Want to explore Brooklyn’s Backyard from anywhere in the world? A virtual guide to Prospect Park is now live on the free arts and culture app, Bloomberg Connects. Bloomberg Connects is a source for accessible and interactive guides to hundreds of cultural spaces, museums, and more from around the world.
Whether on the ground in the park or miles away, explore Prospect Park’s history, architecture and more through images, audio guides and more—all from the palm of your hand. The Prospect Park Bloomberg Connects Guide includes virtual self-guided tours on the park’s history, and key destinations for architecture and landscape architecture, each with an interactive map to help locate featured destinations throughout the park.
The guide also features audio tours on the park’s natural areas, offering an inside look at the park’s woodlands and waterways, and even hosts a collection of acoustic recordings of the park’s trees, soil and waterways through an Underground Soundwalk. Whether you’re looking for a guided walk through key destinations in Prospect Park to explore key highlights in person or eager to learn more about our green oasis from miles away, the guide can be enjoyed from near and far. Plus, check out upcoming Alliance programming, ways to get involved in volunteering, membership and more to make the most of the park you love.
Learn more about the guide for self-guided exploration + how to book an in-person, guided park tour with Turnstile Tours: prospectpark.org/tours.
City of Forest Day in Prospect Park
October 8, 2024
Join Prospect Park Alliance at the third annual City of Forest Day on Saturday, October 26 in Prospect Park. Presented by Forest for All NYC in partnership with the Parks and Open Space Partners – NYC Coalition and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, City of Forest Day is a day of activities across the city to raise awareness of the importance of the New York City urban forest, and the essential role New Yorkers play every day in caring for the “lungs” of our city. Prospect Park Alliance presents an array of activities to raise awareness and celebrate Brooklyn’s forest including tours of the park, nature education programming and a volunteer opportunity in Brooklyn’s Backyard.
In collaboration with BSE Global and National Grid, join Prospect Park Alliance for a Park Pitch In volunteer event on City of Forest Day, a city-wide effort to raise awareness and celebrate New York City’s urban forest. Prospect Park Alliance volunteers will plant over 300 trees and shrubs as well as perform weeding and tree bed care to restore Prospect Park’s beloved landscape, which has seen the loss of a significant number of ash trees since 2017 due to Emerald Ash Borer, a wood-boring beetle that is deadly to trees.
Each tree planted will count towards BSE Global and National Grid’s “Threes for Trees” initiative, which is committed to planting a tree in the Brooklyn community for every 3-point basket made by players from the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, Long Island Nets, and Nets GC during their regular season home games. Together we can help enrich our environment and provide green spaces for generations to come. Appropriate for groups, teens and adults.
City of Forest Day: Nature Exploration 10 am–1 pm Audubon Center, Free
Join the Prospect Park Alliance for nature education programs at the Boathouse on City of Forest Day.
Leaf Art, 10–12 pm: Let’s have fun exploring the unique features of trees and their uniquely shaped leaves. Let your creativity flourish as you craft art inspired by nature.
Animal Encounter, 11 am–12 pm: Join Alliance Naturalists in learning more about the animals in the Audubon Center’s collection. This program starts promptly at 11 am.
Fall Nature Walk, 12–1 pm: Join us as we discover the wonders of nature! Are you curious about how invasive insects, like the Spotted Lanternfly, prepare for winter? You’ll get hands-on experience in citizen science as we observe how insect and plant life prepare for seasonal changes. Plus, you’ll learn how to protect trees from pests. This program leaves the Audubon Center promptly at 12 pm.
City of Forest Day: A History of Brooklyn’s Last Remaining Forest 10:30 am–12:30 pm Prospect Park, Free, Registration Required
Prospect Park is home to Brooklyn’s largest and oldest forest, an important hotspot of biodiversity with over 30,000 trees of 200+ species. On this guided 1.5 mile walking tour with Prospect Park Alliance touring partner, Turnstile Tours, we will explore the history of the stewardship of this forest over the past 150 years, looking at some of the park’s oldest trees, exploring the management practices developed by park co-designer Frederick Law Olmsted, the work of the Alliance to restore these urban woodlands over the past 30 years, and contemporary challenges to forests due to climate change and invasive pests.
