New York City

Central Park Audio Tour: Exploring An Urban Marvel

By: City Listen Audio

Narrated by: James Nevius

See Central Park as you never have before. Whether you come to the park every weekend or are visiting New York City for the first time, you will come away from this tour with a true appreciation of why this park is among of the greatest achievements in landscaping and urban development.

On a beautiful day in any season, nothing beats a walk in the park. People think of Central Park as New York's natural parkland. Nothing could be further from the truth. Amazingly, every inch of this park is manmade. While you walk, make a day of it. Stop along the way to ride the carousel, explore Belvedere Castle, get lost (well, not too lost) in The Ramble, catch a rest in Sheep Meadow.

The tour begins at Columbus Circle at the USS Maine Memorial, the only formal entrance to the park. Stops include:

Tavern on the Green: from sheepfold to fine dining

Sheep Meadow: there really were sheep on this meadow from 1864-1934

The Carousel: The original carousel was built in the 1870s, this one was moved here from Coney Island in the 1950s and is one of the finest merry-go-rounds in America

The Dairy: Part of a social experiment to bring free milk to working class kids

The Mall: The formal centerpiece of the park, creating a straight line that runs due North-South through the park on a line with Belvedere Castle

Bethesda Terrace: The most ornately carved area of the park; best place to see the Ramble, Lake, and Angel of the Waters as one long view

The Model Boat pond: If you're here on a nice weekend, rent a model boat and give it a whirl

Cleopatra's Needle: Brought to America in 1880s,

1500 BC Belvedere Castle: Turret is highest point in the park

Shakespeare Garden: Planted in the 1920s to ensure that as many plants as mentioned in Shakespeare that could grow in a NYC climate would be available for the enjoyment/edification of Americans

And, of course, the most popular statue in the park.

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