Central Park
Ideal: Ideal for nature, walking, photography, romantic strolls, and a calm city pause.
Almost nothing in this 341-hectare park is natural: swamps were drained, millions of cubic meters of soil were moved, and more than 250,000 trees were planted by hand. The cleverest detail in Olmsted and Vaux's winning 1858 design was sinking the four roads that cross the park below ground level so traffic stays out of sight. To build the park, Seneca Village — a settlement mostly owned by Black property holders — was seized and demolished; that history went untold for years and has only recently been marked inside the park.
Quick facts
- Built
- 1856
- Architect
- Frederick Law Olmsted
- Area
- 843 acres
- Annual visitors
- 40 million
- Heritage status
- National Register of Historic Places listed place
Facts from Wikidata, photos from Wikimedia Commons.
Why go?
- To step away from Manhattan's intensity for a nature break
- Because it works beautifully for walking, cycling, picnics, and photos
- To explore the lakes, bridges, and scenic viewpoints inside the park
Travel tip
The park is huge — pick your stops in advance; Bethesda Terrace, Bow Bridge, and The Mall are strong starting points.
