Explore New York’s Central Park

New York City is known for its skyscrapers and other big-city sights – but take time as well to explore New York’s Central Park, an amazing 843-acre getaway right in the middle of the Big Apple that is the most visited urban park in the USA. There are so many fun and exciting things to see and do in Central Park in New York City – declared a National Historic Landmark in 1963 – you’ll be tempted to spend your entire visit there!

Central Park Bicycle Tour

A Central Park bicycle tour is one of the best ways to explore New York Central Park – and a fun and easy way to get around the 2.5 mile-wide park. There are six miles of drives within Central Park and many flat surfaces that make for smooth riding, and hills as well for more adventurous cyclers.

If you don’t have your own bike, rent one at the Boathouse in Central Park (available from April-November) or from a private concession. Feel free to wander Central Park – and the rest of New York! – at your own pace, or arrange to take a guided Central Park bicycle tour which might point out well-known sites in the Park such as the Strawberry Fields international peace garden, the famous Central Park Carousel and the Delacorte Theater, which offers free performances of Shakespeare in the Park each summer.

Central Park Boathouse

The Central Park Boathouse is located in the center of Central Park in New York, not far from Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street. The Boathouse has been a part of the New York Central Park landscape since the park’s beginning, but after the original Central Park Boathouse burned down, the current structure – formally known as the Loeb Boathouse – was built in the 1950s.

Visitors to Central Park can enjoy lunch or weekend brunch overlooking the Lake at the Central Park Boathouse year-round, and dinner is served from April-November. You can also rent a rowboat at the Central Park Boathouse, or for a special treat, go for a guided ride in an authentic Venetian gondola.

Additionally, the Central Park Boathouse is where “birders” come to register and record their observations of birds and other wildlife (not the 2-legged variety!) they spot while at Central Park in New York City.

Central Park Ice Skating

There are two public ice skating rinks at New York’s Central Park: Lasker Rink, located mid-park between 106th and 108th Streets, which converts to an outdoor swimming pool during the summer, and the better-known Wollman Rink, named for its original benefactor, Kate Wollman, which is near the south entrance of the Park (West 59th Street and Avenue of the Americas).

Both Central Park ice skating rinks are open from late October-early April, with late hours from Wednesday-Saturday, so you can skate under the stars! In the summer, the Wollman Rink at Central Park in New York City houses the Victorian Gardens Amusement Park, which offers fun rides and activities geared to children aged 2-12. The ice skating rinks in New York’s Central Park are currently operated by the Trump Organization.

Central Park Zoo

There are actually four zoos (plus an aquarium!) in Central Park in New York, but they’re known collectively as the Central Park Zoo.

The first official zoo to open in New York (and the second publicly owned zoo in the USA), the Central Park Zoo houses more than 130 different species of animals in a variety of habitats, all designed to closely recreate the animals’ natural environments.

New York’s Central Park Zoo has three main areas – tropic, temperate and arctic – and includes an indoor rainforest, a polar bear pool, breeding programs for endangered species, a rare snow leopard exhibit and many other features. The Tisch Children’s Zoo, located within New York Central Park Zoo, has a petting zoo where kids can feed the animals themselves. Go to centralpark.com to search for info on the different animals housed at the Central Park Zoo in New York City.