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Walk into a quiet oasis just steps from the noisy city. Discover Victorian bridges and buildings nestled between natural features like ponds and ancient bedrock. Discover new vistas around every bend!

Highlights

• You'll learn about celebrities' grand homes that line the park's exterior.
• Beautiful Victorian-style architecture interspersed with modern conveniences.
• Birds and animals that make for great photos in the middle of a big city.
• You'll be shown movie and TV scene locations scattered all over the park.

Description

Beginning at Grand Army Plaza near the Plaza Hotel, step down from a noisy metropolis to a quiet pond. With luck, a heron or egret will be in sight. Stop to admire the 'pigeon lady arch' from Home Alone 2, lined with Nova Scotia sandstone. Take photos on a little stone bridge, then stroll up winding paths. There's only one straight path in the park, and you'll discover its wonders on your way to Bethesda Fountain, the park's centerpiece. It's quite possible that couples will be having their wedding photos taken. On Saturdays, you might spy a wedding or two! Turning west, you'll come upon a cast-iron Victorian bridge over Central Park Lake. Grand apartment building reflections shimmer over the water: The Dakota, the Langham, the San Remo and others. Celebrity homes. Climb up to a 19th-century carriage turn, where the rich and powerful of the old days rested their horses. John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived across from the park for ten years before he was murdered in front of The Dakota. Yoko, raising funds from more than 100 nations, created a teardrop-shaped international peace garden within the park, to honor this man of peace. We'll linger in Strawberry Fields for a moment. Finally moving southward to return to Midtown, you'll come upon 19th-century statuary - a US soldier and an Italian revolutionary - just before the park's grand restaurant, Tavern On The Green. Looming over us from across the avenue will be the haunted apartment building from Ghostbusters (and Buddy's family home in Elf)! A few minutes ahead, you may stand on the little 'snowball fight' bridge from Elf. Supertall skyscrapers will greet us as we return to Midtown at Columbus Circle. Just half a mile from the starting point and close to several subway lines!

Includes

You'll see all of these in your Central Park walking tour: Magnificent views and water reflections of classic celebrity-filled apartment buildings. Up to 36 different styles of pedestrian tunnels. Carved stone from the US and Canada. An arcade whose ceiling is lined with more than 7000 Victorian tiles from Stoke-on-Trent, England. $10,000 memorial plaques donated by New York City families, to preserve our elm trees. A gift shop. A 1500-foot (450 m) statue-lined path). A lake and, in season, rowboats. Bow Bridge made of ornately-styled iron, on which wedding photos are taken nearly every day. Strawberry Fields, the memorial to John Lennon. Tavern On the Green, a huge indoor-outdoor restaurant. The Ghostbusters apartment building. Columbus Circle, where the park meets Midtown. A Subway station. Walking distance to Times Square.

Important Information

• This is a two-hour walk that includes stairs, so a moderate fitness level is required. Dress for the weather. If rain is likely, bring rain gear.

Easy cancellation

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund