Visiting New York without visiting Central Park? Unthinkable. I mean you only need to look at a map of Manhattan or check the subway map and there it is: A big green blob slap bang in the middle.

So next time you visit New York, make sure you set aside enough time to explore Central Park properly. Because there are loads of things to do, despite the obvious ‘Going for a walk’.

Central Park might be the biggest green in Manhattan, but with its 843 acres / 3.41 km2 it is actually only number 5 in New York (if you consider all boroughs). The biggest one would be Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, with 2.765 acres / 11.19km2 a good three times the size of Central Park.

Central Park spans 50 streets top to bottom (from 59^th Street in the south to 110^th street in the north) and 4 avenues left across (from 5^th Avenue to 8^th Avenue).

So what is there to do and see in Central Park?

 

Things to see and do in Central: Go for a walk

OK, this would probably be the obvious choice when you consider what to do in Central Park.

Central Park offers an array of walking tracks, different sceneries from bedrock to lakes and meadows and beautiful views of the city.

Things to see and do in Central Park: Visit the Zoo

Yes there is a whole zoo within Central Park. You might have seen it in some films (I mean who didn’t fall in love with the penguins in ‘Madagascar’), so why not go and visit them for real (not sure they do quite as many tricks though).

Tickets are $14 / adults and $9 / children.

Things to see and do in Central Park: See the Alice in Wonderland sculpture

Located near East 74^th Street you can find the magnificent Alice in Wonderland statue. Alice sitting on a giant mushroom surrounded by all the lovable characters, the Cheshire cat, Mad Hatter, the mice.

Things to see and do in Central Park: Take a ride on the Carousel

Located on the south part of the park, near East 65^th Street you will find a vintage carousel, installed in 1952 (this is the fourth carousel at this site, the first one was actually installed in the 1870s).

Weather permitted it is open 7 days a week and a ride will cost you $3.25 (cash only).

Things to see and do in Central Park: Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Located at the edge of Central Park on Fifth Avenue (between 80^th and 84^th Street) the Met is the largest art museum in the US with more than 2 million exhibits. So you might want to set aside a bit of time to explore it.

Tickets are $25 / adults, $12 for students, but the tickets are valid for 3 consecutive days and for all three Met locations (so not ‘just’ this one, but also ‘The Cloisters’ in Upper Manhattan and the ‘Met Breuer’ on Madison Avenue).

And if the art collection isn’t enough to lure you in, don’t forget to also admire the architecture itself. The Great Hall is simply stunning and from the roof garden you get great views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.

Things to see and do in Central Park: Go for a run around the reservoir

In the upper part of Central Park, between the through roads at 85^th Street and 97^th Street sits the large ‘Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir’. Which is a very popular running spot thanks to a convenient track around the reservoir. Make sure you follow the one-way system and run counter clockwise, otherwise your fellow runners might give you the evil eye. Doing one round is just under 3 km, so even an inexperienced runner like me can complete a round (and if you can’t, just walk the rest).

Go early in the morning and you are rewarded with a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline at sunrise.

Things to see and do in Central Park: Hire a bike and go for a ride

As many major cities nowadays, New York runs a city bike rental scheme. And whilst I would not recommend renting and riding a bike through the city if you are an inexperienced rider, taking it through Central Park is fairly safe. Well saying that, it is also fairly hilly, so be prepared for some heavy pedalling (not helped by the fact that the rental bikes weigh a ton). Or be cheeky and rent an e-bike instead.

Rental charge is $12 / day and the rides are for free, as long as you limit them to less than 30 minutes per tour. So take the bike for a ride, return it within 30 minutes, take out the next one and so on. No need to sign up beforehand, all you need is your credit card.

If you are more into cycling, there are other rental schemes that allow you to rent ‘proper’ bikes for a few hours. Although this would be a little more expensive.

Things to see and do in Central Park: Ice-skating on Wollman Rink

This is one for the winter months only. The rink is open from approximately end of October until March/April, depending on the weather.

It is located in the southeast corner of Central Park, just above the pond.

Tickets are $12 / adults Monday to Thursday, $19 / adult Friday to Sunday.

Children are $6 any day. Please note that this one is cash only, so ensure you carry enough cash.

And if you visit in summer, don’t despair. You might not be able to go ice-skating, but you can visit the Victorian Gardens instead, a traditional style amusement park.

Things to see and do in Central Park: ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’

Named after the Beatles song and located just opposite the Dakota Building where he lived and died (West 72^nd Street), this garden is dedicated to John Lennon. Visit the garden and see the Imagine mosaic. If you are lucky, you might come across musicians giving an impromptu slamming session.

Things to do and see in Central Park: Row a boat on the Lake

Visit the Loeb Boathouse and rent a rowing boat for an hour ($15 plus $20 deposit, each boat holds up to 4 people) and see the park from a different angle. And if rowing isn’t your thing, you can hire a Venetian style gondola instead (including gondolier of course), $45 for half an hour for up to 6 people.

Alternatively (or in addition), visit the Loeb Boathouse for lunch or dinner. This is still on my New York bucket list, but since our last visit was early March, it wasn’t quite the right season for al fresco lunch.

Take a tour in a horse-drawn carriage (or don’t)

If you approach Central Park from the south (which would be the most obvious one for any tourist), chances are you will come across a large queue of horse-drawn carriages. Yes, you can take a tour if you fancy, but I wouldn’t recommend it. As I have already stated in my post ‘Rookie Mistakes in NYC’ we’ve done the short tour during our honeymoon in New York. What was meant to be such a romantic thing to do (they do sell it well in all the movies) turned out to be a big waste of money. At the time we paid $50 for half an hour, nowadays prices start at $75 for 25 mins.

So here you have it. 10 amazing things to see and do in Central Park plus 1 you might not waste money on.

You can spend hours here and Central Park is worth a visit in any season.

Tell me, what is your favourite thing to do in Central Park?