How To Walk through Central Park

New York City has iconic attractions, and one spot known for celebrating the beauty of nature is Central Park. Walking through Central Park is like strolling through a peaceful oasis surrounded by a concrete jungle. Its expansive lawns provide a refuge for the weary, yet is the perfect spot for sun worshipers celebrating the day. Central Park offers playgrounds for children and open spaces for picnics or aerobic activities.

Central Park also offers a multitude of adventures like walking tours using podcasts, maps and interactive guides to showcase its amenities. These walks through Central Park are designed to feature the park's history and beauty. The tours even spotlight Central Park's photogenic sites, and are available year around.

Feel like listening to music? Walk on over to any Central Park playground and enjoy the Sandbox Music, a free event open to children and adults. Storytellers and musicians entertain the children and the "kid at heart" with sing-alongs and dances, while the Central Park Brass uses percussion for interactive fun. There's also the Central Park SummerStage with its free performances by world renown artists like the Indigo Girls and Matisyahu. The SummerStage offers free events encompassing music, comedy, dance and film. Finally, Good Morning America's summer concert series has found a new home in Central Park. Originally located in Bryant Park, this GMA yearly event is just a short walk through Central Park's Rumsey Playfield.

If sports is more to your liking, walk through Central Park and visit the Great Lawn. This massive area is located mid-park from 79th to 85th Street, and is the perfect spot for volleyball, soccer or a one-on-one game of frisbee. Want to run through Central Park, instead? Try the Central Park Reservoir located between 86th and 96th Street. This 106-acre body of water is a favorite for joggers, strollers and speed walkers. Other accommodations are its tennis courts, Heckscher Ballfields, lawn bowling, Lasker Pool for swimming and Wollman Rink for skating.

Still not done walking through Central Park? Go visit the Children's Zoo or the Central Park Zoo and Wildlife Center. They are conveniently located close to each other, and offer interactive attractions spanning 130 species of animals. Hungry? Take a stroll to Central Park's Tavern on the Green or the Boathouse Restaurant. You can lunch in either location while absorbing nature's ambiance. Afterwards, walk on over to Central Park's Belvedere Castle, the Delacorte Theater and The Obelisk or Cleopatra's Needle.