Peak Fall foliage in Central Park runs from about the second week in October to the first week in November. It’s not to be missed if you’re visiting during that time! In my opinion the best spots for finding beautiful autumn color in New York City is the east side of Central Park starting behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art down to Bethesda Fountain, Cherry Hill, and the Mall. For a bird’s eye view you can go to the top of Belvedere Castle (free) but I feel there’s not too much fall color to see from that vantage point.

• Central Park’s 843 acres include 136 acres of woodlands, 250 acres of lawns, and 150 acres of water in 7 waterbodies.
• The Park’s six-mile perimeter extends from Eighth Avenue to Fifth Avenue and 59th Street to 110th Street.
• Central Park is the first public park built in America. A competition for the design was held in 1858. The winners were Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux.
• Central Park is completely manmade. It took 15 years and over $14 million (roughly $200 million today) to build the Park in accordance with Olmsted and Vaux’s Greensward Plan.
• To construct the Park, workers moved nearly five million cubic yards of stone, earth, and topsoil. They built 30 bridges and arches, and 11 overpasses over sunken transverse roads.
• The northern end of the Park was the site of a series of fortifications for the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
• Tavern on the Green was originally a sheepfold housing a shepherd and the flock that grazed the Sheep Meadow until 1934.
• Belvedere Castle was completed in 1872 as a viewing pavilion overlooking the Croton Reservoir.
• In 1934, the Reservoir was filled in to become the Great Lawn.
• The original Carousel, built in 1871, was turned by “horsepower.” Twice destroyed by fire, it was replaced by the current brick structure in 1951.
• There are 51 sculptures in the Park and 36 bridges and arches. Bethesda Fountain was the only sculpture included in the original design of the Park; the others were gifts.
• Central Park was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and a New York City Landmark in 1974.
• The Manhattan schist outcrops in the Park are approximately 450 million years old.
• Central Park contains 58 miles of pedestrian paths, 4.5 miles of bridle trail, 6.5 miles of Park Drive, and 7 miles of benches (nearly 6,000).
• There are 21 playgrounds.
• More than 500,000 trees, shrubs, and vines were planted during the building of the Park. Today, there are more than 26,000 trees, including 1,700 American elms.
• Over 275 species of migratory birds have been sighted in Central Park, a major stopping point on the Atlantic flyway.
• More than 25million visitors enjoy Central Park each year.
• Since 1980, a public-private partnership between New York City and the Central Park Conservancy has restored and preserved Central Park.