DoCentral Park

Heckscher Playground

Central Park's largest playground, Heckscher is unique among Central Park's playgrounds in that it is not on the boundaries of the park. The playground has a range of play equipment, including a large water feature.

Website: centralparknyc.org (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Manhattan/Central Park, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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Friedsman Carousel
A vintage carousel built in 1908 and situated on this spot since the 1950s, it's the fourth carousel to inhabit this location and is beautifully painted.
Apr-Oct: Daily 10AM-6PM (weather permitting); Nov-Mar: hours vary, check ahead$3 per ride; cash only
SeeCentral Park
Dairy
Built in the 1870s as a dairy farm, with a structure designed to resemble a country church. Today it is a visitor center and gift shop for the park, housed in a beautiful structure. Next door is the Chess & Checkers House, another visitor center and the volunteer headquarters, with a number of chess and checkers tables under a shady pergola.
Daily 10AM-5PM
SeeCentral Park
The Pond
Near Grand Army Plaza, the Pond offers a tranquil setting just within the boundaries of the park. A rustic wood structure, "Cop Cot," overlooks the pond from an outcrop near the Sixth Avenue entrance.
SeeCentral Park
Sheep Meadow
A spacious green lawn that was originally home to a herd of sheep, which grazed in the meadow and were tended to in their nearby pen - a Victorian-style building which today is the Tavern on the Green restaurant (see Eat below).