Bangladeshi Ladies Club Nature Walk in Prospect Park 3–5 pm Park Circle, Brooklyn, NY 11218, Free, Registration Required
Join the Bangladeshi Ladies Club, Council Member Shahana Hanif and Prospect Park Alliance for a relaxing and engaging nature walk in Prospect Park. Did you know that Prospect Park is home to Brooklyn’s last forest and only Lake? On this walk, members of the Ladies Club will take you through the park’s woodlands and lakeshore to explore the park’s beauty, including its many trees and birds. Following the walk, please join us for a reception with refreshments. Please note that this event is for members of the Bangladeshi community and the tour will be offered in English and Bangla.
The event is made possible through funding from Council Member Shahana Hanif.
বাংলাদেশি লেডিজ ক্লাব, কাউন্সিল মেম্বার শাহানা হানিফ এবং প্রস্পেক্ট পার্ক অ্যালায়েন্সের সাথে প্রস্পেক্ট পার্কে একটি শান্ত এবং আকর্ষণীয় প্রকৃতি ভ্রমণে যোগ দিন।আপনি কি জানেন যে প্রস্পেক্ট পার্কেই ব্রুকলিনের একমাত্র বন এবং হ্রদ অবস্থিত? এই প্রকৃতি ভ্রমণে, লেডিজ ক্লাবের সদস্যরা আপনাকে পার্কের বনাঞ্চল ও হ্রদের তীরভূমি পরিভ্রমণ করতে নিয়ে যাবেন, যেখানে আপনি বিভিন্ন গাছপালা ও পাখির সৌন্দর্য উপভোগ করতে পারবেন। এই ভ্রমণের পর আমাদের সাথে রিসেপশনে যোগদান করতে আমন্ত্রণ জানাচ্ছি, যেখানে হালকা নাস্তা এবং পানীয়র ব্যবস্থা থাকবে।
এই ইভেন্টটি কাউন্সিল মেম্বার শাহানা হানিফের অর্থায়নে সম্ভব হয়েছে।
c. Martin Seck
Archtober + Open House New York Weekend in Prospect Park
September 5, 2024
Explore Prospect Park with upcoming special tours throughout Brooklyn’s Backyard in October!
Don’t miss Archtober, NYC’s architecture and design month featuring hundreds of events, tours, and exhibitions throughout the city including four in Prospect Park! Join Prospect Park Alliance and Turnstile Tours for architectural tours celebrating the legacy of Prospect Park co-designer, Calvert Vaux, an exploration of the architecture of Prospect Park Zoo and the park’s waterways. Plus, save the date for Open House New York Weekend to take an inside look at the Prospect Park Vale to learn about its upcoming restoration and more.
Archtober Prospect Park Tour: Calvert Vaux at 200 Saturday, October 5, 10:30 am–12:30 pm Bartel-Pritchard Square, Prices Vary Discover hidden treasures, natural wonders and little-known tales on interactive guided tours of Prospect Park in the heart of Brooklyn, presented by Turnstile Tours in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance. Join a special tour in celebration of Prospect Park co-designer Calvert Vaux’ 200th birthday in 2024.
Archtober Prospect Park Tour: Art + Architecture with Prospect Park Zoo Saturday, October 12, 10:30 am–12:30 pm Prospect Park, Prices Vary, Get Tickets: prospectpark.org/archtober Join Turnstile Tours, Prospect Park Alliance and the Prospect Park Zoo for an inside look at the beautiful public buildings and artwork that have adorned the park since its founding in 1867, including a special exploration of the beloved Prospect Park Zoo and its one of a kind architecture.
Archtober Prospect Park Tour: Waterways Sunday, October 13, 2–4 pm Bartel-Pritchard Square, Prices Vary, Get Tickets: prospectpark.org/archtober Join Turnstile Tours and Prospect Park Alliance for an inside look at the Waterways of Brooklyn’s Backyard. Prospect Park is an engineering marvel, designed around an ingenious drainage system and a chain of manmade streams and ponds throughout Prospect Park’s watercourse.
Save the Date! Registration for OHNY begins in early October. Join Jillian Pagano, Landscape Architect II and Deborah Kirschner, Vice President of External Relations, at Prospect Park Alliance, to learn about the upcoming restoration of the Prospect Park Vale in the northeast corner of the park. Discover the Alliance’s plans to transform the Vale, an important woodland landscape that serves as a critical habitat to birds and other wildlife, and the extensive community outreach and engagement efforts that led to a new vision for this lesser-known park landscape to make it more welcoming and accessible to all Brooklyn residents.
