Editor’s Note: To read more from our Ultimate Guide To Family Life In Lower Manhattan, click HERE!
With the addition of over 40 acres of open-area green and park space over the last 20 years, Lower Manhattan gives a new lush and watery meaning to the phrase “Urban Jungle.” From the family point of view, its unusual mix of high-quality parks, playgrounds, and programming near the waterfront (or within walking distance) provides an unparalleled mix of verdant fun amid gorgeous vistas.
“To be able to walk out of your front door and be at the water’s edge in a few minutes is really appealing to people,” says Jessica Lappin, the president of the Downtown Alliance (the business improvement district for Lower Manhattan). “Appealing” is an understatement—here are just some of the great green highlights!
One of the stand-out outdoor oases is the cluster of parks that makes up the Battery Park City (BPC) parks—a network of smaller areas that includes Rockefeller Park, Teardrop Park, West Thames Park, and Wagner Park, as well as four water play areas, three playgrounds, two basketball courts, a handball court, a permanent outdoor ping pong table, and more!
Citing their advanced design and eclectic landscape, Battery Park City Authority president and chief operating officer Shari C. Hyman states: “Battery Park City parks are ideal for families and children of all ages.” The other lure is the exceptional programming provided by the BPC Conservancy, which ranges from special events like the Swedish Midsummer Festival and Shakespeare performances by the New York Classical Theater, to the addition of new and demographically appropriate happenings like teen nights and sunset yoga programs, to long-time favorites like drop-in chess at Rockefeller Park.
It would be remiss to mention the BPC parks without giving a special shout out to Teardrop Park, one of the city’s most special small-scale bucolic havens and playgrounds. This mini-park also has special programming like the free Wednesdays in Teardrop Park program, which features lawn games and creative art projects for kids.
Right around Chambers Street and River Terrace, the Battery Parks pass the fun torch to the Hudson River Park Conservancy, whose own top-tier mix of waterfront parks and recreation, stretching all the way up the West Side of the city, adds up to the longest waterfront park in the country. In the Lower Manhattan section of Hudson River Park, the family attractions include playgrounds, a mini-golf course, and the many offerings of Pier 25, as well as the nearby basketball courts, skate park, and tennis courts. Then, a little farther north is Pier 40, with a full-size soccer field and the city’s one and only outdoor trapeze school.
Of course, the other side of Lower Manhattan also has a public play area of some renown in the form of the Imagination Playground in the South Street Seaport. Designed by famed architect David Rockwell, Imagination Playground is a site-specific, interactive park that prompts children of all ages to manipulate their environment and create a play space of their own with sand, water, and loose parts.
“The goal of Imagination Playground is to enable kids to do the work they do best: Build, invent, and create. The concept has three key
components to achieve this: An environment that children can physically manipulate; a huge array of loose parts, including Imagination Playground Blocks; and Play Associates—a trained staff that manages the play space and maintains the loose parts,” says Rockwell, a 10-year Tribeca resident himself. “I think the area blossomed in a pretty incredible way. There’s now a real sense of community, and many more parks and public spaces where people can gather and connect,” he adds.
Oh my—in our exploration of this quintessential downtown “Urban Jungle” we didn’t even mention the SeaGlass Carousel (opening this summer in the Battery Park), the Elevated Acre (a green escape in the sky at 55 Water Street) or the free ferry to Governors Island, with its own incredible landscape for families to enjoy.
