The phrase “touch grass” isn’t just internet snark during a New York summer. In this season, when subway platforms feel swampy and lines outside rooftop bars could qualify for their own NYC zip codes, it’s practically a survival mechanism.

New York City’s parks are an antidote, with their sprawling lawns, shady paths, waterfront breezes, and secret gardens. Whether you’re picnicking, people-watching, starting a book you’ll never finish, or simply fleeing a fourth-floor walk-up without central air, here are the best parks in NYC to spend a summer day — or firefly-dotted night.

Brooklyn Bridge Park

With 85 acres overlooking the Manhattan skyline and (yes) that iconic 1883 bridge, Brooklyn Bridge Park is practically a required stop any time of year, but especially during summer.

“It’s peaceful and serene,” says James Finelli, licensed associate real estate broker behind The Finelli Team at Compass and StreetEasy® Expert. “When my wife was pregnant with our second kid, we would go there with the stroller and we would have nice walks by the waterfront. It was just very calming and peaceful, and you can’t beat the view: you get the whole panorama of downtown.”

The park winds 1.3 miles along Columbia Heights to DUMBO. New Yorkers with young children love it for Jane’s Carousel, a restored hand-carved carousel from 1922 now enclosed in a MoMA-worthy glass pavilion. The only downside to Brooklyn Bridge Park? “In order to get into the park, you kind of have to fight through the tourists that are looking for their iconic social media bridge shot,” Finelli says. “But once you pass that little area, it opens up much more and it’s a lot more spread out.”

Central Park

Manhattan without Central Park would be like London without pubs: a different place entirely. Famously designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and opened to the public in 1858, the 843-acre park is chockablock with timeless summer activities — from sprawling out on the lush 55-acre Great Lawn with a book to picnicking at Sheep Meadow (named for the actual sheep that once munched their days away there). Insiders head to the North Woods between 101st and 110th to feel like they’ve had a breather in the woodland Adirondacks. There’s even a trio of rushing waterfalls at the Loch.

Domino Park

Named for the historic Domino Sugar Refinery that once produced 98% of the sugar consumed in the United States, this Williamsburg park is sweet indeed. “I used to live down the block — literally 300 feet away — from Domino Park, and it honestly is one of the most special parks in all of New York City,” Finelli says.

Domino Park may be a humble six acres, but the property is so well appointed it’s proof that in New York, style doesn’t need square footage. Sleek and modern seating overlooks the East River, and there’s a playground inspired by the sugar factory. Events here are unmissable, like the Sunday greenmarket and story slams by The Moth.

“It’s really a microcosm of what NYC is and what it’s supposed to be,” says Finelli, who notes he once attended a salsa dance event there. “Even if you go there for a 20 minute walk, it’s very fulfilling and recharges your battery. I really think it’s one of the best parks in that respect.”

East River Park

New Yorkers love a comeback story — just look to the former elevated railway now known as the High Line. After years languishing behind construction fencing, the 57-acre East River Park is a prime example. Just one year ago on Memorial Day Weekend, the first major section of the rebuilt park opened to the public.

Thanks to the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project, the landscape was rebuilt at a higher elevation. Bjarke Ingels, ESCR Founder & Creative Director, dubbed it a “park-ipelago” that will help buffer the area against flooding and storms while offering stellar recreation spaces. Among them: six tennis courts, two basketball courts, and picnic and barbecuing spots galore, should the mood to ‘cue strike.

Governors Island

Governors Island continues to grow its reputation as a spot to indulge in unexpected summer delights. Zipping down slides as long as 57-feet at Slide Hill? Check. Chillaxing in a hammock overlooking the Statue of Liberty? Check and check. But that’s only the beginning of the summertime fun on this island, where you can also wander a lavender field or swim in an infinity pool at QC Spa New York. It’s all just a quick ferry ride away — about eight minutes from Manhattan and five from Brooklyn, to be exact — embarking from Lower Manhattan, Red Hook, or Brooklyn Bridge Park (callback!).

Hudson River Greenway

Reportedly the busiest bike path in the nation, Hudson River Greenway zips 13.6 miles along Manhattan’s west flank, weaving through the piers and playgrounds that stud the island. But don’t think you have to stick to land: the Hudson River Greenway Water Trail is, you guessed it, a fun way to explore the park by water. Like the Hudson River itself, you’re not limited to New York City — park-goers could technically paddle all the way to Adirondack Park roughly 200 miles north.

Little Island

Is Little Island art, or a park…or is it an art park? We’d say the latter. Suspended atop 132 sculptural concrete “tulips” on a defunct pier, Little Island was funded in part by legendary fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg and businessman Barry Diller, and it’s exactly as stylish as you’d expect. Not only is it appropriately adorned with some 350 species of flowers, it’s also the spot to take in shows at the 687-seat amphitheater, where the scenery competes with the performers. What’s more, you get a one-of-a-kind view of the Lower Manhattan skyline from an angle hard to replicate anywhere else in the city.

Rainey Park

Newly reimagined and reopened on the other side of the East River in July 2025, Astoria’s eight-acre Rainey Park offers many of the summer survival classics, including cooling “splash pad” spray showers, a modernist playground, and plenty of shady spots overlooking the water. Locals sprawl out on picnic blankets and linger until dusk, when the city lights begin to flicker on across the river.

---

Enjoy these parks from your next place — find NYC homes to rent or buy on StreetEasy.