K CO PAR NS L ER A V R A T N N C E Y C F A E M D IL UI Y G Central Park is a great place for families to explore and have fun. Everything you need to know about visiting the Park with your family is in our Family Guide: kid-friendly activities and games, details about our 21 unique playgrounds, delicious food options, information on our exciting public programming, and a handy list of all restroom locations. We hope you enjoy your time in Central Park! The Conservancy’s mission is to restore, manage, and enhance Central Park in partnership with the public. We raise 75% of the Park’s annual budget from private resources and are responsible for all of the essential work that keeps Central Park beautiful. IN THIS GUIDE Page 2 Activities for Kids 5 Playground Listing 7 Food Options 8 Public Programs and Events 13 Central Park Map CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY FAMILY GUIDE 2017 PAGE 2 CENTRAL PARK NORTH (110TH ST) ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS 1 | 2 Harlem Meer From seasonal activities like swimming in the summer to year-round activities like taking a ride on the Carousel 3 — there’s always something for families to do in Central Park. No matter the time of year, you can find something fun and family-friendly within the Park’s 843 acres. The Pool 1. GO CATCH-AND-RELEASE FISHING Fishing poles and bait are available at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, just north of the Harlem 4 Meer, where largemouth bass, pumpkinseed sunfish, bluegill sunfish, carp, and chain pickerel call home. Groups of 5 or more require reservations. N Catch-and-release fishing is available April 1 to E November 30. W S Location: Inside the Park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues Reservoir 2. BROWSE OUR 'LANDFORMS' EXHIBIT Learn how natural features in Central Park’s north end played an important role in shaping our city’s — and our nation’s — history. At “Landforms,” our latest exhibit at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, you’ll discover more about the Park’s military history and geological foundations. Open daily. Visit FIFTH AVENUE centralparknyc.org/landforms for more details. CENTRAL PARK WEST PARK CENTRAL Location: Inside the Park at 110th Street between Turtle Fifth and Lenox Avenues Pond 5 3. TAKE A DIP Operated by NYC Parks, Lasker Pool is open daily during the summer (this year’s season runs from June 29 to September 4). Free swimming classes are available. To secure 7 your belongings, please bring a combination lock. Visit nycgovparks.org for more details. Conservatory The 6 Water Location: Mid-Park between 106th and 108th Streets Lake 8 4. BORROW A FIELD DAY KIT Visitors can borrow a kit with balls, bats, Frisbees, and jump ropes at the North Meadow Recreation Center. These field day kits are available for rent with photo ID. The Recreation Center also features basketball and handball courts, as well as baseball, softball, and soccer fields. Location: Mid-Park at 97th Street 5. SEE A PUPPET SHOW 11 9 10 Under the direction of the City Parks Foundation, the Swedish Cottage is home to one of 12 the last public marionette companies in the U.S. Through September, see The Princess, 13 The Emperor, and The Duck, a modern retelling of three classic Hans Christian Andersen tales. Visit cityparksfoundation.org for more information and to purchase tickets. The Pond Location: West Side at 79th Street CENTRAL PARK SOUTH (59TH ST) CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY FAMILY GUIDE 2017 PAGE 3 Carousel ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS (CONTINUED) 6. RIDE A BOAT 9. RIDE THE CAROUSEL Boating on the Lake, Central Park’s second largest water body, Central Park’s famed Carousel features calliope music and is a great way to spend a lazy summer afternoon in the Park. 57 horses. NYC Parks discovered the current vintage carousel Row boats and gondolas can be rented at the Loeb Boathouse abandoned in an old trolley terminal on Coney Island. It is the fourth daily from April through October, weather permitting. Visit carousel to stand in the Park since it opened in 1871 and remains thecentralparkboathouse.com for more details. one of the largest carousels in the U.S. The Carousel operates on a Location: East Side of the Park between 74th and 75th Streets limited schedule in the winter and daily during the summer, weather permitting. Call 212.439.6900 (ext. 4) for hours, admission fees, and 7. RENT A MODEL SAILBOAT more information. Conservatory Water, the site of the children’s classic Stuart Little, Location: Mid-Park at 65th Street offers popular model sailboat rentals from April through October. These remote-controlled, wind-driven sailboats provide a fun, 10. LISTEN TO TUNES AT THE DELACORTE CLOCK interactive activity. Visit sailthepark.com for more details. This popular clock near the Zoo rings seasonal chimes