Things to do nearBrooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn Bridge Park occupies a stretch of the Brooklyn waterfront that was once dominated by working cargo piers, and its transformation into a public green space reflects a decades-long effort by community advocates and city planners to reclaim the waterfront for public use. The park runs roughly from the Manhattan Bridge down to Atlantic Avenue, with individual piers developed for different purposes. Pier 1 features sweeping lawns and a granite promenade that places you directly beneath the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge, making it one of the most photographed vantage points in New York City.

Pier 2 is built for active recreation, with basketball courts, handball walls, shuffleboard, and boating facilities. Pier 5 offers open meadow space and picnic areas popular with families on weekends. Pier 6 sits at the southern end and includes a sand volleyball area, a water-play feature for children, and access to ferry service.

Throughout the park, the landscape design by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates preserves the industrial bones of the old piers while layering in native plantings and naturalistic terrain. The Jane's Carousel, a beautifully restored 1922 merry-go-round housed in a Jean Nouvel-designed glass pavilion on Pier 0, stands as one of the park's most distinctive landmarks. The surrounding DUMBO neighborhood adds to the draw, with galleries, coffee shops, and restaurants within easy walking distance along the cobblestone streets.

Brooklyn Bridge Park earns its place as one of New York's most rewarding public spaces by combining genuine natural beauty, thoughtful design, and an unmatched view of one of the world's most iconic bridges.