Top 10 New York City Parks

PARKS FROM THE BOROUGHS OF MANHATTAN, THE BRONX, BROOKLYN, QUEENS & STATEN ISLAND
NYC Parks & Recreation oversees approximately 29,000 acres of land and more than 5,000 individual properties. They are New York City's principal providers of recreational and athletic facilities and programs: home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals.

For more information on all of New York City's parks, visit the Official Website of the City of New York Parks & Recreation.

Name/Link to Website	Location	Size (Acres)	Description	Map & Directions
Astoria Park	Queens	60	Although widely known for its beautiful pool, the oldest and largest in the city, Astoria Park offers more than aquatic pleasures. Outdoor tennis courts, a track, a bandstand, multiple trails, basketball courts, and playgrounds lure visitors from the five boroughs and beyond. And the views! Sitting on the edge of the East River and resting between the Triborough Bridge and Hell Gate Bridge, the park offers shoreline sights and sounds that make the benches along its perimeter popular spots year-round.	Map
Battery Park	Lower Manhattan	22	Although its role has changed, people from around the world still visit Battery Park for a view of the city's past. Ferries dock at its shore to pick up visitors to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and all summer long concerts play on its grounds. Its beautiful waterfront and flower gardens make Battery Park a lovely place to wander. For those who'd like a longer stroll, the park’s location at the southern tip of Manhattan makes it a classic starting point for walking tours through the city.	Map
Central Park	Upper Manhattan	840	Set in the middle of bustling Manhattan, its grounds serve as a safe haven, not only for athletes, daydreamers, musicians, and strollers, but also for teems of migratory birds each year. One can spend an entire peaceful day roaming its grounds, gazing upon nearly 50 fountains, monuments, and sculptures or admiring its 36 bridges and arches. With recreational facilities abounding, the more energetic won’t have a problem finding a spot to skate, pedal, row, dribble, or climb to his or her heart’s delight. Although Central Park has 21 official playgrounds, we like to think of it as one gigantic jungle gym in its peak season.	Map
Flushing Meadows Corona Park	Queens	1255	As the largest park in Queens, it offers plenty of space for whatever your recreational desires may be--baseball, soccer, tennis, cricket, et cetera. Lots more too, including a stunning recreation complex, a zoo, an art museum, a botanical garden, a science museum, and a baseball stadium. Explore one of the park's six playgrounds, take a stroll along the Flushing Bay Promenade, or launch your model airplane. Flushing Meadows Corona Park has room for all your active pursuits!	Map
Freshkills Park	Staten Island	2200	While the full build–out will continue in phases for the next 30 years, development over the next several years will focus on providing public access to the interior of the site and showcasing its unusual combination of natural and engineered beauty, including creeks, wetlands, expansive meadows and spectacular vistas of the New York City region.	Map
McCarren Park	Brooklyn	35	McCarren Park is the site of endless games of kickball, soccer, baseball, bocce, handball, basketball, football, and tennis, not to mention running meets and playground antics. It is 35 acres of bustling activity, shared by families born into the neighborhood, recent immigrants, and young renters.	Map
Pelham Bay Park	Bronx	2771	More than three times the size of Manhattan's Central Park, Pelham Bay Park is the City's largest park property. Visitors to the park enjoy miles of bridle paths and hiking trails, Orchard Beach, the Bartow-Pell Mansion, two golf courses, and a breathtaking 13-mile saltwater shoreline that hugs Long Island Sound. Athletes frequent its numerous fields and courts while children frolic in its playgrounds. Pelham Bay Park also has a wide and diverse range of plant and animal life and features prime locations to view one of nature's most skillful hunters, the osprey	Map
Prospect Park	Brooklyn	526	Widely known for its intricate manmade watercourse (wetlands) and its trees, the bulk of Brooklyn's remaining indigenous forest, the park is a highly functional green space. Contained within its 585 acres are a zoo, the first urban-area Audubon Center in the nation, an ice rink, a band shell, a carousel, and dozens of athletic and recreational facilities.	Map
Riverside Park	Upper West Side	222	Recreational facilities include a range of sports courts and fields, a skate park, a large portion of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway (for bicycles), and the 110-slip public marina at 79th street, an important part of New York State's Water Trail.	Map
Van Cortlandt Park	Bronx	1146	Playing fields and playgrounds are scattered about the park's edges, surrounding a richly forested heartland fed by Tibbets Brook. The park is home to the country's first public golf course, the oldest house in the Bronx, and the borough's largest freshwater lake.	Map
See a List of All NYC Parks by Borough: Bronx \| Brooklyn \| Manhattan \| Queens \| Staten Island