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New York's iconic Central Park burst from the minds of visionaries Frederic Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, setting a new standard for urban park design. Joggers, nature lovers, and bikers use the park daily. Kids young and old enjoy skating at Wollman Rink, visiting the Central Park Zoo, and riding the Friedsam Memorial Carousel. The Great Lawn is home to free live performances by the New York Philharmonic, while the Delacorte Theater sets the stage for Shakespeare in the Park and SummerStage takes over Rumsey Playfield during warm months.
9. Myriad Botanical Gardens - Oklahoma City
The outdoor grounds of Oklahoma City’s Myriad Botanical Gardens are free and open to the public. Situated in the heart of downtown, the 15-acre natural escape includes a children’s play area, off-leash dog park, splash fountain, restaurant and numerous paths for walking and jogging.
8. Prospect Park - Brooklyn, N.Y.
Prospect Park provides a pleasant retreat for both travelers and Brooklyn-ites seeking refuge from city life. The park is the site of the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Built in 1859, the 562-acre park is punctuated by natural woodlands, ponds, meadows and bluffs. Prospect Park Wildlife Conservation Center offers kids of all ages a look at wallabies and a prairie dog town, just two examples of the extensive nature offerings. The park also includes a boathouse and tennis center.
7. Grant Park - Chicago
Known as Chicago’s “front yard,” Grant Park offers a variety of relaxing activities throughout the year. Visitors can stroll through Versailles-type rose gardens, take part in a pick-up volleyball game or admire the lakefront views offered by the 319-acre park. Highlights include free concerts during the summer and Buckingham Fountain with its 133 water jets — a marvel to see.
6. Boston Common & Public Garden - Boston
One of the nation's oldest existing public parks and park of Boston's Emerald Necklace, Boston Common encompasses nearly 50 acres and was once reserved as pasture land by Puritan settlers. Today, the park is a popular destination for recreational athletes, joggers, and protesters eager to dedicate themselves to a cause. During winter months, the Frog Pond is a favorite of ice skaters as well. The neighboring Public Garden -- one of the oldest in the U.S. -- is famous for the the Swan Boats that float along the pond when the weather warms.
5. Buffalo Bayou Park - Houston
A 124-acre Houston greenway stretching from Downtown to the River Oaks neighborhood, Buffalo Bayou Park offers great views of the city skyline. Within the park, paved trails welcome runners and bikers, and a disc golf course, boat launch and children's playground draw visitors as well. Eleanor Tinsley Park rests within Buffalo Bayou Park (in the section from Taft Street to Sabine Street) and is the site of many city festivals, most notably the Fourth of July celebration.
4. Discovery Green - Houston
Designed as a multi-use destination in the heart of downtown Houston, 12-acre Discovery Green opened in 2008 and new receives more than 1.2 million visitors annually, thanks in large part to a yearly calendar of more than 600 free events. Features of the park include a putting green, shuffleboard court, jogging trail, picnic lawn, performance spaces, art installations and kid-friendly water features.
3. Zilker Park - Austin
This 351-acre park within sight of downtown is arguably Austin’s most popular park. Highlights include miles of hike and bike trails, train rides on the Zilker Zephyr miniature train, a playscape for kids and a natural swimming pool (Barton Springs). Other attractions include Zilker Botanical Garden, Austin Nature and Science Center, Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum, and Zilker Hillside Theater. Zilker Park is a hub for outdoor life in Austin. Events and festivals are held here throughout the year, including the Austin City Limits music festival, Blues on the Green, Trail of Lights and the Zilker Kite Festival.
2. Klyde Warren Park - Dallas
Perched atop a sunken freeway, this nationally acclaimed 5-acre oasis is just one of the examples of what makes Dallas' downtown area so dynamic. The park was opened in 2012 for the purpose of encouraging more pedestrian foot traffic to the area as well as to be a central gathering place for locals and visitors to enjoy. Today, the resplendent space is abound with year round programming, ranging from fitness sessions, dance lessons and lawn games to children's entertainment, musical performances and film screenings. There are also special areas within the park allocated for kids, for dogs and for playing board games. A variety of food trucks park alongside.
1. Forest Park - St. Louis
Located in the heart of St. Louis, Forest Park encompasses nearly 1,400 acres of land. It is one of the largest urban parks in the United States, nearly a third larger than New York City's Central Park. The St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Science Center and Planetarium, History Museum, Zoo, Jewel Box and Muny Theater are a few of the many attractions located on the grounds. The park is widely used for outdoor recreation and features bicycle paths, jogging trails, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, boating and skating.
I don't necessarily agree with the order and some of the featured parks in the top 10, but I thought it was a fun little list nonetheless. USA Today had a panel of 4 experts select a list of 20 nominees, and then the top 10 were decided by the public via a poll.
The other 10 parks included were Balboa Park in San Diego, Canal Park in Washington, City Park in New Orleans, Crissy Field in San Francisco, Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Griffith Park in Los Angeles, High Line in New York, Piedmont Park in Atlanta and Theodore Wirth Regional Park in Minneapolis.
My favorite park in NYC is the Fort Tryon Park and Inwood Hill Park complex along with the Hudson River parks that abut them. They aren't on the list, but they are great together. It's the last remnants of the original forests on Manhattan, the Cloisters museum which are remnants of a monastery lifted from Spain along with many medieval artworks and a waterfront on the Hudson with views of the New Jersey palisades.
If this were to include Canada, then Mount Royal Park and its adjacent grounds would be my favorite.
This list is very Texas Top-Heavy. For out of the Top 5 are in Texas?
Anyway, i would rank Discovery Green higher than Kyle Warren. Both are usually jammed full of activities and add a picturesque aspect to both cities but I think that Discovery green is more well rounded and more utilized.
I would switch numbers 2 and 4.
Buffalo Bayou park is up and coming, but in my opinion it is ranked too high. In a couple of years it would definitely be a top 5 contender but don't think it is there yet
Putting Central Park below Grant Park and Boston Common/Public Garden is a travesty. It offers everything those parks offer and FAR more. I say this as someone who's lived within walking distance (although it was a bit of a hike to Grant) of all three.
This list is very Texas Top-Heavy. For out of the Top 5 are in Texas?
Anyway, i would rank Discovery Green higher than Kyle Warren. Both are usually jammed full of activities and add a picturesque aspect to both cities but I think that Discovery green is more well rounded and more utilized.
I would switch numbers 2 and 4.
Buffalo Bayou park is up and coming, but in my opinion it is ranked too high. In a couple of years it would definitely be a top 5 contender but don't think it is there yet
Keep in mind that according to 10Best, Dallas has the best skyline in the world. Sure it does.
Sometimes these lists really make me scratch my head. Anytime a list of parks doesn't have Central Park, Grant Park, and Forest Park in the top 5 and no Washington Park in Portland in the top 10 the list is bunk.
Point Defiance Park in Tacoma is widely over looked. Golden Gardens or Discovery Park in Seattle definitely need to be considered.
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