NYC Arts: The Complete Guide to Art and Culture

The garden is one of the jewels in the crown of all Central Park. Nowhere else in Manhattan is there such a varied and wide collection of blooming plants. Home to thousands of flowering trees and shrubs, annuals and perennials, the garden covers six acres and has a geometric design that contrasts sharply with the soft, natural contours of the rest of the park. Its design consists of three interlocking sections: the northernmost garden is French in style, where you'll find the Untermyer Fountain with its dancing nymphs surrounded by concentric rings of flowerbeds; the central section is based on Italian models and its skillful terracing allows views of the entire garden; the south section is based on classic English designs.

Requisitioned in 1934 by City Parks Comissioner Robert Moses, the garden was completed only in the mid-1980s. Its gates originally belonged to the Cornelius Vanderbilt mansion, razed in 1927, which stood on Fifth Avenue near Grand Army Plaza.

• Directions: Subway: 6 to 103rd Street