Daley Family Travels

My husband and I went to New York a couple of months ago and had such a great time. One of my favorite days was spent exploring Central Park. It’s huge (843 acres) and beautiful with so much to see. Below are some of my favorite spots from my visit:

Gapstow Bridge

I entered Central Park from 5th Avenue in Midtown (the southeast corner of the park) and my first stop was Gapstow Bridge. The view from across the small pond is so picturesque and walking across the bridge itself is really pretty too.

Wollman Rink

While we didn’t ice skate at all, there is a charming ice rink from late October until April a little past Gapstow Bridge. Up and behind the ice skating rink is a great viewpoint of the city.

Bethesda Fountain and Terrace

This might have been my very favorite place in the entire park. I loved the old architecture and the atmosphere. My kids would have had a blast seeing the man making gigantic bubbles and exploring the terrace itself. The fountain is also beautiful and a nice place to relax for a bit.

Belvedere Castle

This “castle” was built back in the late 1800’s as a lookout in the park. It fell into disrepair, but was renovated in the 1980’s. It now has a gift store and visitor’s center inside (closed when I was there). It’s a fun spot to walk around and take photos.

Cleopatra’s Needle

I had no idea that we had such a neat pice of Egyptian history in the middle of Central Park! This obelisk was gifted to the US by the Egyptian government back in the 1870’s. It’s located just past Belvedere Castle, near the Great Lawn.

Conservatory Garden

The Conservatory Gardens are quite a walk from everything else on this list, but if you have the time (and enjoy formal gardens), it’s definitely worth checking out. It’s located in the northeast side of the park and is a formal garden area. It has 3 different gardens styled in the English, French, and Italian ways. The English garden was under construction on my visit, but I still enjoyed the other two. The French was my favorite (of course) and reminded me of the chateaux gardens we used to visit. Its a beautiful spot to relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Strawberry Fields

On my way back out of the park, I stopped in Strawberry Fields, which is a memorial to John Lennon. It was a quick visit, but a fun spot to take a picture and to listen to all the different people playing or singing Beatles songs.

A Few Last Thoughts…

Central Park has sooo much in it! It’s hard to see everything and if you’re short on time, I highly recommend just picking a few spots near each other to visit.

There are also tons pf playgrounds and open areas for kids to play. My kids would have had a blast stopping at all of the different play areas. There’s also a zoo that would be neat to check out too!

I loved visiting Central Park. It’s a great place to go to get a break from the city and to enjoy a bit of nature.