Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In the 1850s, the area now graced by Central Park was occupied by pig farms, a garbage dump, a bone-boiling
operation and an African American village. It took thousands of laborers to shift 10 million cartloads of soil to
transform swamp and rocky outcroppings into the 'people's park' of today. Featuring more than 24,000 trees,
136 acres of woodland, 21 playgrounds and seven bodies of water, this giant green lung attracts more than 38
million visitors a year.
Conservatory Water & Alice in Wonderland Statue
North of the zoo at the level of 74th St is the Conservatory Water, where model sailboats
drift lazily and kids scramble about on a toadstool- studded statue of Alice in Wonderland.
There are Saturday story hours at the Hans Christian Andersen statue to the west of the
water (at 11am June to September).
Great Lawn
The Great Lawn is a massive emerald carpet at the center of the park and is surrounded by
ball fields and London plane trees. (This is where Simon & Garfunkel played their famous
1981 concert.) Immediately to the southeast is Delacorte Theater, home to an annual
Shakespeare in the Park festival, as well as Belvedere Castle (
Click here
)
, a birdwatching
lookout.
