From toddlers to seniors, a good city park is a respite while traveling. There, travelers can get a feel of the city’s vibe, as residents use parks for recreating. Large US City Parks feature trails, playscapes, zoos, museums, green spaces, food trucks and more. Most offer public art or fountains. If visiting an urban area, plan time to visit its downtown parks. Here are the Best Parks in US cities from NYC to St. Louis.
Best Parks in US Cities
Central Park in New York
Balboa Park in San Diego
Centennial Park in Nashville
Discovery Green in Houston
Fairmont Park in Philadelphia
Forest Park in St. Louis
Klyde Warren Park in Dallas
Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston
Zilker Park in Austin
Central Park in New York
As the first landscaped public park in the U.S., Central Park opened in 1859 and designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. Over 800 acres in size, it is a backyard for NYC residents and a top destination for visitors.
Central Park offers playscapes, lawns for picnicking, museums in or next to the park, along with food carts and even a zoo. There’s even a castle and a dairy in the park, as New Yorkers call it.
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Balboa Park in San Diego
Centrally located, Balboa Park features 1,200 acres, packed with museums, a zoo and gardens. With 16 different museums and 17 different gardens in the park that uses a tram for visitors to get around.
Balboa Park is home to the San Diego Zoo, one of the top zoos in the US. Families will find a carousel and a miniature train.
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Centennial Park in Nashville
This 132-acre park in Nashville was built for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. It is part of the National Register for Historic Places.
Its Parthenon Museum was constructed in the exact size and detail of the original temple in Athens, Greece. It anchors the park as a jewel in the middle of Nashville. The building serves as the city’s art museum and includes a statue of Athena. In front of the Parthenon, the 19-acre great lawn can host large events.
With spaces for residents and visitors, many use the one-mile walking trail and the dog park. Lake Watauga is an original feature of the park, and its island houses the park’s honeybees. The sunken gardens are a favorite for outdoor weddings and add beauty to Centennial Park.
The arts are celebrated at the Centennial Art Center and Centennial Performing Arts Studios. The Musicians Corner hosts outdoor events in Spring and Fall that have showcased 1,500 emerging and established artists.
Other spots include a playground, a dog park and an indoor-outdoor sports complex with pools and an ice rink. Parkgoers will find sports courts in Centennial Park, too.
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Discovery Green in Houston
Located across from the George R. Brown Convention Center, Discovery Green is a 12-acre public urban park in Downtown Houston. The area includes two restaurants: one a cafe with outdoor seating, and another serving a fine dining menu.
Families find the water splash area for kids and the playground. The 1-acre lake is perfect for kayaking or sailing model boats. During the winter, it houses an outdoor rink. With an amphitheater and event lawn, this area is popular with the residents who live close by.
Discovery Green showcases public art, like the signature Monument Au Fantome, a large free-form red-white-blue sculpture. Visitors will also find water fountains paired with lush plantings and garden rooms.
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Fairmont Park in Philadelphia
Philadelphia’s first park along the shores of the Schuylkill River is over 2,000 acres in size. The first zoo in the US is in Fairmont Park, and it hosted the Centennial Exhibition in 1876.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is inside the park. Residents and travelers walk its numerous trails; kids will find the Smith Memorial Playground. Strawberry Mansion is another draw, as is the Shofuso Japanese House and Gardens.
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Forest Park in St. Louis
Opened in 1876, Forest Park encompasses 1,326 acres and is larger than Central Park in NYC. It was home to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 and the 1904 Summer Olympics.
Forest Park offers many free activities, like the St. Louis Zoo, one of the last remaining free zoos in the country. The St. Louis Museum of Art, the Missouri History Museum, The Muny (St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre) and the St. Louis Science Center are also free to enter. Seasonal events include a summertime outdoor Shakespeare Festival.
In addition to cultural institutions, Forest Park offers a dual walk and bike route across the park. There is a boathouse in the park. Visitors can enjoy tennis, baseball, cycling, fishing, soccer, rugby, running and walking during their stay.
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Klyde Warren Park in Dallas
This 5.2-acre public park in Downtown Dallas covers the Woodall Rodgers Freeway. It welds the Dallas Arts District with Uptown, creating a more walkable destination for both residents and visitors.
With open lawns paired with pavilions and garden rooms for special activities, Klyde Warren Park is a beacon for weekday lunches and weekend leisure time. The Nancy Best Fountain is a free interactive water display that includes choreographed music with artful water movements and dancing lights. It also includes public art sculptures that mimic organic forms.
The kids’ area includes a playground packed with 18,000 square feet of fun, including a 35-foot climbing tower. There are two water features and a tree-top lookout, all shaded with large trees for sunny day shade.
The dog park is shaded and fenced for an off-leash play area for dogs. Special events keep the park hopping with Farmers Markets, artisan fairs and seasonal events. The food truck lane keeps everyone happy with a rotating menu of offerings paired with shaded trees and brightly hued bistro tables.
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Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston
The 1.5-mile linear park is over the O’Neill Tunnel and connects the tourist hotspot North End with Chinatown. The Rose Kennedy Greenway draws a green line in Boston, close to the waterfront.
The greenway includes public art from a wildly colorful mural in Dewey Square and the Rings Fountain to the meditative labyrinth. The art is flanked by colorful plantings, creating outdoor rooms.
The formal gardens form the western boundary. However, the Rose Kennedy Greenway includes a meadow and beehives. The plantings offer a rich diversity of trees, shrubs, plants and beautiful blooms with lots of seasonal diversity.
The unique carousel includes hand-carved characters inspired by the air, sea and land animals of Boston Harbor. The North and South Canal fountains welcome splashers during the warmer months.
The porch swings are beacons for adults under an arbor of vines. Tables are a hot commodity on a sunny afternoon as visitors grab a coffee from a nearby food truck or just whittle away the last few hours of remote work.
The park hosts events like the Greenway ArtBeat series and the Greenway Fitness Program.
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Zilker Park in Austin
In the center of Austin, Zilker Park boasts 350 acres where the Colorado River, known locally as Lady Bird Lake, flows through town. It is Austin’s backyard and sky scrappers loom nearby.
It is home to Barton Springs Pool, an Austin icon and a three-acre natural spring water pool. The Zilker Botanical Garden is another draw, as is the Zilker Hillside Theater.
Kids beeline to the Zilker Eagle, the park’s miniature train; the Austin Nature Center is another frequent pitstop for families.
Zilker Park hosts seasonal activities like the Zilker Kite Festival in the Spring, the Austin City Limits Music Festival in the Fall, and Trail of Lights and the Zilker Holiday Tree, both holiday traditions.
There’s space for sports, like disc golf and sand volleyball courts. It is on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail (or Lady Bird Lake hike and bike if you’re local). The Umlauf Sculpture Gardens is set on a bluff overlooking Barton Creek, too.
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