Battery Park ~ Christmas Time in NewYork City

Battery Park

A 25-acre historic park on the southern tip of Manhattan

A rare parcel of open space in crowded Lower Manhattan, this beautifully restored park is a public art museum, recreation space and historic center all in one. Home to Castle Clinton, a fort dating to the early 1800s, Battery Park provides great waterfront views and a natural space to relax against the backdrop of the Financial District. A cultural destination during the warm weather months, outdoor music, theatre and dance performances take place in the park, and street performers entertain the crowds waiting to board the harbor ferries. Filled with sculptures, flower beds and fountains, the landscaped park also provides visitors opportunities to bike, run, or simply relax and enjoy the gardens and harbor views

Dutch settlers first landed here in 1623 and later established New Amsterdam on this southern tip of the island of Manhattan, taking advantage of the great harbor for trading across the Atlantic. Still a hub for maritime travel today, Battery Park serves as a departure point for many ferries including the Staten Island and Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ferries.

The park is also home to many monuments and memorials, dating as far back as 1817 and including the Fort George Memorial, Netherlands Memorial, New York Korean War Veterans Memorial, East Coast Memorial and World Trade Center Sphere among others. Also of interest is the newly opened New Amsterdam Plein Pavilion a 5,000 square foot sculptured pavilion housing regional organic food and the Alliance for Downtown New York's visitor information booth.

Battery Park is constantly being transformed by The Battery Conservancy, which operates the park in partnership with agencies at the federal, state and city levels. These efforts yield dramatic results, and the park today provides visitors with a beautiful, culturally rich natural space.

Things to Do

Lush Battery Park is home to the War of 1812-era Castle Clinton.

The sphere stood in the WTC Plaza as a monument to world peace from 1971 to September 11, 2001.

Events & Activities

History, monuments and memorials, horticulture, public art, festivals, concerts and community garden.

Credit by : http://www.nyharborparks.org/visit/bapa.html