Prospect Park

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

After designing Central Park, landscaper Frederick Law Olmsted perfected the urban oasis with this outer-borough gem.. Overview
This park is to Brooklyn what Central Park is to Manhattan, yet Prospect Park is wilder and less structured than its counterpart. A stone's throw from the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, Mount Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Prospect Park offers plenty of amenities of its own: a zoo and wildlife center, pedal boats, a carousel, a tennis center, the Kate Wollman Skating Rink and a bandshell where Celebrate Brooklyn!--patterned after Central Park's SummerStage--takes place from June through September.

The Appeal
A bike paradise for locals and a haven for picnicking families, couples and dog-lovers, this park is blessedly free of tourists. Those out-of-towners who do venture here should check out the Lefferts Homestead which is nestled in the midst of the scenic grounds and dates back to 1777.

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sinatra1976

Joined 11 years ago

My Second Home. Let me just say that I have been to Hyde Park in London, Lincoln Park in Chicago and Chapultepec Park in Mexico DF and Central Park in Manhattan. For my money, however, there is no park as beautiful, easy to maneuver and well maintained as Prospect Park here in Brooklyn. Olmstead and Vaux were right to consider this their crowning achievement. Whether paddleboating on the lake, taking your dog for a run, climbing the hill or simply laying on the Long Meadow, you will enjoy yourself here.

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aramopj

Joined 11 years ago

Central Park w/o the crowds. This Park is beautifully designed and well maintained. It has a lake (with pedalboats), ballfields, jogging and bycicle paths, a waterfall, picnic grounds, tennis courts and a Great Lawn. There is also a great children's zoo, and it is right next to the botanical gardens and Brooklyn Museum. It is easy to get to by subway, and you can also stroll through Park Slope, a great neighborhood with shops and restaurants - and not as overpopulated as Central Park.

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LeeFarrington

Joined 11 years ago

delightful. This park is one of the few treats of living in Brooklyn. It is almost a car-free park, and the freedom of excersing without worry is nice.

There are several loops, but the outside loop is almost 4 miles and you see so much.

I recommend Prospect Park to anyone who hasn't been there before. It's sister/brother is Central Park.

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DrewPisarra_Citysearch

Joined 11 years ago

Pick of the Parks. There's a perfectly good reason Prospect Park is favorably compared to Central Park. Designed by the same Frederick Law Olmsted, Brooklyn's great green space has many similar amenities (and less people) than its Manhattan correlative. The Celebrate Brooklyn! summer festival isn't just modeled after Central Park's SummerStage but it also shares some of the same acts in a more comfortable setting with smaller crowds. The Congo Square Drummers and Dancers circle near the Parkside and Ocean Ave. entrance attracts fans and participants every Sunday from 3pm to 7pm and there's even an area where dogs can run unleashed...and they do. I find the run around the park to be the perfect length (about 3 miles, I'm told) but if you're interested in traveling in circles with less physical exertion then I'd recommend the Carousel.

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DMcAlvanah_Citysearch

Joined 11 years ago

A Favorite NYC Spot. Warm-weather Saturdays bring out the best in Prospect Park, as the farmers' market kicks into gear and the Audubon Society fieldhouse offers boat rides. For running and biking, the park is simply perfect, and few playgrounds in Brooklyn are as spirited as the one along Prospect Park West at 3rd Street.