The Whole Park
3 Hours 35 minutes
$179 per person
minimum 2 people
Every inch of Central Park is gorgeous. Why not see all 843 acres? Over the course of roughly 3 and 1/2 hours, we will visit every major sight in Central Park, including some places that long time New Yorkers have never seen. Typically I go down 5th Avenue after I reach the top of the Park and reenter the Park at 72nd street but it is possible to stay in the Park the whole time. 5th Avenue is just more interesting than the top western part of the Park. Scroll below to see the gorgeous sights we’ll see in addition to everything from the Best of Tour and Wonderland Tour.
Conservatory Gardens
Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux wanted a naturalistic park, not a highly manicured, aristocratic-style garden. The Conservatory Gardens opened in 1937 on the site of the original nursery where many of the Park’s plants were grown. This was long after both men had died. We’ll spend about 15 minutes wandering through 3 very distinct gardens inspired by French, Italian and English landscaping styles.
Huddlestone Arch
Most bicyclists speed over this bridge without knowing it’s there. You have to exit the main road onto a hidden side path that leads to a small waterfall and this phenomenal work of 19th century engineering. This bridge is held together with nothing but gravity and was constructed using rocks that weigh up to two tons. We can stand beneath it if you like.
The Waterfall
Right beside Huddlestone Arch you’ll find one of 5 manmade waterfalls in Central Park. Almost all of them are located along the Lochway path in the North Woods of Central Park.
The Vanderbilt Gate
The Conservatory Gardens is guarded by a giant gate that used to guard one of the Vanderbilt Mansions that was located at 58th Street – where Bergdorf Goodman’s now stands.
The Harlem Meer
We’ll briefly exit the Park and ride through the bottom of Harlem by this northernmost body of water in Central Park. The top 7 acres of the Park weren’t part of the original 1853 purchase or 1858 plan but it was rocky, high and difficult land. The end result is the closest to what Vaux and Olmsted wanted for the rest of the Park.
