Prospect Park: Brooklyn's Masterpiece

Prospect Park covers 526 acres in Brooklyn, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and opened in 1867. The pair had already done Central Park, but this one they actually called their better work — Manhattan's grid boxed them in, while Brooklyn's flatter, less developed land let them lay out the whole landscape on their own terms. Sweeping meadows, thick woodland, a lake, and carriage drives that wind enough to make 526 acres feel bigger than it is. The Prospect Park Alliance runs it today alongside the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.

The Long Meadow

Ninety acres, no other meadow in the city's parks comes close. It runs nearly a mile from the Grand Army Plaza entrance to the Picnic House, curving gently by design so it never reveals its own end. Weekends bring picnic blankets, Frisbee games, dog walkers, and pickup soccer by the dozens. Show up on a weekday morning instead and you'll mostly have it to yourself. Come spring, the wildflowers along the woodland edges are worth the trip alone.

Prospect Park Lake and the Boathouse

Prospect Park Lake is the only lake in Brooklyn, 60 acres at the park's eastern end, fed by a network of streams the Olmsted team engineered by hand. On the eastern shore stands the 1905 Boathouse, built by Helmle & Huberty in Italian Renaissance Revival style. It now houses the Prospect Park Audubon Center — free exhibits inside, pedal boats for rent outside once it warms up. Migratory waterfowl use the lake in real numbers, and the Boathouse area ranks among the better birdwatching spots in the city.

Grand Army Plaza and the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch

Grand Army Plaza marks the park's formal northern entrance, and the Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch (1892) dominates it. Modeled on the Arc de Triomphe, the arch honors Union Army veterans of the Civil War and carries bronze sculptural groups by Frederick MacMonnies. Free rooftop climbs happen occasionally through registered Urban Park Rangers tours and events like Open House New York — not every weekend — so check the Alliance's events calendar at prospectpark.org for the next date rather than counting on a walk-up visit. The Saturday Greenmarket runs here year-round, and it's one of the better farmers markets the borough has.

The Lena Horne Bandshell and Celebrate Brooklyn!

Set against the wooded ridge near Prospect Park West, the venue long known simply as the Prospect Park Bandshell was renamed the Lena Horne Bandshell in 2021, honoring the Brooklyn-born singer and actress. It's hosted the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival every year since 1979. Tickets run free or low-cost, June through August, and the summer lineup centers on outdoor film screenings under the trees, alongside other performing-arts nights. On a warm night the lawn fills with blankets fast — get there early if you want to actually sit.

Prospect Park Zoo

Run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the 12-acre zoo sits near the Eastern Parkway entrance. It's home to nearly 400 animals across more than 100 species — sea lions, dwarf mongooses, Pallas's cats, and a red panda among them — and the whole layout is built around younger kids. Admission runs $10.95 for adults, $7.95 for children ages 3–12 (as of our August 2026 check; current pricing at prospectparkzoo.com/tickets). Next door, the Children's Discovery Trail works especially well for the under-10 crowd.

LeFrak Center at Lakeside

Opened in 2013, LeFrak Center at Lakeside took a long-neglected stretch of the park's southern end and turned it into a year-round hub. Winter means two ice rinks, one of them outdoors with lake views; come summer, those same rinks switch over to roller skating and water play. The café and terrace here are a solid bet for a meal with a view.

Getting to Prospect Park

• 2/3 trains — Grand Army Plaza station (main entrance, a short walk to the arch)
• B/Q trains — Prospect Park station, on the park's Flatbush Avenue/Empire Boulevard side near the zoo (not Grand Army Plaza)
• F/G trains — 15th St-Prospect Park station at Bartel-Pritchard Square (southwest corner)
• B41/B69 buses — multiple stops along Flatbush Ave and Prospect Park West

Tips for visiting Prospect Park

• The interior loop road has been permanently car-free since 2018 — it's open for cycling, running, and skating every day of the week, not just weekends.
• Come in through Grand Army Plaza on a Saturday morning and you can hit the Greenmarket on the way in.
• The Ravine, tucked in the northwest corner, is the only forest ravine left in Brooklyn — quieter and a lot wilder than the meadow.
• Late October brings the fall colors out in the Midwood section — deep orange and red through the trees.
• Dogs can go off-leash in designated areas 6–9 AM and 9 PM–1 AM.
• If you're doing a Brooklyn day, pair Prospect Park with a walk along Brooklyn Bridge Park on the waterfront near DUMBO — a completely different kind of park, but an easy add-on by subway.

Frequently asked questions about Prospect Park