Central Park: Activities and Attractions Make For A Magical Day
A sunny afternoon with nowhere to be — this day was made for wandering through Central Park. Sit back and explore some of the best things to do in Central Park with me.
When most people hear the words “Central Park,” they begin to conjure up images of iconic New York movies: a romantic couple strolling across the lawn, or perhaps handsome men in jogging clothes walking their golden retrievers and waiting to bump into the love of their lives.
We all remember a scene or two set in Central Park from classic films like Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Annie Hall, or from more modern favorites like The Royal Tenenbaums and Enchanted. What you may not realize is that there is so much more to Central Park than meets the eye. Don’t believe me? I grabbed a friend, threw $30 in my pocket, and opened my mind to a day of fun in the sun just to prove it!
Strawberry Fields Forever
Most people have seen the iconic “Imagine” sign (or even bought a cheesy, framed version of it from a street vendor in Chinatown), but you might not know its true historical significance. If you walk to the edge of the park and cross the street to 72nd and Central Park West, you can take a peep at the Dakota, the apartment complex where John Lennon took up his last residence. The sidewalk outside the entrance marks the very notorious spot where Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman in 1980 — a horrible tragedy that, I have to say, the building commemorates beautifully. And you can walk right up and see it all for yourself.
Across the street from the Dakota stands Strawberry Fields: the memorial in Central Park dedicated to the life and work of this legendary songwriter and performer. People gather here from all over the world to pay homage to Lennon’s immortal memory. My two cents: it’s definitely worth seeing this classic tourist attraction in real life.
Parrots…?!
There’s no telling who or what you’ll see in New York City, so of course we had an unexpected mid-afternoon run-in with a couple of parrots named Sammy and Truman. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that these feathered stars have been featured on the Late Show and Huffington Post, but even more excited to hold them! So cool!
Central Park Zoo
What’s the most important thing I learned today? That Central Park has an actual zoo inside of it! It’s got bears, seals, penguins — the whole shabang. We walked around looking at the exhibits for about an hour, got access to the petting zoo, and saw a seal show — all for only $12.00. I would say it was well worth the pure joy of seeing real-life animals in the middle of a city packed with people and buildings.
This is probably your best bet in the park for some kid-friendly entertainment or even for a quirky date with that special someone. And here’s a bonus hack: skip the DIY kiosk and head straight to the actual ticket window to get the general ticket price and save $6.00 (That’s enough to buy yourself a hot dog and an ice cream cone later on!).
The Carousel
When was the last time you sat on a merry-go-round? If you’re like most people, you were probably somewhere around nine years old, right? And for only $3.00? I’ll gladly buy a ticket back to my fondest childhood memories, thank you very much. As a full-grown, self-supporting woman, I was almost alarmed by my own enjoyment of hearing jolly circus music while traveling around and around on a plaster pony. Sorry, I’m not sorry — do it.
Alice in Wonderland
To be completely honest, this attraction wasn’t quite as jaw-dropping as I had originally expected it to be. I mean, a statue’s a statue — this one is just really large and has fictional Louis Carroll characters on it. I suppose if you’re a die-hard Alice in Wonderland fan, or if you have small children who may be awestruck by the sheer effect of seeing statues 20 times their size, it would be worth going out of your way for. But if you’re someone like me, I say skip it.
The only consolation prize for making this stop on our journey was the charming Conservatory Water pond right next door, where Stuart Little famously races his boats in the classic children’s novel by E.B. White. That was cool.
Boathouse Restaurant
A trip to the park is never complete without some munchies. We headed over to the famous Central Park Boathouse restaurant to check out some of the best the park has to offer. We scavenged out two seats right on the water’s edge to get a front-row view of the beautiful lake, which was reflecting the sun overhead as an authentic Venetian gondola glided across the water. We ordered a couple of refreshing margaritas to complement the warm summer air and sat back to lounge in the sun and finish out the day right. *Sigh.*
Central Park…
…is even cooler than you think. Located smack dab in the middle of America’s largest concrete jungle, there are endless hidden gems to uncover inside this massive patch of natural scenery — you could spend hours upon hours exploring it and not even scratch the surface.
Take me for example: I spent an entire day there and didn’t have enough time to do even half the things on our list. Maybe next time I’ll finish off the day at the iconic Tavern on the Green, the elegant-looking restaurant tucked away in the pastoral fields of Central Park — that new beer garden doesn’t look too shabby!
Whether you have a set game plan for the day or just want to spend a lazy afternoon lying around on a bed of grass and sunshine, Central Park is the perfect playground for anyone and everyone — tourists and locals, kids and adults, people and parrots. An afternoon spent there will never fail to bring a little bit of New York City magic into your day.
