It’s the middle of the summer and you’re likely looking for a relaxing spot to take in some scenery and enjoy the outdoors.
Sure, every town and city has a park or two with a playground and a shady place to rest under an old tree.
But if you’re looking to step up your game on a sunny afternoon and find something the whole family can enjoy, you can’t beat these historic city parks where there’s much more than meets the eye.
Many of America’s famous city parks were designed long ago before massive development brought traffic and congestion to the area. But these iconic spots have been preserved and updated over the years to provide an oasis in the midst of chaos for residents.
As Proud American Traveler reports:
Perhaps the most famous park in the nation – and well-known all over the world – is Central Park in the heart of New York City.
And because New York is such a massive, bustling city, Central Park’s attractions and beauty are an even more welcome respite to residents and visitors alike.
The park was established in 1857 on nearly 800 acres during a time when New York City was already a major center of business and commerce. City officials recognized the need for a relaxing area for residents to decompress from the stress of the city and held a design competition to expand the existing park.
Enter Frederick Law Olmsted, an up-and-coming landscape architect, and fellow designer Calvert Vaux. Their plans were met with overwhelming approval, and construction began the following year, continuing even through the tumultuous years of the American Civil War.
Olmsted and Vaux had elaborate ideas to fill the sanctuary with architecture and gardens with special destinations within the park. It was completed in 1873 to rave reviews, but fell into disrepair over the years.
The park has undergone major renovations since, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in the 1960s. It is now a World Heritage Site as well and remains a major tourist spot and welcome place of recreation for city residents.
And within the park are many attractions that are famous in their own right. Central Park has your playgrounds and picnic areas, but on a grand scale. There are over twenty themed playgrounds, gardens and ponds, and art installations.
Visitors can rent a bike or take a stroll over a bridge evoking the gardens of Europe, or enjoy one of the many unique themed areas like Strawberry Field that pays homage to John Lennon with the famous ‘Imagine’ mosaic, or the Shakespeare Gardens that will make you feel like you’ve stepped back through the centuries.
It has become a cultural hub for concerts and theater like Shakespeare in the Park, offers outdoor movies, festivals and fairs, and the typical park offerings like jogging trails and bike paths.
There’s plenty for families to enjoy, as well with a visit to the Central Park Zoo or the notable carousel – built in 1951 and now one of the world’s largest.
Horse and carriage rides, ice skating in the winter, and several of the world’s most famous museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Cloisters and the American Museum of Natural History offer enough to fill several days of exploration.
Don’t forget to visit Belvedere Castle, one of the original Olmsted and Vaux architectural features, which is now a museum and gift shop that chronicles the park’s fame and history.
Maymont Park in the heart of Richmond, Virginia is another of Olmsted’s grand designs and mimics some of the features of Central Park on a smaller scale. Worth noting, Olmsted was becoming popular with the uber-wealthy of the era and also designed the grounds of the Vanderbilt’s massive Biltmore Estate in North Carolina.
The land was owned by prominent Richmond lawyer James Dooley, friend to the Vanderbilts and other notables of the time. He and his wife completed work on their Gilded Age mansion in 1893 and willed their estate to the people of Richmond upon their deaths.
Visitors can still tour the Dooley mansion with original furnishings, including Mrs. Dooley’s famous Swan Bed. Educational tours take you back to a time of servants and their wealthy employers, and the Carriage House on the grounds offers a glimpse of some of the Dooley’s modes of transportation.
The park is divided into several themed gardens where you can “visit” Italy or Japan and is a coveted spot to hold weddings.
Miles of tree-lined walking paths (there is no vehicle traffic within the park) lead families to large animal enclosures in a unique take on your typical zoo, a Children’s Farm where kids can feed and pet the animals, and a Nature Center which was modernized and expanded in recent years.
Like Central Park, Maymont hosts many events like concerts and vendor fairs throughout the year, horse and carriage rides, and is home to Victorian-inspired architectural elements hidden among the hundred acre property.
The park is a top destination for local schools and homeschoolers with a heavy focus on educational tours and workshops to teach about the history of the Victorian period, as well as nature conservation issues around the James River.
Don’t forget to visit Maymont’s famous mascots, the river otters, and the Nature Center. This oasis offers enough to fill a day in a perfect mesh of new and old.
Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois was a small park established at the time of the founding of this major city, know at the time simply as Lake Park. It was renamed in 1901 to honor U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant and has been expanded and improved many times since its inception.
Like our other major city parks, Grant Park is rich in history, most notably serving as a staging area during a stop for the funeral procession of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
Grant Park offers your typical park activities like areas for biking and jogging and is a central location for events like concerts and festivals.
