5 Best Parks In New York City For Picnics (Review)

Domino Park Skyline view

Summer is the best time to visit New York City, but locals know Fall is the city’s best kept secret. Over the fall months, the outdoor culture pops with life and activity, from public concerts and theater to restaurant patios, buzzing rooftop bars to packed bike lanes. Fall weather is NYC’s biggest secret since you can enjoy all the above without baking in the sun — including chilled-out picnics at the best parks in New York City. We just had to do a review of our favorites.

The biggest love for the season is recognized in NYC’s wonderful parks, where locals and travelers alike sack up their lunches (and dinners) and enjoy delectable spreads for unforgettable picnics.

Domino Park East River view
Domino Park East River view

We rounded up our 5 favorite, atmospheric picnic places in NYC — the city that never sleeps and, more famously, always eats.

5 best parks in New York City for picnics

  1. Central Park

Sprawling 843 acres from Midtown to Morningside Heights, Central Park is the creme de la creme of NYC picnic spots. The urban park is globally renowned for good reason: it’s a whole destination of its own. In fact, once you immerse yourself in the green, meticulously detailed landscape with verdant trees and towering boulders, you feel worlds away from the city’s bustle.

Plenty of picnic spots abound along the 153 square blocks (52 street blocks and 3 avenue blocks) so there’s plenty of elbow room for everyone.

Grab a delicious spicy chicken sandwich or burger at Shake Shack, pack lunches from the fantastic restaurants at Columbus Circle or stuff your picnic basket with organic eats from Whole Foods and make for an entire afternoon at this historic park.

 

Bryant Park

There’s never a dull moment at Bryant Park. This midtown park gets tons of foot traffic thanks to its prime and convenient location just steps from iconic attractions: Rockefeller Center to the north, Grand Central to the east, Penn Station to the south and Times Square to the west, all within walking distance. This makes Bryant Park one of the best picnic parks in New York City.

Bryant Park is known for its number of free shows—from theater to music—on its sprawling lawn that serves as a stage but it also moonlights as the perfect picnic spot during lunch and early dinner hours. There is free WIFI (!) that attracts international visitors, but it’s the serenity of this 4-acre urban oasis that keeps visitors returning time and time again. Plenty of restaurant stands in the park offer great bites, while Bryant Park Grill and Bryant Park Cafe also packs meals to go.

High Line

Manhattan’s most contemporary park has been garnering much deserved attention as of late. Not only did the 1.5-mile linear park recently expand and add a hotel to its lush oasis, it also received a new neighbor last month: the Whitney Museum of American Art, which relocated next to the High Line, bringing tons of foot traffic to this slice of park heaven.

High Line is an aerial greenway (transformed from an abandoned, elevated railway) equipped with benches, stadium-style seating and other lovely areas where visitors can enjoy a comfortable picnic with great bakeries, food trucks and sandwich shops nearby.

After your picnic, take advantage of the wealth of activities available, including public tours, public meditation, live musical performances and lectures.

Madison Square Park

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Domino Park looking across the river.

This spacious, family-friendly park in the Flatiron District—at the intersection of Fifth and Broadway—is popular among locals (particularly office workers who sprawl out during their lunch breaks). Over the summer, the park hosts public art installations, food festivals and even a summer concert series, so picnicking has its perks on the verdant lawn that’s embellished with beautiful hydrangeas in some of the city’s most dazzling gardens.

Most visitors make a beeline to Beecher’s Handmade Cheese for a gorgeous cheese plate, sandwiches and salads, or take away highbrow meals from famous restaurants nearby like Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, Craftbar and Shake Shack.

Madison Square Park is also dog friendly, so you can bring Fido, who will find his own personal sanctuary at a separate, open-area dog run. This makes it one of the best parks in New York City for picnics.

East River State Park

Moved to Brooklyn.
Bushwick Inlet Park /East River park Williamsburg BK

If there’s a reason to cross the Williamsburg Bridge into Brooklyn, it’s for the East River State Park. This seven-acre lush oasis is one of the most tranquil parks in NYC and, best of all, it has breathtaking, commanding views of the East River and Manhattan skyline.

East River State Park was seemingly built with the picnic in mind: there is a barbecue platform, picnic tables and even a children’s playground for a fun family outing. Smorgasburg brings hundreds of food vendors to the park on Saturdays. During the summer, the park features myriad activities, from music events to public film screenings.

Don’t forget Domino Park is just a few blocks away.

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Jimmy Im has traveled to 113 countries, stayed in over 600 hotels and has flown a million airmiles. He lives in New York City.

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