Prospect Park suffers from the same problem as most great Brooklyn things: it’s compared to the Manhattan equivalent (Central Park) in ways that almost always undervalue it. The comparisons are understandable — same designers, same era, adjacent borough — but they lead people to skip Prospect Park in favor of the more famous option. This is a mistake. Prospect Park is an excellent park on its own terms, and in specific ways it is genuinely better than Central Park.
The Long Meadow: The Defining Space
The Long Meadow is 90 continuous acres of lawn — the largest unbroken meadow in any urban park in the United States. Central Park’s Sheep Meadow is 15 acres; the Long Meadow is six times that size and substantially less crowded on any given weekend. The meadow runs from the park’s north entrance at Grand Army Plaza southward through the park’s center, flanked by mature trees that create a sense of enclosure without reducing the openness of the space. On a Sunday afternoon in summer, the Long Meadow has picnickers, Frisbee players, pickup soccer, and people simply lying in the grass in a density that feels genuinely communal.
The Boathouse and Free Kayaking
The Prospect Park Boathouse at the lake’s north shore offers free kayaking and canoeing on the Prospect Park Lake on summer weekend mornings — usually Saturdays and Sundays from June through September, starting at 8am until the boats are claimed. Equipment is provided. No reservation needed; arrive early during peak season. The Audubon Center inside the Boathouse is free and presents nature exhibitions and programming.
The Less-Crowded Sections: The Nethermead and the Ravine
Most Prospect Park visitors stay in the Long Meadow and the lake area near the Boathouse. The Nethermead — a broad meadow in the park’s center west of the lake — and the Ravine (the only remaining original forest in Brooklyn, a glacially formed landscape in the park’s northeastern section) are both significantly less visited and genuinely rewarding. The Ravine, with its stream and woodland path, provides one of the few places in Brooklyn where you can walk in a forest and hear moving water rather than traffic.
Grand Army Plaza: The Main Entrance
Grand Army Plaza is the formal entrance to Prospect Park from the 2/3 train. The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch (1892) at the plaza’s center is a Beaux-Arts arch modeled on the Arc de Triomphe, with decorative details by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The Saturday greenmarket at the plaza runs year-round from 8am to 4pm and is one of the better farmers markets in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Public Library faces the plaza from the east.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Prospect Park?
Prospect Park is a 585-acre public park in Brooklyn designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux — the same team who designed Central Park in Manhattan. Olmsted considered Prospect Park his superior design. The park has the Long Meadow (90 continuous acres), a lake, a zoo, a boathouse, and is free to enter.
Is Prospect Park better than Central Park?
Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed both, said Prospect Park was his better work — the Long Meadow is larger and more open than any meadow in Central Park, the topography is more varied, and the sense of natural landscape is more complete. Central Park has more famous landmarks and is more central to the tourist experience. Both are exceptional parks serving different purposes.
What can you do for free at Prospect Park?
Walk or run the 3.35-mile loop. Access the Long Meadow and all lawn areas. Use the Boathouse for free kayaking and canoeing on summer weekend mornings. Visit the Audubon Center (free). Attend the free concerts and events that the park hosts throughout the year. Fish in the Prospect Lake (free with a fishing license).
How do I get to Prospect Park?
The 2/3 trains stop at Grand Army Plaza (the park’s main northern entrance). The B/Q trains stop at Seventh Avenue (western entrance) and Prospect Park (eastern entrance, near the zoo). The F/G train stops at 15th Street-Prospect Park (southwestern entrance).
Also see: our Park Slope guide
Also see: our free Brooklyn things guide
Also see: our Brooklyn with kids guide
