The Outdoors · New York City
Prospect Park: Brooklyn's Big Backyard, Built on Purpose
The same two designers behind Central Park made Prospect Park, with a long meadow, a 60-acre lake, and woods, opening to crowds back in 1867.
Published June 21, 2026 · Last verified June 21, 2026
Prospect Park is Brooklyn’s great green heart, and it was designed by the same famous pair who made Central Park: Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. They turned in their plan in 1866, and construction began on July 1, 1866. An opening section welcomed the public on October 19, 1867, even before the whole thing was done. People came right away. One early report counted more than 100,000 visitors in a single July.
The park was built to feel like real countryside, not a fancy garden. The big open Long Meadow stretches out for a long walk or a picnic. There’s a wooded valley they called the Ravine, with little waterfalls and streams. And down at the south end sits a 60-acre lake, a real blue pause in the middle of Brooklyn.
Today the park is cared for by the Prospect Park Alliance working together with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. They restore the old bridges and buildings and keep the meadows and woods healthy for the millions of visits the park gets each year.
It is free and open every day. You can come for a run, a paddle on the lake in season, the zoo, the carousel, or just a quiet bench under the trees. The trick is that it feels loose and natural even though it was carefully built that way.
Where to see it
Prospect Park sits in central Brooklyn, ringed by Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Windsor Terrace, and Flatbush. Main entrances include Grand Army Plaza at the north end. The park is free and open daily; check prospectpark.org for current hours, the zoo, the carousel, boating, and event schedules.