Bronx Park is located in the northern part of New York City, in the borough of the same name. It is a green space in a metropolis where cement and cars are omnipresent. This haven of peace is home to restful flora and free, gentle fauna.
Bronx Park is a huge green space with a forest and the Bronx River running through it. Originally, this area was the gathering place of the Siwanoy Indian tribe. It was discovered in 1639 by the Swedish navigator Jonas Bronck, which explains the current name of the park and the borough of New York where it is located.
Indeed, Jonas Bronck was not only the discoverer of these lands, he was also the owner when he bought them from the Dutch West India Company.
The park was created in the 19th century. It was part of the approach taken by personalities who were concerned with the living conditions of urban dwellers.
It was at this time that the New York Park Association was born (1881) and that a green space policy worthy of the name was decreed since the city of New York bought the land on which the main parks were built today.
The Bronx borough is home to many other beautiful parks such as Crotona Park, Henry Hudson Park, Hunt’s Point Riverside Park, Macombs Dam Park, Pelham Bay Park, University Woods and Van Cortlandt Park.
In 1891, the New York Botanical Society set up a splendid botanical garden in part of Bronx Park, where an old tobacco mill belonging to Pierre Lorillard still stands.
In 1898, the Bronx Zoo, the Wildlife Conservation Park, was opened. Expanded several times over the last century, it is now one of the largest zoos in the world. There are more than 4000 live animals. The zoo is home to the famous Rocking Stone, an imposing pink granite stone weighing 30 tons and dating from the Ice Age.
Today, New Yorkers gather here to enjoy a moment of peace in a relaxing park, but also to engage in physical activities in dedicated spaces: children’s playgrounds, bike paths, ball fields, tennis courts, a walking trail along the river, or a golf course with the prestigious Mosholu course located in Van Cortlandt Park.
Bronx Park is also home to Fordham University, the Rose Hill campus, the iconic Hall of Fame for Great Americans and Yankee Stadium.
As soon as the warm weather settles over New York, the barbecue areas are all taken up by the Sunday picnic of New Yorkers.
Useful information
Open hours : free
Entrance fee : free
