays and information. An adjoining terrace overlooking the Harlem Meer serves as a performance space. There are weekend programs in arts & crafts, nature, storytelling and free walking tours.
The Lasker Rink and Pool - ice skating November - March. The Rink has two oval rinks, one used by high school hockey teams and one for the general public. The Rink during the summer is a public swimming pool. Open July 1st and closes after Labor Day, open 365 days a year.
The Blockhouse, is a fort from the War of 1812 and is just a short walk west of the rink.
Conservatory Garden - enter the six-acre Garden from Fifth Avenue and 105th Street, at the Vanderbilt Gate. The Garden is made up of three gardens representing different landscape styles: Italian, French, and English. The Conservatory Garden is Central Park’s only formal garden. Out for a leisurely stroll, or just want to sit on a bench with a good book the Garden is a beautiful and quiet spot to veg-out.
North Meadow and North Meadow Recreation Center (NMRC) - the North Meadow at 23 acres, is the Central Park’s largest open space, with 12 fields for baseball, softball, and soccer. The NMRC, is at the south end of the Meadow. The Center has an indoor climbing room with a 20-foot climbing wall; classrooms and other recreational activities. Outside there are basketball and handball courts, and a 25-foot climbing wall (weekend climbing is also available). NMRC provides field day kits on loan, visitors can borrow a kit with a variety of balls, bats, hula-hoops, frisbees, and jump ropes. Visitors must present a photo ID for the kit.
Middle of Central Park
The Tennis Center - west side at 96th Street. The center has 26 clay and 4 asphalt tennis courts. This is one of the best bargains in town. To use the courts you can purchase a single-play permit (one-time use) at the Center. The Tennis Center offers private lessons and sponsors clinics and tournaments. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir - Engineers’ Gate at 90th Street and Fifth Avenue. The Reservoir is 106 acres, 40 feet deep and has over a billion gallons of water. It no longer used for fresh water to Manhattan residents. The Reservoir is best known for the 1.58 mile jogging track surrounding it. It is a good location for bird watchers and tourists who enjoy the great views of the Manhattan skyline. The New York Road Runners Club sponsors weekly races and organizes most running events in Central Park. Detailed Park track mileages are in our Jogging Legend just above this text to the right. The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Usually referred to as “the Met”, is one of the world’s top art museums, at more than two million square feet and almost a quarter mile long. The Met’s permanent collection spans the history of world art and is divided into 19 departments. In the permanent collection are works of art from classical antiquity, Ancient Egypt, Paintings and Sculptures from nearly all the great European Masters, American art, African, Asian, Greek, Roman, Oceanic, Byzantine, Islamic and Modern art, Musical Instruments, Costumes & Accessories, Antique Weapons, Armor and over 20,000 photographs. Don’t miss this great museum there is something for everyone here. Closed most Mondays - for info call 212-535-7710. The Obelisk - also called Cleopatra’s Needle, west of the Met at 81st st. The Obelisk was originally erected in Egypt’s ancient city of Heliopolis around 1500 BC, later moved to Alexandria, and from there to the United States in 1881. The Obelisk is made of Red granite and is 71-feet high and an approximate weight of 244 tons. Great Lawn - 80th to 85th Streets, is 55 acres (the oval is 13 acres) of green grass with baseball fields, basketball courts, and lots of room for sports and leisure activities. The Great Lawn is also the site of free concerts every summer by the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera. The Delacorte Theater - is an outdoor performance venue and is the summer home of the Public Theater/New York William Shakespeare Festival. Shakespeare Garden - this romantic garden was dedicated to Shakespeare in 1916, on the 300th anniversary of his death. Only flowers mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays and poetry were planted in the garden. The Garden changes with every season, visit for a while on one of the many rustic benches. Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater - contains a small children’s theater and design workshop. On the West Side at 79th Street, the Cottage can be identified by the American and Swedish flags flying from its roof. The Cottage is a model schoolhouse and was built as Sweden’s exhibit for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The theater seats 100 children an has central air conditioning. This is only public marionette theater company left in the US. They produce their own shows and make most of the costumes for the marionettes. Call for reservations. Belvedere Castle -sits upon Vista Rock, the second highest natural elevation in the Park. Visitors can look down at the Delacorte Theater to the left; straight ahead is the Great Lawn and the Turtle Pond. The Castle is home to the Henry Luce Nature Observatory. Inside there are telescopes and microscopes and skeletons etc. On the Castle’s second floor, there are papier mâché reproductions of birds often seen in Central Park. The U.S. Weather Bureau has had a Meteorological Observatory in the Castle since 1919. Conservatory Water - is more familiarly known as the Model Boat Pond. The Kerbs Memorial Boathouse, houses a café and a storage area for model boats. Visitors can watch members of the Model Yacht Club race their a radio-powered model boats and yachts. Visitors can also rent radio-powered miniature boats. Just north of the pond is the Alice in Wonderland bronze sculpture, here you will see Alice, March Hare, Mad Hatter and the lovable Cheshire Cat all on giant mushrooms. Just west of the pond is the Hans Christian Andersen bronze and granite sculpture, during the summer, children will gather around the statue for the storytelling program. Loeb Boathouse - you can rent rowboats and bicycles or take a ride in an authentic Venetian gondola. Visitors can also dine year round on the deck overlooking the Lake. The Ramble - is a 38 acre “wild garden” One of the first parts of the Park to be built, the Ramble is totally artificial. The ramble has rocky outcrops, secluded glades, and a stream called The Gill. The Ramble is the center of birding activity in the Park. There are as many as 230 species of birds have been spotted here. Strawberry Fields - Strawberry Fields was named in 1981, in honor of John Lennon, the musician and member of the Beatles. Bow Bridge - is a cast-iron bridge that was named for its likeness to an archer’s bow. It spans 60 feet across the Lake, linking Cherry Hill with the woods of the Ramble. Great Lake views from top of the span.
Southern End of Central Park
Bethesda Terrace - The lower terrace runs to the edge of the lake. In the center of the terrace is the beautiful Bethesda Fountain. The views are of the lake and Boathouse. All around the Terraces are hand carved elements that have been restored. The upper terrace has great views and is at the north end of the Mall. The Mall - on both sides of the 40 foot wide Mall are rows of American Elms. On the north east end of the Mall is the Naumburg Bandshell - free orchestral concerts and other events are staged here throughout the year. The SummerStage, is just east of the Bandshell at the Rumsey Playfield behind the Wisteria Pergola. During the summer enjoy a variety of multicultural performances. The southern end of the Mall is often called the Literary Walk, this area is a designated location for sculptures. The Wollman Rink - Ice Skating November through March, day and night. From the end of May through mid-September, the Rink is host to the Victorian Gardens Amusement Park - fun for the whole family. Rides, games, amusements and carnival foods. The carousel - is the fourth to exist on this site, one of the country’s largest merry-go-rounds with 58 horses and two chariots all hand carved in 1908. The Carousel is open seven days a week, weather permitting, a 3 1/2 minute ride is just $1.25. The Dairy - serves as the official Central Park gift store and also is a general visitor center with information on current park events. Chess and Checkers House - just southwest of the Dairy. The Chess and Checkers House is an octagonal red brick structure. Built in 1952 on top of a large rock outcropping. Around the building Under a pergola there are 24 outdoor chess and checker tables. Chess, checkers, dominos, jacks, badminton, Frisbees, Jump rope, Bats and balls, Footballs and Soccer balls may be borrowed 10am -4pm, visitors must present a photo ID, or a returnable cash deposit. The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo and Tisch Children’s Zoo - is off 5th Avenue on the East Side at 63rd Street. Here you will find 1400 animals and over 130 different species. The Zoo contains three different habitats: The Temperate Territory is home to the Red Pandas, Macaques, North American River Otter, Ducks and Swans. Polar Zone contains Polar Bears, Harbor Seals, Tufted Puffins, Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins. The Tropic Zone houses a collection of frogs, lizards, snakes, toads, tropical birds, Tamarins and the fun Colobus Monkeys. The California Sea Lion tank is at the center of the Zoo, don’t miss feeding time. The Zoo is open 365 days a year. Call for information and admission.
