10+ top things to do in Central Park

Sure, you can tramp your way around Central Park – the Mall with its stately elm trees and literary statues; the Ramble’s wild trails; magnificent Bethesda Terrace – but why waste all that shoe leather when you can cover ground far more quickly on two wheels? Ideal for New York newbies, a guided bike tour is a fine way to tick off several of the park’s highlights, including Bethesda Terrace, Strawberry Fields and the huge Jackie O Reservoir, without the risk of getting hopelessly lost along the way. But you can of course also go it alone: a day’s bike rental gives you the freedom to plan your own Central Park sightseeing itinerary. Heck, you might even feel moved to branch out for a whiz up the Hudson River Greenway to the Bronx. Alternatively, a one-hour scooter rental gives you just enough time to hit a few sights and terrorize your fellow path users along the way.

Those with deeper pockets can of course let somebody else do all the hard work. A classic Central Park pedicab ride will set you back something like $150 for a one-hour tour, while it’s $120 for a short but decadent 25-minute trot in a horse and carriage.

Nothing says Central Park quite like clambering gracefully into a rowboat and pushing off from the terrace at the achingly picturesque Central Park Boathouse. Boats are available to rent from April through November, offering the opportunity to eyeball the park’s gorgeous greenery, birds and butterflies – and the boathouse diners, naturally – accompanied by the gentle splash of oar on water.

Say hey to the resident ducks and turtles as you meander around this man-made oasis, drifting beneath the swoonsome Bow Bridge and catching glimpses of Manhattan’s loftiest skyscrapers above the treeline. There’s 20 acres of lake to explore and rowboats are rented by the hour – we’d recommend one to two hours to take it all in. But, with much rowing comes great arm-ache so, if burning biceps and tender triceps ain’t for you, you could always opt for the classic Venetian-style gondola tour instead. Be prepared to pay a premium for the privilege though: at around $50 for a half-hour tour, it’s around 4x the price of a rented rowboat.

Museums located in parks are great. One minute you can be eyeballing a T.Rex skeleton or regarding a Rembrandt, the next you’re sat on the grass enjoying the sunshine with a face-sized bagel in one hand and a frosé in the other. And, when it comes to museums, Central Park really ain’t messing about. For, either side of the Great Lawn perch two of the city’s best. Indeed, two of the best museums on this entire planet we call Earth. We’re talking no less than the mighty Met and the awesome American Museum of Natural History. 

On the east side, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is where it’s at for priceless art across the centuries – that’s Egyptian temples, Asian ceramics, Greco-Roman statuary, medieval armor, Dutch and European masters, and many more wild, weird and wonderful works from the entire history of human artistic endeavor. Coming out fighting on the park’s western edge, the American Museum of Natural History comes crammed with dinosaur fossils, pre-historic gems and meteorites and some of the most celebrated animal dioramas anywhere in the world (heads up, film fans: Night at the Museum is set in AMNH).

Our tip? Spend a morning in the park and an afternoon in one of the museums, then come back and do it all over again (with the other museum, obvs) another day.

As should be blindingly obvious by now, Central Park isn't short of a leafy vista or ten. As well as picnicking and lounging on Sheep Meadow’s vast lawns, paddling with the turtles in Conservatory Water and hanging out on the self-explanatory Great Lawn, there are several standalone gardens worthy of your attention. For a gentle stroll, dip into the Shakespeare Garden. Forsooth, every plant in this English cottage garden is here because it merits a mention in one of the Bard’s works. Wander its four acres while waxing lyrical about sweet-smelling roses ‘by any other name’, pale primroses that ‘die unmarried’ and breaking into sudden rants about hemlock and nettles, like mad King Lear.

Or head up to the Conservatory Garden (not to be confused with the aforementioned Conservatory Water) in the northeast of the park. This glorious garden’s made up of three areas, each with a distinct design: the French-style North Garden, the Italianate Center Garden, and the English-style South Garden. Take your time exploring and pause for a selfie by the  ornate Vanderbilt Gate and playful Untermeyer Fountain with its dancing maidens.

Arguably one of the park’s most recognizable features – and certainly one of its most Instagrammed – Bethesda Terrace sits at the north end of the Mall, overlooking the Ramble and the Lake. The term terrace somewhat undersells the thing; it’s a monumental Victorian Gothic Revival confection, set across two levels complete with grand staircases, piers, balustrades and intricate carvings of all manner of birds, fruits and flowers. Its accompanying fountain, topped with the Angel of the Waters sculpture, is a work of art in its own right.

