Tag: Calvert Vaux

Manhattan Serenity: Central Park’s Secret Woodland

March 1, 2025 Tags: , , ,
Best Central Park Tour

On the Secret Places of Central Park tour, you’ll the enchanting North Woods, a 40-acre woodland oasis that will transport you to a tranquil environment reminiscent of the Adirondack Mountains. This serene escape offers “natural” beauty and carefully crafted landscapes, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux that evoke a sense of wilderness and wonder in the heart of Manhattan.

As we wander through the winding paths, the sounds and sights of the city fade away, replaced by the soothing melody of the Cascade waterfall. The Ravine, with its picturesque stream known as the Loch, is a highlight, featuring a number of manmade wooden bridges beneath a canopy of trees.  You’ll be surrounded by lush greenery and as you roam past the engineering feats of spectacular stone bridges.  The scenery and romantic ambiance enhance the peaceful stroll that clear or “unbend” the mind.

The North Woods also boasts the historic landmark of the majestic Blockhouse, a remnant from the War of 1812.   Whether you’re a nature lover, a history buff, or simply seeking a tranquil retreat, the North Woods is a must-visit destination in Central Park. Come and discover its beauty, serenity, and magic on the Secret Places of Central Park tour.  Book the tour today!

Central Park for a “Healthier and Happier” City

May 17, 2024 Tags: , , ,
Best Central Park Tour

There were many motivations for creating Central Park in the 1850s to 1870s, from giving New York a great park like those in Europe to raising the value of real estate surrounding the park to providing a democratic space, but Frederick Law Olmsted knew, based on his own empirical insights, that a large park could improve the city’s citizens physical, mental, and spiritual health. Central Park has proven that theory since its inception. Read it in Olmsted’s own words:

[Central Park] is not simply to give the people of the city an opportunity for getting fresh air and exercise; if it were it could have been maintained by other means than those to be provided on the park at much less cost. It is not simply to make a place of amusement or for the gratification of curiosity or for gaining knowledge. The main object and justification is simply to produce a certain influence on the minds of people and through this to make life in the city healthier and happier. The character of this influence is a poetic one and it is to be produced by means of scenes through observation of which the mind may be more or less lifted out of moods and habits into which it is, under the ordinary conditions of life in the city, likely to fall.

Experience this health and happiness in some of the best walking tours in New York City, the “Secret Places of Central Park,” and the “Central Park Experience: A Historical and Scenic Walking Tour!

From rederick Law Olmsted’s “Instructions to Central Park Gardeners”