Exploring NYC parks: Outdoor movies, concerts, a zoo and more fun
Visitors play on the slides on Slide Hill on Governors Island in New York's harbor. Credit: AP/Mary Altaffer
A trip into New York City doesn’t usually involve hiking through a rambling forest or kayaking on a quiet lake. But there is another side to this urban jungle, one that involves acres of grassy lawns, plentiful soccer fields and tennis courts and stunning waterfront views.
The city’s parks — whether Central Park or lesser-known spots like The Hills on Governors Island — beckon visitors with a chance to unwind. Ellen Dobrin Schier, a Dix Hills resident who grew up in Brooklyn, says walking the High Line is her go to. “It gives you such an interesting perspective of the city,” she says. In Central Park, she visits Belvedere Castle and its newly opened tower, while her two sons love exploring the wooded area known as the Ramble.
“My kids often ask to go to Central Park,” says Gayle Gitlitz, of Commack. They always have a lot of plans, says the mom of two, but she admits that they’re frequently abandoned. “In the end,” she says, “they spend the time climbing rocks.”
If you're looking to explore the great outdoors beyond Long Island, venture to New York City parks some equipped with playgrounds, scenic views, waterfalls, zoo animals, concerts and plenty of fun:
Central Park
Stretches from 59th to 110th Streets, and from Fifth Avenue to Central Park West
This sprawling 843-acre destination attracts millions of visitors every year. The setting of hundreds of movies (“When Harry Met Sally,” “The Avengers”), the park beckons weekend warriors with miles of running, bike and hiking paths. For the less active, wide swaths of lawn are perfect for picnicking or relaxing with a good book.
Central Park in Manhattan features walking and biking paths, playgrounds, a zoo and aquarium. Credit: Craig Ruttle
Just a few of the most popular spots in the park: Bethesda Fountain, with the iconic sculpture “Angel of the Waters” at its center; the Loeb Boathouse on the lake where rowboats and kayaks are available for rent; the Ramble, 36 acres of forest; the zoo, home to sea lions and snow leopards; and Strawberry Fields, site of the mosaic memorial to John Lennon inscribed with the word, “imagine.”
In warmer months, the park turns into a stage, with concert series like SummerStage drawing artists from rappers to the New York Philharmonic (cityparksfoundation.org). The Public Theater’s free Shakespeare in the Park is on hold this year as the Delacorte Theater is being renovated, instead smaller shows will take place in all five boroughs (publictheater.org).
More info: Open daily, 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.; 212-310-6600, centralparknyc.org
Prospect Park
Borders Prospect Park West, Ocean and Flatbush Avenues
People enjoy an afternoon of activities in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. Credit: Getty Images/Spencer Platt
Brooklyn’s answer to Central Park has a lot going on within its 526 acres. Plans were finalized last summer for a 32-foot statue of Brooklynite Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to serve in Congress. In October, the park opened Fallkill Trail, a forest walk leading to a waterfall that was previously behind fences.
Along with ballfields, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts, the park has an Audubon center and a 60-acre freshwater lake where you can fish for bass, bluegill and more. The LeFrak Center at Lakeside has a rink for roller skating (ice skating and hockey in the winter). History buffs will want to check out the Lefferts Historic House, an 18th century farmhouse with a working garden and historical artifacts. Nearby, visitors will find the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. The BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn festival, one of the longest running free outdoor festivals in the city, runs June-August (bricartsmedia.org).
More info: Open daily, 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.; 718-965-8951, prospectpark.org
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Set between Atlantic Avenue and the Brooklyn Heights promenade
People are seen having a picnic at the Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn. Credit: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images/Anadolu Agency
Stunning views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty are a major draw, but the 1.3-mile waterfront park under the famed bridge has much more to offer. Once the site of a thriving port, the park consists of six piers offering multiple spaces for sports and recreation (volleyball and soccer are big here), hiking, rock climbing and the like. A steel footbridge that zigzags from Pier 1 to Squibb Park in Brooklyn Heights is great for walkers.