Inevitably, an attraction with this kind of pulling power makes it a great spot for picking a perch and sticking around for some prime people-watching. Selfie stick-toting tourists, irritated-looking joggers and dog-walkers battling the flow of human traffic, skaters weaving their way around the fountain: you’ll see it all here. And you know what they say: if you can’t beat them, join them! This guided tour of the park’s most famous movie sites of course includes Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, where people are bound to stop and stare as you strike your best Avengers and Elf poses for the camera.

Hungry? Fear not. Central Park offers umpteen options for fortification after a strenuous morning spent tramping the trails. Of course there are several takeout carts scattered throughout, covering off all your essential pretzel, hot dog, cookie, ice cream and soda needs. But if you’re looking for something a little more substantial and sit-downy, you’ll want something like Tavern on the Green between 66th and 67th Streets on the West Side. Built in 1870 to house the sheep of Sheep Meadow fame, it’s now a lively eatery with a summer beer garden and live entertainment. Fans of Le Pain Quotidien’s breakfast bowls and waffles will be in clover as there’s not one but two branches of the Belgian-born bakery-restaurant – one at Mineral Springs overlooking Sheep Meadow; the other at Conservatory Water.

Alternatively, push the (ahem) boat out at the Central Park Boathouse, for formal dining – think yellowfin tuna tartare, beef filet and apple strudel – accompanied by equally delicious views out across the Lake. 

Small but perfectly formed, the Central Park Zoo promises a whole world of wildlife in the equivalent of a few city blocks. You’ll spy playful sea lions, mischievous monkeys, graceful snow leopards and penguins playing to the cameras in their chilled habitat. Situated at the southeast corner of the park, the zoo seeks to provide an engaging and educational experience, with a focus on the restoration of endangered species populations. Here’s your chance to say hey to some 130 species of critters and to learn more about where they come from. Be sure that you check the schedule for penguin and sea lion feedings before you pitch up.

The Tisch Children’s Zoo next door is a delight for younger visitors, where goats beg for snacks and sheep lean in for a scratch. Afterwards, continue the animal theme a little way west across the park at the charming century-old carousel, with more than 50 hand-painted wooden steeds to pick and choose from.

The Ramble is everything that’s great about somewhere like Central Park. After all, where else can you be right in the middle of one of the world’s densest urban jungles and suddenly find yourself ensconced in a woodland wilderness? The Ramble, 36 acres of meandering footpaths, cute little waterfalls, wildflower meadows and hidden rocky nooks, is well worth an hour or two of your time when visiting Central Park. 

Birdwatchers will find themselves particularly well served here: the Ramble’s pole position on the Atlantic Flyway means it attracts migrating birds throughout the year. Depending on when you drop by, you might spot visitors from up to 200 species, including swallows, warblers, red-tailed hawks, flycatchers, white-breasted nuthatches and others. 

Can you even say you’ve been to Central Park if you don’t come out with at least one romantic selfie behind the ornate cast-iron balustrade of the Bow Bridge? No, dear reader, you cannot. Its location spanning the Lake also makes it very easy to pair with other Insta-friendly nearby essentials like Bethesda Terrace, the Central Park Boathouse and Strawberry Fields. Named for The Beatles song, this patch of land is a memorial to John Lennon, who was assassinated outside his Upper West Side apartment nearby, in 1980. Stroll the floral border and pay your respects at the central mosaic. Which bears the single word ‘Imagine’.

Belvedere Castle more than lives up to its name, with ‘beautiful views’ from its two terraces that sit high above the park, offering brand new perspectives on the Great Lawn, the Ramble, the Turtle Pond and more. But it’s the castle itself that’s the real attraction here: a medieval-looking Gothic and Romanesque folly that looks straight out of a fairytale – but of the creepy Brothers Grimm variety rather than the Disney kind. Snap its imposing stone turrets then step inside to explore all manner of weird and wonderful artifacts; like a mini AMNH, the castle is home to taxidermy critters, animal skulls and papier maché models of birds.

Central Park isn’t just a pretty face; in fact, it serves as host to a wide variety of artistic endeavors, particularly during the summer months. To wit, every year Shakespeare in the Park brings free first-class productions to audiences at the park’s Delacorte Theater. Similarly, every July the New York Philharmonic brings high culture to the masses via a couple of live classical music performances on the Great Lawn, followed by a stunning fireworks display. Bring a picnic blanket and some snacks and get there early to stake your claim to the best spots – places are allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

Elsewhere, SummerStage brings world-class music, dance and theater to Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield, but it’s worth noting that, unlike the others, not all of the SummerStage events are free.