Free rides at the Carousel

The best family fun ride in the heart of Brooklyn just got better: Prospect Park’s 1912 Carousel is free for kids under the age of 12 every Thursday in August.

Restored in 1990 by the Prospect Park Alliance, the Carousel has 51 hand-carved horses, as well as a giraffe, lion, deer and two dragon-pulled chariots. It also features a Wurlitzer organ with 141 pipes and 16 bells.

Open Thursdays through Sundays, from noon to 6 pm (5 pm after Labor Day), rides cost $2, with books of five tickets available for $9. Children under 3-years-old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

The wheelchair accessible Carousel is also a popular place to hold birthday parties, complete with food and party favors in a scenic, kid-friendly setting.

The Carousel is located in the Park’s Children’s Corner, inside the Willink entrance to the Park, at Ocean and Flatbush Avenues and Empire Boulevard.

For more information, call the Park’s hotline at (718) 965-8999 or visit www.prospectpark.org. For rental information, call the Rental & Event Planning Office at (718) 287-5252 x102 for more information, or visit www.prospectpark.org/visit/places/carousel.