Crotona Park

Crotona Park is located in the Bronx borough. This century-old New York City park is known for its wide variety of trees and wildlife in its 1.3 hectare lake. New Yorkers also enjoy the sports facilities available, including the huge swimming pool.

There is really no “best season” to discover New York’s Crotona Park. Its landscape is as inviting in summer as it is in winter. Covering more than 51 hectares, its long paths wind between woods, lakes and vast lawns.

There are some thirty varieties of trees and over two hundred varieties of flowers. Endemic birds breed here, while turtles and fish inhabit the ponds.

For sports enthusiasts and families, there are plenty of opportunities for recreation. There are tennis courts, baseball fields, basketball courts, handball courts, bicycle paths and one of the largest swimming pools in the city.

On the landscaped areas, you can barbecue, play chess or lie down to enjoy the sun and get a tan.

The City of New York bought the park from a businessman in 1888. It was a large wooded area that its owner, Andrew Bathgate, called Bathgate Woods. The name remained in use for some time, at least until a family feud forced City Hall to rename the area.

The council opted for Crotona Park, named after an ancient Greek colony in Italy, known for its Olympic training school. It was also the name of an ancient aqueduct in New York.

For over a hundred years, Crotona Park has been one of New York City’s most important public parks.

In its early days as a city park, Crotona Park had an ice rink. New Yorkers could also go boating, and in 1936, under the leadership of Robert Moses, the new head of New York City parks, the large swimming pool with sauna was built.

The Bronx Parks staff offers visitors guided tours to better understand the different aspects of nature in Crotona Park. For example, the Bronx Urban Park Rangers give educational tours around Indian Lake and describe the specifics of each tree species that is present in the park.