The Best City Parks in the USA
Everyone’s heard of Central Park, and you might be forgiven for thinking it’s the biggest and best city park in the USA. Not so. ‘Best’ is subjective, but there are other US urban parks that are bigger, and some that have many more attractions than Central Park.
So, excluding State Parks and Wildlife Preserves, here in ascending size is a list of some of the biggest and best US city parks, and information on how to visit them.
Cal Anderson Park, Seattle
The smallest on this list, it was nevertheless recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the USA’s 12 Best City Parks. It has several pools, floodlit tennis courts, basketball courts, a dodgeball court, a children’s play area, walking paths, and some oversized chess boards. It’s named after Cal Anderson, who was Washington State’s first openly gay legislator.
Size: 7.37 acres
More Information: Cal Anderson Park.
Encanto Park, Phoenix
Fairly centrally located in one of the country’s biggest and busiest cities, Encanto Park is a great escape from Phoenix‘s busy traffic. It dates back to 1934 and is very family-friendly with the Enchanted Island amusement park (Encanto is Spanish for Enchanted). Other features include two golf courses, fishing lakes, several ponds, a swimming pool, walking trails, paddle boats, and picnic areas.
Size: 222 acres
More Information: Encanto Park.
Grant Park, Chicago
Grant Park runs along the Lake Michigan waterfront, and is extremely popular, with all kinds of attractions and activities. Within its boundaries are the Art Institute of Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the 1924 Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears football team. As if that wasn’t enough it also contains Buckingham Fountain, one of the largest fountains in the world, several parks within the park, and various outdoor sculptures and art works, including the city’s greatest selfie opportunity, The Bean.
Size: 319 acres
More Information: Grant Park.
Central Park, New York
Other cities may boast bigger parks but Central Park can claim to be the one that’s most familiar from the numerous movies filmed there. It also features in many songs, and one of its popular sites is the Strawberry Fields area, a tribute to John Lennon whose Dakota Building apartment overlooks the park. Other features include various outdoor sculptures, the Central Park Zoo, fountains, gardens, play areas, winding pathways and, if you get hungry, The Tavern on the Green.
Size: 843 acres
More Information: Central Park.
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
About 2.5 miles south of the Golden Gate Bridge is the Golden Gate Park, which dates back to the 1860s when New York’s Central Park was being created. The west coast city was not to be outdone and built an even bigger park. Attractions include the 1921 fine arts collections of the De Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences, which is one of the world’s largest natural history museums. The park also has two windmills, including the largest windmill in the world, a Japanese Tea Garden, a golf course, and a Conservatory of Flowers (be sure to wear some in your hair).
Size: 1017 acres
More Information: Golden Gate Park.
Balboa Park, San Diego
There’s so much to see and do in Balboa Park it’s almost a destination in its own right. The San Diego Zoo alone could take a couple of days if you wanted to see everything, while there are also a mind-boggling 17 museums,including the Museum of Art, the Natural History Museum, the Museum of Photographic Arts, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, the Museum of Man, and the Model Railroad Museum. There are also several gardens and the wonderful Botanical Building, which displays over 2,000 plants. Allow plenty of time for a visit!
Size: 1200 acres
More Information: Balboa Park.
City Park, New Orleans
Four miles and a world away from the brashness of Bourbon Street is this urban retreat which has a host of reasons for paying a visit. These include an amusement park, a botanical garden, a sculpture garden, the New Orleans Museum of Art, golf courses, and a driving range, tennis courts, several stadiums, some ancient trees, and a café where some say you can get the best beignets in the city. You can visit it on a bike tour of New Orleans too.
Size: 1300 acres
More Information: City Park.
Forest Park, St Louis
Forest Park was already 28 years old when it hosted the 1904 Olympic Games and within its boundaries you’ll find the St Louis Art Museum, the St Louis Science Center, the St Louis Zoo. and the Missouri History Museum. There are several restored prairie and wetland areas with some hiking and biking trails, lakes, golf and tennis centers, a boathouse, a skating rink, and the delightful art deco greenhouse known as the Jewel Box.
Size: 1371 acres
More Information: Forest Park.
Griffith Park, Los Angeles
Familiar around the world for being the home of the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Park has numerous other attractions and activities. It’s where you’ll find the Griffith Observatory, the Los Angeles Zoo, hiking and horse-riding trails, a transport museum with its own miniature railway, a separate railroad museum, and the Autry Museum of the American West.
Size: 4310 acres
More Information: Griffith Park.
George Bush Park, Houston
West of Houston city center, this vast urban park was known as the Cullen-Barker Park until it was renamed after the 41st US President, George HW Bush, in 1997. There are ponds, hiking trails, sports facilities including two soccer fields and six baseball fields, a boardwalk which crosses the Buffalo Bayou, and the award-winning American Shooting Center. It does have a Nature Reserve within its boundaries but with its many other facilities it definitely qualifies as one of the best – and biggest – urban parks in the USA.
Size: 7800 acres
More Information: George Bush Park.