Open House New York in Prospect Park
September 20, 2023
Mark your calendar! Registration for Open House New York begins Monday, October 9 for events city-wide including exciting happenings in Brooklyn’s Backyard. Join Prospect Park Alliance for a behind-the-scenes tour of the newly restored Lefferts Historic House and a tour of the Prospect Park Vale with an inside look at the upcoming restoration to make it more welcoming and accessible to all Brooklyn residents.
Saturday October 21, 10:00 am – 11:00 am and 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Prospect Park Vale
Join Svetlana Ragulina, Senior Landscape Architect, and Deborah Kirschner, Vice President of External Relations, at Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit that sustains Prospect Park in partnership with the City, to learn about the upcoming restoration of the Prospect Park Vale in the northeast corner of the park. Learn about the Alliance’s plans to transform the Vale, an important woodland landscape that serves as a critical habitat to birds and other wildlife, and the extensive community outreach and engagement efforts that led to a new vision for this lesser-known park landscape to make it more welcoming and accessible to all Brooklyn residents. This tour will be led on pedestrian pathways but closed toed shoes would be recommended, particularly if there are rainy conditions. The area is not ADA-accessible. It will be fully outdoors.
Please note there will be two hour-long tours: 10:00 am – 11:00 am and 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Saturday October 21, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Lefferts Historic House
You’re invited to a behind-the-scenes look at the newly restored and reimagined Lefferts Historic House. This 18th-century Flatbush farmhouse and New York City landmark, jointly operated by Prospect Park Alliance and the Historic House Trust, reopened this season after a $2.5 million major restoration which was recognized with a 2023 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award, the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s highest honor for outstanding preservation. In timing with the restoration, the Alliance launched ReImagine Lefferts, an initiative funded through a Humanities in Place grant from the Mellon Foundation that is re-envisioning the mission and programming of the museum to explore the stories of resistance and resilience by the Indigenous people of Lenapehoking, whose unceded ancestral lands the park and house rests upon, and the Africans who were enslaved by the Lefferts family.
Visit the Lefferts Historic House to see the restored farmhouse, the inaugural exhibition of the ReImagine Lefferts Initiative, the J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience, and on a first-come, first-served basis every 30 minutes, embark on a guided tour of some of the house’s areas not on public view. The behind-the-scenes tour takes visitors into areas that are only accessible via staircases, and is therefore not ADA-accessible.
c. Elizabeth-Keegin-Colley
Explore Prospect Park’s Waterways
January 25, 2022
Take a free, self-guided audio tour of Prospect Park’s watercourse—a marvel of nature, history and eco-innovation. The tour is presented by Prospect Park Alliance, in partnership with artist Mary Mattingly and More Art, and powered by Gesso. The tour serves as an educational component of the ecoWEIR pilot program currently operating in Prospect Park, and is presented through funding from the Environmental Protection Fund Grant Program for Park Services, administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s landmark park, is a natural wonder but also a feat of engineering: home to the borough’s last remaining forest and only lake, the park’s watercourse is fed by the New York City water supply. The free, self-guided audio tour provides a new perspective on the natural and human-made ecosystems found in Prospect Park, and its connection to New York City’s water supply. From the natural ponds, local springs, and streams that were here before the park, to the waterways designed by park designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux that today are fed by watersheds as far as 125 miles north of the city, to the future health of these waterways through an innovative ecoWEIR that uses plants to filter water—the tour peels back layers of history, environmental stewardship, and human intervention that are hidden beneath the surface.
The tour begins at the Grand Army Plaza entrance of the park and ends on Wellhouse Drive in the park, a total of 2.02 miles and 12 narrated stops. The route includes a steep set of stairs in the Ravine and passes over dirt/gravel and paved paths. There is an accessible restroom at the end of the tour located at the Wellhouse.
c. Frederick Charles
Prospect Park’s NYC Climate Week 2021 Events
September 10, 2021
The effects of climate change are being felt near and far, including in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. During NYC Climate Week, September 20-26, join Prospect Park Alliance for virtual and in-person events to learn more and lend a hand in Brooklyn’s Backyard:
Prospect Park’s 585 acres boast a variety of picturesque destinations, delightful nature elements, and important architectural features, shaped by 150+ years of history. For those interested in learning more, Turnstile Toursoffers in-park tours weekly to give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at Brooklyn’s Backyard. Learn more and book your tour today.