Movies With A View will return this season to Brooklyn Bridge Park showing movies on the lawn. Credit: © JULIENNE SCHAER 2016/Julienne Schaer
Art installations are dramatic, among them Tom Fruin’s colorful mosaic-like “Watertower,” and Nicholas Galanin’s imposing steel sculpture, “In Every Language There is Land.” Nature lovers can head to Bird Island on Pier 4 with its native, salt-tolerant shrubs and trees.
The park’s free “Movies with a View” series runs Thursday evenings in July and August. Fulton Ferry Landing near Pier 1 offers frequent chamber music concerts at Bargemusic (a renovated coffee barge), and St. Ann’s Warehouse, in a transformed 19th century tobacco facility, is one of the city’s most innovative theaters.
More info: Open daily 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.; 718-802-0603, brooklynbridgepark.org
The High Line
Borders Gansevoort and 34th streets
The High Line offers pedestrians a safe and elevated pathway from West Midtown to the West Village. Credit: Marcus Santos
Think outdoor art gallery at this elevated park, built on an abandoned railroad spur. Opened in 2009, the 1.45-mile walk takes visitors along the Hudson River as they explore the display of public art, everything from an oversized sculpture of a ballerina in deep curtsy to a site-specific mural called “Thank You Darling” that explores issues of femininity.
Landscape architect Piet Oudolf curated the collection of plants, using many of the species that had been growing on the unused tracks. Benches and recliners line the walkway for anyone needing a break.
Docents lead free 90-minute tours on the park’s history and design Tuesdays (6 p.m. May-August, 5 p.m. September-October), Wednesdays and Saturdays (10 a.m. May-October) starting at the Gansevoort entrance.
More info: Open April-November, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; 212-500-6035, thehighline.org
The Hills
Governors Island, New York Harbor
Views of New York City from Outlook Hill is seen on Governors Island in New York's harbor. Credit: AP/Mary Altaffer
Getting there is half the fun. It takes a short ferry ride from lower Manhattan or Brooklyn to reach The Hills on Governors Island ($3 round trip ages 13 and older). A 2.2-mile promenade circles the island, once a military base, but the park’s four human-made hills offer the best views.
Grassy Hill is the most laid back of the four, with a gentle slope perfect for an afternoon nap. A three-story, 57-foot slide dominates Slide Hill, along with three shorter slides. British artist Rachel Whiteread’s site specific installation “Cabin,” a concrete structure that invites observers to contemplate introspection, highlights Discovery Hill. And on Outlook Hill, visitors can reach the 70-foot summit by climbing the Scramble, constructed from granite blocks taken from the sea wall when the island was expanded.
More info: Open daily, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 212-440-2200; govisland.com
Hudson River Park
Stretches nearly 5 miles, from 59th Street to Chambers Street
If you want a beach in Manhattan, this is the place. The 550-acre park (the second largest in Manhattan) boasts a shoreline beach complete with umbrellas and Adirondack-style chairs (sadly, no swimming) on Gansevoort Peninsula near the Whitney Museum of Art.
Little Island is a free, public park pier within Hudson River Park that opened in 2021. Credit: Liz Ligon
Many of the park’s highlights can be found on one of the more than dozen public piers. Kids will love the sea creatures in the Discovery tank on Pier 57 and the science playground on Pier 26 with its giant replicas of two sturgeons, fish native to the Hudson River. Also beckoning families: the skateboard park and carousel on Pier 62 and the 18-hole miniature golf course on Pier 25.
Hudson River Park at Pier 40 features five athletic fields that can host a variety of sports, including soccer, baseball, football and more. Credit: Max Guliani for Hudson River Park
One of the newest spots in the park is Little Island, a unique green space that opened in 2021, with two stages for plays, concerts and other events (littleisland.org). Or make your own music, with one of the instruments that dot the island.
More info: Open daily, 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.; 212-242-6427, hudsonriverpark.org