and nursery Location: East Side from 72nd to 75th Street rhymes every half hour. The clock sits atop a three-tiered tower and features a band of animals including monkeys, a penguin, a 8. GATHER ROUND FOR STORYTIME hippo, and a kangaroo. The animals circle the tower to 44 tunes that Every summer since 1956, children have spent their Saturdays change seasonally. listening to fairytales around the Hans Christian Andersen statue. Location: Near the Central Park Zoo at 65th Street and Fifth Avenue Once storytelling is over, stick around to play on the statue, which is one of the most popular climbing sculptures in the Park. Visit hcastorycenter.org for more details. Location: 74th Street near Fifth Avenue west of Conservatory Water CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY FAMILY GUIDE 2017 PAGE 4 Central Park Zoo ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS (CONTINUED) 11. PLAY BOARD GAMES VISIT OUR FAMED STATUES Chess & Checkers House, one of the Park’s five visitor centers, There are many popular sculptures throughout the Park for features outdoor chess and checkers tables. Visitors are welcome kids. Philanthropist George Delacorte commissioned the Alice in to borrow chess and checkers pieces from Conservancy staff, or Wonderland statue (East Side at 75th Street) for the children of New bring their own. A variety of other games, including Scrabble and York City in 1959. It’s a popular climbing spot, and contains varied Jenga, are also available. textures and hiding spaces. A statue of Balto (East Drive at 67th Location: Mid-Park at 64th Street Street), the famed sled dog who battled tundra conditions in Alaska to help save the state’s children from a deadly diphtheria epidemic, 12. GET UP CLOSE WITH ANIMALS is another kid favorite. Managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Central Park Zoo showcases animals from tropical, temperate, and polar zones EXPLORE ON YOUR OWN around the world. At the Tisch Children’s Zoo, children can get With our Discovery Kits and Discovery Journals — best for ages up close with potbellied pigs, sheep, goats, and the only cow in 6 through 10 — it’s easy to craft your own in-Park adventure! Manhattan. Visit centralparkzoo.com for more information. Discovery Journals include activities to help kids investigate the Location: East Side between 63rd and 66th Streets plants, wildlife, and people in the Park. Discovery Kit backpacks are filled with kid-friendly binoculars, field guides, a hand lens, colored 13. VISIT AN AMUSEMENT PARK pencils, and sketch paper. Journals and Kits are available at the Victorian Gardens is a family amusement park with one-of-a-kind Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, Belvedere Castle, and handcrafted rides designed to complement the historic architecture Chess & Checkers House. of Central Park. Located at Wollman Rink (which serves as an ice skating rink in the winter), Victorian Gardens features 13 Discovery Programs are generously supported by The Dr. Mortimer and rides and three games aimed toward children ages 2 to 12. Visit Theresa Sackler Foundation, and are additionally supported in part by the Brooke Astor Fund for New York City Education in The New York victoriangardensnyc.com for more information. Community Trust. Location: East Side between 62nd and 63rd Streets CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY FAMILY GUIDE 2017 PAGE 5 PLAYGROUNDS West Side CENTRAL PARK NORTH (110TH ST) Central Park is home to 21 playgrounds, each with their own unique design and character. They are open year-round, weather permitting. 1 13 14 1. WEST 110TH STREET PLAYGROUND 7. PINETUM PLAYGROUND Set in a small valley surrounded by large trees This playground is located within the Arthur and rock outcrops, this playground includes a Ross Pinetum, a small arboretum that is home to sandbox, slide, spinners, swings, and a the largest collection of pine trees in the Park. water feature. Age groups: Pre-school, school-age, teens, 15 Age groups: Toddler, pre-school, and and adults 2 school-age 8. TOLL FAMILY PLAYGROUND 3 2. TARR FAMILY PLAYGROUND This playground features playhouses, climbers, 16 The Tarr Family Playground is recognized for its swings, tunnels, and slides as well as plenty of large, conical climber with a tunnel and slides. open space for free play. 4 Its water feature has jets that shoot up from Age groups: Toddler and pre-school the ground. 5 Age groups: Pre-school and school-age 9. DIANA ROSS PLAYGROUND Situated at the base of Summit Rock, the highest 3. RUDIN FAMILY PLAYGROUND elevation in the Park, this space features a Known for a large, wisteria-covered trellis, the large, wooden play structure set in a large Rudin Family Playground has game tables for area of sand. 6 playing chess and checkers or picnicking. Age groups: Pre-school and school-age 7 17 Age groups: Pre-school and school-age 8 10.