The best 14 parks in New York City

12.09.2023 - 22:41 / lonelyplanet.com / John Lennon

It isn’t hard to find a bit of respite from New York City’s clamor. Really.

World-famous landscapes, tiny “pocket parks,” community gardens and many hundreds of acres of woods (really!) make up Gotham’s archipelago of over 1700 green spaces, all of which offer an alternative to the skyscrapers and crowds.

While it’s tough to pick favorites, here are 13 of what we think are the best parks in New York City.

New Yorkers and visitors from all over the world savor Central Park’s 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcroppings, elm-lined walkways, manicured gardens, multiple ponds and a reservoir. Drama lovers head to the Delacorte Theater each summer for alfresco Shakespeare performances, while Beatles fans pay tribute to John Lennon at Strawberry Fields. Kids meet sea lions at the Central Park Zoo and scamper on the giant Alice in Wonderland–inspired sculptures. And bird-watchers get lost in the wild-feeling Ramble and North Woods.

The park is a magnificent artwork in itself, shaped by the great Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in the 19th century as a leisure space for all New Yorkers regardless of color, class or creed. To this day, the park offers whatever form of recreation you might be looking for, from tennis and roller skating to model-boat sailing or just sunbathing for hours.

If you visit only one park in NYC, make it this grande dame.

Where piers and former industrial buildings once rotted, one of the city’s most beloved, relatively new attractions has taken shape. This 85-acre park extends along a 1.3-mile bend on the East River, a once-barren stretch of shoreline that has been developed into a landscaped gem with jaw-dropping views of the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline. There’s lots to see and do here, with playgrounds, walkways, ballfields and lawns galore – plus one of the city’s most enchanting carousels. There are also a few seasonal restaurants.

A block away from one end of the High Line, where stevedores once hauled cargo from freighters, a brilliant four-mile public park has taken shape over the past two decades. Covering 550 acres (400 of which are on the water) and running from the Battery at Manhattan’s southern tip to 59th St in Midtown, Hudson River Park is Manhattan’s wondrous side yard. The long riverside path is a great spot for cycling, running and strolling.

Several boathouses (including one in Chelsea near W 26th St and another in the West Village near Houston St) offer kayak rentals and longer excursions for more experienced paddlers. Families with kids have loads of options, including four playgrounds, a carousel (off W 22nd St), mini-golf and grassy piers for young legs to run free. And on sunny days, the lawns of Pier 45 (at Christopher