Prospect Park Alliance has recently completed work on a few exciting projects around the park, and we’ve put together a self-guided walking tour for you to enjoy during your next park visit. Let’s get started!
Endale Arch (directions)Above, the newly restored Endale Arch in Prospect Park, c. Paul Martinka.
Entering the park from Grand Army Plaza, head in through the pathway furthest on the left, closest to the Brooklyn Public Library. Follow the path to the newly restored Endale Arch, a transporting portal out of the concrete of the city and into the peaceful landscape of the park.
Endale Arch was one of the first architectural elements constructed in Prospect Park in the 1860’s, conceived of by park creators Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. In recent decades, the arch had fallen into disrepair, and Prospect Park Alliance undertook a restoration that completed in 2020. Now, fully restored to it’s original splendor, visitors can enjoy the alternating color motif and fine craftsmanship of the arch with the added benefit of new LED lighting that illuminates the interior. The result is a breathtaking window into Prospect Park’s historic past—learn more about the Endale Arch.
New Flatbush Avenue Entrance, c. Svetlana Ragulina.
Head south down the path by the Long Meadow, and cross the Park Drive at Nellie’s Lawn. Follow the path into the woods and you’ll arrive and Prospect Park’s first new entrance to be added to the park since the 1940’s. The Flatbush Avenue Entrance was funded by Mayor Bill de Blasio through the Parks Without Borders initiative, and was designed by Prospect Park Alliance.
The entrance, which opened in early 2021 features new landscaping, seating and lighting, two rock scrambles, and plantings of a variety of resilient trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. It is the only park entrance that leads directly into the woodlands, and provides easy access to the Rose Garden and Vale of Cashmere. Learn more about the contruction and features of the new Flatbush Avenue Entrance.
Newly restored Concert Grove Pavilion, c. Paul Martinka.
Continue south, either along the Park Drive or on the paths that meander through the Ravine. Pass the Boathouse and arrive at the newly restored Concert Grove Pavilion. The Pavilion was designed by Calvert Vaux in 1874 and borrows motifs from Hindu, Chinese, Moorish and Egyptian architecture. The Pavilion—a beloved community destination, was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1974, but the elaborate cast iron columns were salvaged and the pavilion was restored for the first time in 1988, and again in 2021.
Through this current restoration, the Alliance brought back beautiful features including elaborately detailed wooden trim and moldings at the eaves of the roof, terne-coated, stainless-steel roof shingles, and new high-efficiency light fixtures illuminate a beautiful star-patterned, stained-glass ceiling in the center dome and light the surrounding landscape. Learn more about the restoration of the Concert Grove Pavilion.
Take a virtual walk through LeFrak Center at Lakeside with Turnstile Tours and Corbin Laedlein, the Lakeside Lead EcoZone Gardener for Prospect Park Alliance. Learn how Corbin and his fellow Lakeside gardeners curate Lakeside’s plant mix for ecological, aesthetic, and habitat purposes, and visit the green roof atop the Lakeside skating rink.
While winter might seem like a slow time for birdwatching, many migratory species can be seen in New York only at this time of year, along with an exciting host of year-round birds.
Watch this recorded virtual program from our partners at Turnstile Tours for a discussion with experts from the Brooklyn Bird Club, where they share some of the notable species currently found in the city, how to identify them, and tips for where to to find them. A birder joins live from the field, showing some of these spots in Prospect Park.
Prospect Park Alliance recently completed the restoration of the Endale Arch, one of the original portals to the park designed by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted. In this virtual tour, hosted by Turnstile Tours, get an insider’s look at the restoration process, which required years of research, incredibly skilled craftspeople, and painstakingly detailed work to bring the arch back to its original splendor. With guests Sarena Rabinowitz, Assistant Architect, Design & Construction at Prospect Park Alliance, and Curtis Barnhart of Barnhart Restoration & Design, the group that did the restoration work on the stunning interior. We go live to the arch itself to see these wonderful details up close.
The arch restoration was generously funded by the Tiger Baron Foundation, with additional support from Council Member Brad Lander through District 39 participatory budgeting. Learn more about this multi-phase restoration project.
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Prospect Park is a haven for our community, and home to Brooklyn's last remaining forest and only lake. This Spring, give back to Brooklyn's Backyard to keep the park green and vibrant all summer long for you and your neighbors.
