Subway: 1 to South Ferry, R/W to Whitehall St. or 4/5 to Bowling Green.

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A rare parcel of open space in crowded downtown Manhattan, this beautifully restored park is a public art museum, recreation space and historic center all in one. Home to Castle Clinton, a fort dating to the early 1800s and now a national park site, Battery Park provides great waterfront views and a natural space to relax.

Dutch settlers first landed here in 1623 and later established New Amsterdam on this southern tip of the island of Manhattan, taking advantage of the great harbor for trading across the Atlantic. Still a hub for maritime travel today, Battery Park serves as a departure point for many ferries including the Staten Island and Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ferries. One of the oldest public spaces in New York City, the 25-acre landscaped park provides visitors opportunities to bike, run, or simply relax and enjoy the harbor views.

Battery Park is also a cultural destination filled with sculptures, flower beds and fountains. During the warm weather months, outdoor music and dance performances take place in the park, and there are often street performers who entertain the crowds gathered to embark on the harbor ferries.

Battery Park is currently being rebuilt and revitalized by The Battery Conservancy, in partnership with agencies at the federal, state and city levels. This ongoing process has already yielded dramatic results and the park today provides an opportunity for visitors to explore and enjoy a beautifully landscaped space with iconic views of the harbor.

Battery Park gets its name from the cannon battery installed here in colonial times to protect the settlement from invasion by sea. A portion of the wall of the original battery was uncovered during subway excavation and can now be seen at Castle Clinton in Battery Park.

Many people stop to take photographs of The Sphere, a metal sculpture that originally stood outside the World Trade Center buildings as a symbol of peace. Badly damaged on 9/11, it was salvaged and temporarily installed in Battery Park.

Cradle of New York's Independence

Though American independence was declared on July 4, 1776, New York City remained occupied by the British for the entire seven years of the Revolutionary War -- longer than any American city. Not until November 25, 1783, did General George Washington liberate New York. His triumphant march on horseback culminated at the Battery where citizens and soldiers alike awaited a thirteen-gun salute, one for each colony, signaling that the Union Jack had been replaced with the Stars and Stripes.

On the day of Washington's Inauguration, April 30, 1789, the cannons boomed again, awakening America's first capitol city. Learn more about George Washington's New York.