Along with the park’s history, it has become a gathering place for younger residents who have helped develop it into a hub of art and culture in current trends and offers one of the nation’s largest skate parks – a favorite spot of skateboarders to try out their latest tricks.
Most recently in 2004, the northwestern area of the park was renamed Millennial Park with changing art installations and sculpture gardens for up-and-coming artists and architects from all over the world.
Nothing is more relaxing than sitting by the water, and Grant Park has a full marina where visitors can watch the boats go by and take a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of this major city.
Don’t forget to visit one of the top art museums in the nation, the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as many other museums and attractions within walking distance.
Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts is one of the best city parks to take in the history that was the basis for our nation’s founding.
The Common is partly comprised of land owned by the area’s first British settler, William Braxton, who built his log cabin by a nearby spring all the way back in 1625. Braxton sold the land to the Puritans a few years later and it was used as a pasture for livestock for the next two hundred years.
The history of the Common doesn’t end there. It was also used as a place of public execution during the famous witch hunts and where pirates, criminals, and heretics also met their demise.
During the British occupation of the city, the Redcoats set up camp on the Common and used it as a starting point on their journey to Concord to seize the weapons of the militia – and from there, you know the rest. A day later, the Revolution began.
Boston Common is now a family favorite for tourists and residents alike. Kiddos can ride the carousel, play at the Tadpole Playground or go sledding in the winter. If you visit with the kids in the spring, don’t miss the Duckling Day Parade held every May.
Frog Pond offers a shallow spot to splash around in the heat of the city summer and becomes an ice rink during long Boston winters.
On a more serious note, the park’s annual Garden of Flags installation is a sight to see. Each year, military organizations lay nearly 40,000 American flags to honor those lost in our nation’s fights to preserve our freedoms, both at home and abroad.
The Common is also part of the Freedom Trail where visitors can take in the sites that served as a prominent part of the beginnings of a nation created for the people, by the people.
Zilker Metropolitan Park in Austin, Texas spans over 350 acres near the Colorado River. It is named after Andrew Zilker who donated the land to the City of Austin in 1917. Officials decided to develop the land into a park to boost the spirits of residents during the Great Depression.
Zilker provides all the normal park features like picnic areas, playgrounds, and sports fields but is also a major destination for its massive gardens and educational programs for families.
Like many of our major city parks, Zilker is a gathering place for festivals, concerts, and theater, including their own version of Shakespeare in the Park at the Hillside Theater. Perhaps most famous is the Austin City Limits Music Festival where you can help “Keep Austin Weird.”
Sculpture gardens and art installations abound, and the surrounding area is home to museums and attractions like the Austin Nature and Science Center and numerous warm weather spots like Barton Springs Pool, Barton Creek, and Edwards Aquifer, which showcases exhibits on conservation and ecology of the local waterways.
A visit at Christmastime will not disappoint with Zilker’s Trail of Lights, capped off by a massive tree, and little ones can take a ride on the Zilker Zephyr, a miniature train that takes visitors on a tour of the park from a unique perspective.
St. Louis, Missouri’s Forest Park is among the nation’s largest city park covering nearly 1,400 acres. The park was established in 1876 and garnered national attention in 1904 when both the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and Summer Olympics were based there.
The original World’s Fair Pavilion from 1904 can still be visited on the park grounds as it was gifted to the city by the exposition committee for the enjoyment of the city’s residents.
The Municipal Theater Association of St. Louis uses Forest Park as their home base. Lovingly referred to as “The Muny” by locals, performances have been held here since 1916.
The park has many notable attractions like Turtle Park, a unique sculpture garden displaying all of the turtle species known in the area, as well as other wildlife inspired installations.
Like the other parks on our list, Forest Park offers beautiful gardens – but with an extra attraction. A resplendent art deco greenhouse, known fondly as the Jewel Box, was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration’s programs. It currently houses the park’s agricultural and horticultural facility and holds events and concerts throughout the year.
The Jewel Box itself was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 and can’t be missed.
The park’s other notable attractions include Pagoda Circle where you can take a drive around a lake containing an island, and the Boathouse, which is not only a working boathouse but also a popular dining spot for the park’s visitors.
With ice skating in the winter and water activities in the warm weather months, Forest Park always has plenty of activities available for a brief visit or day trip and has been voted as one of the nation’s most beautiful parks on several occasions.
Don’t forget to visit the St. Louis Zoo and St. Louis Science Center in close proximity to the park if you have a few hours to spare.
So if you’re looking for a low-key summer destination that offers plenty of opportunities to relax, but plenty to keep families busy as well, you can’t beat a trip to one of America’s famous and historic parks.
These massive parks aren’t just for strolling and picnics anymore. They are the center of their communities — preserving history, celebrating art in all forms, and providing sanctuary to offset all that comes with living in a major American city.