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History of Central Park: Private Walking Tour

Activity Schedule

  • When does it run?

    Daily

  • Duration

    3 hours

  • Start time

    10:00am or 3:00pm
    Duration: 3 hours

  • Meeting Point
    The tour starts from the Arsenal, a 19th century building that actually pre-dates the park and is located at 830 5th Avenue (the intersection of 64th Street and 5th Avenue). Your tour guide will meet you down the stairs, directly in front of the building, near the kiosk with the map on it. The nearest subways are the N,R,W (Yellow line) 5th Avenue Stop or the F train (orange) at 63rd and Lexington
  • Ending Point

    The tour ends in Central Park

Key Highlights

  • This tour is offered by Context Walks. Context are committed to giving their guests a deeper understanding of the cities that they visit. All their tour groups have limited numbers and are led by a local academic expert.
  • In addition Context Walks are committed to the principals of sustainable tourism and part of their profits go to maintaining New York’s cultural heritage.
  • An expert Docent will lead you around Central Park’s main sites and teach you about its conception

Overview

Spend a delightful three hours exploring Central Park - 840 acres of rolling hills, picturesque vistas and vast green spaces punctuated by bodies of water and masterpieces of American Gothic architecture.

More than any single landmark, Central Park lies at the physical and spiritual heart of New York. Conceived as the green lungs for a rapidly urbanizing metropolis in the 19th century, it has evolved into America's seminal landscape.

This three-hour Central Park tour looks in depth at its design and history, from the competition that spawned it on the eve of civil war to innovative conservation movement that saved it in the 1990s.

Available in private and small group (max 6 people) tour options, choose what suits you best and discover this masterpiece in the heart of New York.

Itinerary

To meet your tour guide (who is a professional English-speaking tour guide), make your way to the front of the Arsenal, located at 830 5th Avenue.

During the course of your walk learn about the design theories behind the park, the juxtaposition of the "beautiful" and the "picturesque," and the social function of the park through history. Maintenance of this space and its designers’ ideals has proved a constant and costly battle, the success of which is measured by the Park's impeccable condition and its constant evolution as an urban oasis.

This walk will visit some of the Park's best known spaces and monuments as well as some of its lesser known gems, taking in a century and a half of New York and American history in the process.

The tour ends in Central Park.

Inclusions

  • 3 hour walking tour led by a tour guide

Please note

Walks are held rain or shine with some variations to accommodate the weather. If you are running late for your meeting with your tour guide, please call the local activity operator so that the message can be relayed to the tour guide.

Please call the activity operator at least 24 hours prior to start of the tour for reconfirming departure details

Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the tour start time

Additional info

The confirmation voucher includes the local activity operator’s contact details and local telephone numbers at the destination. They will happily answer any logistical questions you may have

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