Washington
Heights comes alive during the warmer months because of
its parks. Below are some of the highlights.
Ft.
Tryon Park is the neighborhood's crown jewel.
It's 60 acres of wooded hills stretch from West 190th
Street to Dyckman Street, between Broadway and the West
Side Highway. It was landscaped by Frederick Law Olmstead,
son of the codesigner of Central Park and Prospect Park.
This gorgeous park has eight miles of paths bordered by
trees, parapets, scenic overlooks, and gardens, including
a huge children's playground in the northeast corner (at
Dyckman and Broadway). Friends
of Ft. Tryon Park helps maintain the park, which has
also received support from Bette Midler's New
York Restoration Project.
Anne
Loftus Playground
Corner of Riverside Drive and Broadway, at the Dyckman
Street A-train station. Located at the northeastern corner
of Fort Tryon Park, this is the only playground for children
originally designed by the Olmsted Brothers. The state-of-the-art
reconstruction evokes their original plan.
Bennett
Park
Between 183rd and 185th streets and between Fort Washington
and Pinehurst avenues. It's only 2.8 acres big, but
it has a great children's playground that's great for
toddlers. There is also a children's garden and a community
garden on site. And it's the highest point in Manhattan.
Every Halloween, there is a children's costume parade.
Fort Washington Park and the Little Red Lighthouse
West 178th Street at the Hudson River.
The lighthouse is located right off the bike path that
runs along the riverbank and extends to Riverside Park
and then all the way down to Battery Park. The park
has tennis courts, picnic tables, and a usually a pick-up
game of ultimate frisbee during the summer. The park
has spectacular views of the Hudson River, the George
Washington Bridge, and the Palisades in New Jersey.
The Jeffreys Hook Lighthouse served as a navigational
aid before and after the George Washington Bridge was
built. But it was deactivated in 1947 and was scheduled
to be dismantled. Hildegard Swift's children's book,
The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge,
popularized the lighthouse, and the millions of children
who loved the lighthouse spoke out, saving it from destruction.
Today, the Urban Park Rangers conduct tours of the light.
In the fall, a Little Red Lighthouse Festival features
tours of the light, food, photo displays and a reading
of the famous story.
Directions: From Lafayette Place at W 181st Street,
take steps, footpath and footbridge over the highway,
down to the park and south to the lighthouse.
For more parks in the area, visit Washington
Heights and Inwood Online.
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