CONS RK ER A VA P N L C A Y R T N E C E F I D A U M ILY 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 IN THIS GUIDE resources and are responsible for all of the essential 2 Activities for Kids work that keeps Central Park beautiful. 5 Playground Listing 7 Food Options 8 P ublic Programs and Events 12 Central Park Map 2 ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS CENTRAL PARK NORTH (110TH ST) From seasonal activities like swimming in the summer to 1 | 2 year-round activities like taking a ride on the Carousel Harlem — there’s always something for families to do in Meer Central Park. No matter the time of year, you can 3 W 106 E 106 find something fun and family-friendly within the Park’s 843 acres. 1. GO CATCH-AND-RELEASE FISHING Fishing poles and bait are available at the The Pool Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, just north W 100 of the Harlem Meer, where largemouth bass, pumpkinseed sunfish, bluegill sunfish, carp, 4 and chain pickerel call home. Groups of 5 or W 97 E 97 more require reservations. Visit centralparknyc.org/fishing for more details. LOCATION: Inside the Park at 110th Street between N Fifth and Lenox Avenues E W S 2. BROWSE OUR ‘LANDFORMS’ EXHIBIT Learn how natural features in Central Park’s north end played Reservoir FIFTH AVENUE CENTRAL PARK WEST PARK CENTRAL 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 W 86 military history and geological foundations. Open daily. E 85 Visit centralparknyc.org/landforms for more details. LOCATION: Inside the Park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues 3. TAKE A DIP W 81 Turtle Operated by NYC Parks, Lasker Pool is open daily during the summer Pond 5 E 79 from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm (this year’s season runs from June 7 to September 29). Free swimming classes are available. To secure your belongings, please bring a combination lock. Visit nycgovparks.org for more details. LOCATION: Mid-Park between 106th and 108th Streets 6 7 Conservatory The Water 4. BORROW A FIELD DAY KIT Lake 8 Visitors can borrow a kit with balls, bats, Frisbees, and jump ropes at the North Meadow W 72 E 72 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 W 66 E 66 Under the direction of the City Parks Foundation, the Swedish Cottage is home to one of the last public marionette companies in the U.S. This summer, see Neverland: Peter Returns, the 9 11 10 Swedish Cottage’s spin on a beloved children’s classic. Visit cityparksfoundation.org for 12 13 more information and to purchase tickets. LOCATION: West Side at 79th Street The Pond CENTRAL PARK SOUTH (59TH ST) CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY FAMILY GUIDE 2018 3 ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS continued Carousel 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 57 is a great way to spend a lazy summer afternoon in the Park. horses. A city official 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 daily from April through October, weather permitting. Visit fourth carousel to stand in the Park since it opened in 1871 and thecentralparkboathouse.com for more details. remains one of the largest carousels in the U.S. The Carousel LOCATION: East Side of the Park between 74th and 75th Streets operates on a limited schedule in the winter and daily during the summer, weather permitting. Call 212.439.6900 for hours, 7. RENT A MODEL SAILBOAT admission fees, and more information. Conservatory Water, the site of the children’s classic Stuart Little, LOCATION: Mid-Park at 65th Street offers model sailboat rentals from April through October. These remote-controlled, wind-driven sailboats provide a fun, interactive 10. LISTEN TO TUNES AT THE DELACORTE CLOCK 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 2018 4 ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS continued Central Park Zoo 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 game pieces from Conservancy staff, or bring their own. Wonderland statue (East Side at 75th Street) for the children of A variety of other games, including Scrabble and Jenga, are New York City in 1959. It’s a popular climbing spot and contains also available. varied textures and hiding spaces. A statue of Balto (East Drive at LOCATION: Mid-Park at 64th Street 67th Street), the famed sled dog who battled tundra conditions in Alaska to help save the state’s children from a deadly diphtheria 12. GET UP CLOSE WITH ANIMALS epidemic, 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 any Victorian Gardens is a family amusement park with one-of-a-kind visitor center. handcrafted rides designed to complement the historic architecture of Central Park. Located at Wollman Rink (which serves as an Discovery Programs are generously supported by The Dr. Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation. ice skating rink in the winter), Victorian Gardens features rides, performances, and games. Visit victoriangardensnyc.com for more information. LOCATION: East Side between 62nd and 63rd Streets CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY FAMILY GUIDE 2018 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 1. WEST 110TH STREET PLAYGROUND 7. PINETUM PLAYGROUND 14 Set in a small valley surrounded by large This playground is located within the Arthur W 106 E 106 trees and rock outcrops, this playground Ross Pinetum, a small arboretum that is includes a sandbox, slide, spinners, home to the largest collection of pine trees swings, and a water feature. in the Park. AGE GROUPS: Toddler, pre-school, AGE GROUPS: P re-school, school-age, 2 15 and school-age teens, and adults W 100 2. TARR FAMILY PLAYGROUND 8. TOLL FAMILY PLAYGROUND The Tarr Family Playground is recognized This playground features playhouses, 3 W 97 E 97 for its large, conical climber with a tunnel climbers, swings, tunnels, and slides as 16 and slides. Its water feature has jets that well as plenty of open space for free play. shoot up from the ground. AGE GROUPS: Toddler and pre-school 4 N AGE GROUPS: Pre-school and school-age E 9. DIANA ROSS PLAYGROUND W 5 S 3. RUDIN FAMILY PLAYGROUND Situated at the base of Summit Rock, the Known for a large, wisteria-covered trellis, highest elevation in the Park, this space FIFTH AVENUE the Rudin Family Playground has game features a large, wooden play structure set WEST PARK CENTRAL tables for playing chess and checkers in a large area of sand. or picnicking. AGE GROUPS: Pre-school and school-age 6 AGE GROUPS: Pre-school and school-age W 86 10. TARR-COYNE TOTS PLAYGROUND 7 17 E 85 4.