Photo courtesy of Paul Warchol

The Battery

Type: Attractions, Classes or Instruction, Cultural Venues, Day Trips, Family Friendly, Free Attractions, Gardens, Great Views, Historic Sites, Outdoor Activities, Outdoor Activities - Summer, Parks, Public Spaces, Public Transportation, Relaxing, Romantic, Uniquely Here

10Best Says

The 25-acre waterfront is the cradle of New York history, the front lawn of the Downtown district, and the hub of harbor access. The Battery is where New York City all started as the Dutch settlers established New Amsterdam. The Battery houses an Urban Farm, Garden Bikeway, a Layrinth, Waterfront Promenade, Castle Clinton, and The Bosque and now, an aquatic-themed carousel called the SeaGlass Carousel (closed Jan. and Feb.). The magnificent fish figures – as large as 9 ½ feet wide and 13 ½ feet tall – create an underwater experience inside a spiraling pavilion of glass to the melodies of Mozart, Saint-Saens and Ravel. Open 10 AM-10 PM, $5. Workshops focus on hands-on-activities, tours of the gardens, snacks at the Table Green kiosks in the Bosque, ride, tour Lower Manhattan. Or, see the Manhattan skyline from Clipper City, a former cargo schooner that was recently refurbished into a tall ship (on loan from the Smithsonian). Trains 1 4 4 R 212-344-3491

Address:

Broadway at Battery Pl
New York, NY 10004

Phone:

212-360-3456

Website:

thebattery.org

EXPERT TIPS BY: Maria Lisella
New York Local Expert

Parks: "The Battery is the gateway to the Circle Line ferries that take you to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Other waterborne options: board a NY Water Taxi for a Manhattan sunset or hop a ferry to Staten Island, snatch a seat on the open deck."

Best for Parks Because: Close by The Battery: South Street Seaport, New York Stock Exchange, Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian, Museum of Jewish Heritage, and Skyscraper Museum.