It seems nearly every NYC visitor heads to Central Park at some point, especially in summertime—the allure of fresh air, open spaces for relaxing, plentiful activities and resilient urban planning generally prove irresistible. Use this list as a starting point for exploring the City’s favorite green space; check off those you’ve done and get out to try the ones you haven’t. (Or you could just take a walk and go wherever looks interesting to you; it is hard to get lost thanks to the four-digit navigational numbers on the lampposts—the first two numbers indicate the closest cross street; the last two are odd when you are closer to the west side and even when nearer to the east.)
Photo: Will Steacy
Hear a new band at SummerStage, or catch one of your favorites there—plenty of well-known acts perform at Rumsey Playfield (as well as on stages in parks throughout the City). This summer’s lineup has rolled out; as always, there’s a variety of genres represented.
Harlem Meer. Photo: Alex Lopez
Land a largemouth bass—but make sure to release it—in Harlem Meer. Fishing poles (free to borrow) and bait (also complimentary) are available at the nearby Charles A. Dana Discovery Center; if you are 16 or older, you will need a fishing license.
Photo: Willy Wong
Commune with Lennonites at Strawberry Fields’ Imagine Mosaic, which honors the Beatle who lived across the street in the Dakota Apartments.
Belvedere Castle. Photo: Marley White
Get your steps in at Belvedere Castle. The panoramas from the viewing deck up high are more than worth ascending the tower.
Photo: Christopher Postlewaite
Row your way around the Lake, or opt for a more relaxing gondola ride, either of which can be done from the Central Park Boathouse. Whichever you choose, you’ll get to explore the park’s largest natural body of water.
Volleyball court. Courtesy, Central Park Conservancy
Play beach volleyball or croquet near Sheep Meadow. Bring a ball for the former and your own equipment for the latter.
Conservatory Garden. Photo: Grace Tyson
Stop and smell the roses (and sage and tulips and catmint) at the Conservatory Garden. The blooms in the three European-style gardens that make up the whole of the attraction change from season to season. It’s undergone restoration the past few years, with the last phase for the Italian Garden underway.
The Ramble. Courtesy, Central Park Conservancy
Spot a black-throated blue warbler in the Ramble—a stretch of woodlands that is one of the prime bird-watching spots in the City.
Courtesy, Central Park Conservancy
Decipher hieroglyphics at Cleopatra’s Needle. This obelisk, a few thousand years old, made its way from Alexandria, Egypt, to Manhattan in the late 1800s.
Bethesda Terrace. Photo: Grace Tyson
Admire the Minton tiles at Bethesda Terrace Arcade. Made in England, these ceramic beauties would typically be used to cover floors; here, they line the ceiling.
Get in on the pickleball craze at Wollman Rink. A perennial wintertime favorite for ice-skating, this spot has converted its space for warm-weather fun.
Photo: Will Steacy
Find the odd man out on the Literary Walk, as you stroll along the Mall. Hint: he’s still pretty famous but happens to have been an explorer rather than an author.
The Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument. Courtesy, Central Park Conservancy
And look out for the latest monumental addition—upon installation in 2020, the first in the park in more than 50 years. The Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument, on the Mall, comprises bronze sculptures of Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, paying homage to three trailblazers in the fight for equality.
Photo: Christopher Postlewaite
Lay out a blanket on the Great Lawn to sunbathe. If you get restless, take a wander along the lawn’s Tree Walk to see a representative—though still comparatively small, in the scheme of things—number of the park’s nearly 20,000 trees.
Seneca Village. Courtesy, Central Park Conservancy
Learn about the history of Seneca Village, which in the first half of the 1800s was home to a sizeable free Black community. The site is near the West 85th Street entrance; there are interpretive signs as well as regular guided tours.
Photo: Will Steacy
Race model sailboats at Conservatory Water. If it makes you want to reread E. B. White’s Stuart Little, consider that a bonus.
Photo: Will Steacy
Circle the Reservoir on foot (just make sure to do so counterclockwise). The running track that traces its rim is 1.58 miles; a bridle path just outside it is the tiniest bit longer.
Photo: Will Steacy
Spin round and round on a century-old carousel. This one was made in 1908, installed at Coney Island until the 1940s and transplanted to Central Park in 1951.
Meet monarchs in the North Meadow Butterfly Gardens. Summer is a good time to see some before they begin their migration south for the winter.
Photo: Marley White
Watch a puppet show at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, typically put on Thursdays to Sundays.
Tennis Center. Courtesy, Central Park Conservancy
Play on clay at the Tennis Center, and pretend that the French Open has relocated to Manhattan. You’ll need either a seasonal or single-use permit for get on the court.
Photo: Molly Flores
Picnic on the gentle slopes of Cherry Hill. Gaze across the calm lake to the towers of the San Remo apartments from your perch.
Roller dance the weekend away with the Central Park Dance Skaters Association. DJs provide the soundtrack; you just need to show up Saturday or Sunday afternoon (starting in April and going till October) to the Skate Circle north of Sheep’s Meadow, strap on skates and let the good times roll.
Huddlestone Arch. Photo: Grace Tyson
Huddle underneath a natural stone arch. There are around 40 bridges (and arches) in the park, most dating back to the early 1860s when the park was developed.
Swing, climb, crawl and slide your way through the park’s 21 playgrounds. The natural spaces of the Billy Johnson Playground, large climbing rocks in the Heckscher Playground and water features of the Tarr Family Playground and Robert Bendheim Playground are perennial favorites.
Head through a humid rainforest in the Central Park Zoo. You’ll be looking high and low for lemurs and ibises.
Reenact scenes from books, movies and television at Tavern on the Green restaurant (think: Ghostbusters, Mr. Popper’s Penguins and such)—or a number of other park filming locations.
Photo: Christopher Postlewaite
Make a wish at Bethesda Fountain, where an 1860s sculpture helped provide inspiration for Tony Kushner’s Angels in America.
