Location: Central Park
Top Things to do in Central Park
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The 10 Best Nature & Parks in Central Park, New York (NY)
Conquering New York in one visit is impossible. Instead, hit the must-sees – the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art – and then explore off the beaten path with visits to The Cloisters or one of the city’s libraries. Indulge in the bohemian shops of the West Village or the fine dining of the Upper West Side. The bustling marketplace inside of Grand Central Station gives you a literal taste of the best the city has to offer.
Restaurants in New York City
1. Central Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 132,882 reviews
For more than 150 years, visitors have flocked to Central Park's 843 green acres in the heart of Manhattan. Since 1980, the Park has been managed by the Central Park Conservancy, in partnership with the public. Central Park is open 6 am to 1 am daily. Visit the official website of Central Park to learn more about Park happenings and activities and to learn how you to help Central Park!
Reviewed By 242SharonC - Mississauga, Canada
This is such a great way to spend the afternoon- it’s huge, so lots of walking but also lots of benches to rest and enjoy. You can rent a bike, row a boat, ride in a horse drawn carriage, visit the zoo, stop for ice cream or lunch, or just wander and take in the various sculptures like Alice in Wonderland, Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Lennon’s Imagine mosaic. You cannot visit Manhattan without doing Central Park. Short walk to a lot of hotels and shopping as well.
2. Ancient Playground
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
3. Conservatory Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 384 reviews
Located across from the Museum of the City of New York, this Central Park oasis offers six acres of magnificent flowers and trees.
4. Harlem Meer
5. Shakespeare Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 102 reviews
Reviewed By pdhiggins7 - Walker Valley, United States
We spent quite a while exploring Central Park on our last visit to the city, and the highlight for me was this exquisite garden. Winding pathways and around every turn were lush, beautiful gardens. You definitely forget you are in the heart of New York City here!
6. The Ramble
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 33 reviews
Reviewed By jrobin19 - East Bridgewater, United States
Why didn't anyone ever tell me about The Ramble? I could literally spend hours and days here walking amongst the woods and rocks and flowers and wildlife. Literally, the best thing I have ever done in NYC to date.
7. Heckscher Playground
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 38 reviews
Reviewed By EconomistTravels - Washington DC, United States
This amazing playground has incorporated some large natural rock features into the play structures. The result is a refreshingly challenging set of climbing structures for kids and parents alike. It gives the kids a less curated experience, as they run around on top of the rocks. The built structures are like castle walls, so it really is like some kind of medieval fortress defense. There are also more conventional play structures and swings etc. A drummer was playing some amazing,energetic music the whole time we were there, which adds to the ambiance.
8. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 143 reviews
Reviewed By StephenCr0ss - Dublin, Ireland
This is an excellent area of Central Park situated around the Northern End. It’s very calming and beautiful on a sunny February day. Great to jog or walk around.
9. Hallett Nature Sanctuary
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15 reviews
Reviewed By ashoki172 - Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Hallett Nature Sanctuary is pristine wilderness within Central Park segregated from human intervention. Here the walk through the natural wilderness gives you a sense of the historic wild habitat that preceded the building of this great city New York and the importance of Central Park
10. Central Park Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 3,194 reviews
Oasis of wildlife in downtown Manhattan where visitors can encounter more than 1,400 animals in a variety of habitats, including a tropical rain forest to view rare birds and icy Antarctica to view penguins and other chilly creatures.
Reviewed By 974changg - North Kingstown, United States
On this Christmas Eve day morning, all the animals were out and about. It was not crowded at all - unlike Christmas Day when it will be packed as it's one of few places to be open. We were lucky enough to have great (unrushed) views of the snow leopards, snow monkeys, harbor seals, sea lions, red pandas - so irrepressibly cute - all very active and prowling around (only the brown bears were indolent, napping in the sun) and such a joy to see them without noisy crowds jostling you. Even when crowded, though, this is one of the most charming small zoos around! Nicely laid out, informative displays, and intimate - you can easily cover it within an hour or two. On this visit, I saw that the zoo installed touch screen kiosks where you can buy tickets with a credit/debit card instead of queuing up - this was a great way to avoid those lines!
