Major Parks in New York City
No stranger to grand creations, New York City is home to some of the biggest and most beautiful public parks in the world. Lush greenery, athletic fields, even playhouses, carousels, and historic domiciles can all be found in the verdant borders of the city's natural monuments.
Battery ParkBattery Park,
New York, NY, 10038
Located at the southernmost tip of Manhattan next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, Battery Park is where the first Dutch settlers landed in 1623 and where a "battery" of cannons was erected to defend what was then c
more...Bronx Park,
Bronx, NY
Bronx Park, like the surrounding borough and the river that runs through it, is named for the 17th century Swedish sea captain who settled the area, Jonas Bronck (1600-1643). Bronck (sometimes also spelled Bronk) was born
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Bryant Park(212) 768-4242
40th Street at Sixth Avenue,
New York, NY, 10036
As far back as 1686, New York’s colonial governor Thomas Dongan designated as public property the land that is now Bryant Park. Officially dedicated in 1842, it was not until New York City’s powerful parks commissioner,
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Central Park(212) 310-6600
59th to 110th Streets,
New York, NY
New York's "flagship" park of 843 acres, 26,000 trees, and almost 9,000 benches has had a rather checkered history. Planning began around 1868, when city commissioners chose the "Greensward Plan" developed by Frederick
more...East River ParkFDR Drive,
New York, NY, 10009
This 57-acre park commands views of the Brooklyn waterfront and stretches from the terribly hip Lower East Side to the East Village. The park offers tennis courts, baseball fields, and running tracks, as well as a few other athletic amenities.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park(718) 760-6565
Flushing Meadows Corona Park,
Queens, NY
In the beginning of the 1930s, the 1,255-acre site which is now Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was still just a swampy marshland with little prospect for development. It was not until New York City’s power
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Hudson River Park(212) 791-2530
Battery Park City to 59th Street along the Hudson River,
New York, NY, 10013
In 1998, the Hudson River Park Act officially created this park, reserving extensive portions of the waterfront exclusively for public recreation, and significantly limiting the types and locations of commercial ac
more...Inwood Hill Park,
New York, NY
Inwood Hill Park contains the last natural forest and salt marsh in Manhattan. It is unclear how the park received its present name. Before becoming parkland in 1916, it was known during the Colonial and post-Revolu
more... Madison Square Park(212) 229-7607
Fifth and Madison Aves.,
New York, NY, 10010
From the City of New York/Parks & Recreation Historical Signs Program:
Madison Square Park is named for James Madison (1751-1836), a Virginian who was the fourth President of the United States (1809-17). Madis
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Prospect Park(718) 965-8999
Grand Army Plaza to Parkside Ave,
Brooklyn, NY, 11215
Every visitor to New York has heard about Central Park, but Brooklyn's massive Prospect Park rightfully deserves its fame. Featuring fantastic events, green spaces, and the famous Grand Army Plaza arch at the main entr
more...Riverside ParkUpper West Side Adjacent Hudson River,
New York, NY, 10025
Riverside Park spans the Manhattan coastline along the Hudson River from 68th to 155th Street. Four miles long and an eighth of a mile wide, Riverside competes with the Hudson River Park for title to the narrowest reg
more... Van Cortlandt Park718430189
,
Bronx, NY, 10470
In 1639, the Dutch West India Company purchased most of today's Bronx County from the local Natives and, in 1646, sold it to Holland native Adrian Van der Donck. Van der Donck, New Netherlands' first lawyer, barel
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Washington Square Park(212) 387-7676
W. 4th St.,
New York, NY, 10014
From the City of New York/Parks & Recreation Historical Signs Program:
Washington Square Park is named for George Washington (1732-1799), who served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the
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