10 things to do in Bryant Park NYC

In the heart of Manhattan, this park is a green jewel that allows you to relax while still enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city.

Isabel Catalán

Isabel Catalán

10 min read

10 things to do in Bryant Park NYC

Bryant Park in the heart of Manhattan | ©Michael Hutchinson

In the middle of Manhattan' s bustling Midtown lies a little haven of peace known as Bryant Park, one of the city's smallest parks but one of the most beloved by New Yorkers. A nice place to take a break during your visit to the Big Apple.

If you fancy discovering one of the best parks in New York, take note and make the most of its cultural agenda and all it has to offer:

1. Ice skating at Christmas

Bryant Park Ice Rink| ©Hellotickets
Bryant Park Ice Rink| ©Hellotickets

A typical postcard of Christmas in New York is the ice skaters. From late October to early January you can be one of them in Bryant Park, which for a few weeks becomes the Bank of America Winter Village.

Here you'll find The Rink, a large, free ice-skating rink and an iconic Christmas market filled with souvenirs and gourmet treats. Like Rockefeller Center at Christmas, Bryant Park also has a tree lit up for Christmas, although it's a little less media-friendly.

The Christmas tree lighting ceremony

There are no celebrities to liven up the evening, but it is also very special: a group of skateboarders dance and perform acrobatics to live music as a storyline that concludes with the lighting of the tree lights. Afterwards, the ice rink is reopened to the public while musicians from Lincoln Center play jazz. If you're in town for Christmas, you can read my article on 15 Christmas things to do in New York City.

The ice rink remains open until April, when it is dismantled for the spring and work is done so that the Bryant Park lawn can recover for the summer.

Book a Brooklyn Christmas Tour

2. Join one of their summer activities

Bryant Park in Summer| ©Krisztina Papp / Unsplash
Bryant Park in Summer| ©Krisztina Papp / Unsplash

At the end of May, Bryant Park hosts a multitude of activities that attract many onlookers: free yoga, tai-chi and dance classes, a reading corner, spaces for entertaining board games and my personal favourite, the legendary outdoor classic film festival that screens on Monday nights during the summer months. There's free popcorn at the entrance if you get there early!

If you're up for it and you're travelling to New York in the summer, I recommend checking the official Bryant Park website to keep an eye on the schedule and find out about times, events, etc. well in advance.

Book a tour of New York

3. Photograph the mythical Bryant Park fountain

Bryant Park Fountain frozen in winter| ©Hellotickets
Bryant Park Fountain frozen in winter| ©Hellotickets

The first thing you'll see on Sixth Avenue is the popular Bryant Park Fountain, although its real name is the Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain, which was erected in 1912 in honour of a social worker who fought to improve working conditions for women. It was the first public monument in the city dedicated to a woman. It was the city's first public monument dedicated to a woman.

If you visit Bryant Park in winter, this fountain is one of the most photographed spots in the park as the cold freezes the water into curious shapes.

4. Make the most of Bryant Park at its most cultural.

Bryant Park Film Festival on a Summer's Eve| ©NYC again
Bryant Park Film Festival on a Summer's Eve| ©NYC again

In your reading room

During the warmer months of the year, the Bryant Park Reading Room is a lovely space under the trees with benches and tables where you can spend some quality time reading the newspaper or a book for free. No need for IDs or cards.

In addition, the Reading Room organises lunchtime and after-work reading programmes for those who work in nearby offices and want to get away from it all for a while. There are also reading clubs, spelling competitions, meetings with writers, film discussions and activities for children.

With its concerts

In September in New York, the American Symphony Orchestra offers several intimate concer ts that fill up quickly. Since seating for these events is limited, I advise you to arrive early as they are first come, first served. All performances begin at 5:30 PM.

If you enjoy piano concerts, ragtime, stride and jazz recitals are held every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday between June and October.

Picnic Performances

One of Bryant Park's coolest cultural activities for a fun evening is the Picnic Performances, where audiences can attend short opera, dance, music and theatre performances for free with no lines, no tickets and no dress code.

In addition, blankets are distributed at the entrance to make the evening more relaxed, so that people can lie down and enjoy the picnic while watching the show - there are even jugglers and giant games to keep the audience entertained!

Take part in their writing workshops

Did you know that Bryant Park offers free writing workshops with teachers to hone your writing skills? If you're interested in the subject, I highly recommend you check out these workshops as it's a great opportunity to increase your creativity with writing and meet people in New York with the same interests.

5. Ride the Bryant Park Carousel

Bryant Park Carousel| ©Betty Tsang / Flickr.com
Bryant Park Carousel| ©Betty Tsang / Flickr.com

Bryant Park is also home to a small vintage carousel that was designed in harmony with the French style of the park and in homage to the European and American tradition of carousels. Its decorations and animals are handmade. If you're visiting New York with kids, and this park in particular, they'll love it. The ride costs $3.

Other activities in Bryant Park for kids

If you're travelling to New York with kids, it's important to include plans on the agenda where they can also enjoy the getaway. Bryant Park is one of those places where the little ones can play outdoors and have fun with the children's activities on offer: the merry-go-round, story-time, bubble show, magic and much more.

6. Take the opportunity to visit the New York Public Library

The famous steps of the New York Public Library| ©Hellotickets
The famous steps of the New York Public Library| ©Hellotickets

The part of Bryant Park that borders Fifth Avenue is occupied by the New York Public Library, a beautiful neoclassical building accessed by a marble staircase decorated at the entrance with two fountains and two lions nicknamed Patience and Fortress that guard the greatest treasure of this space: its more than three million books.

I recommend you visit it after a stroll through Bryant Park because it contains treasures of literature and history such as a letter from Christopher Columbus, a draft of the US Declaration of Independence, a copy of the Gutenberg Bible and some manuscripts by William Shakespeare.

Climb to the third floor

The majesty of its reading rooms is such that it has been used as the setting for several films, but the most famous of all is the Rose Reading Room, the main reading room on the third floor. Not only because it is as big as a football pitch, but also because of its ostentatious decoration with hanging lamps, massive oak tables and frescoes on the ceiling.

As a curiosity, on the same floor you can see the library with original furniture owned by Mary Shelley, the author of "Frankenstein or the modern Prometheus". One of the most unknown corners for most visitors to the New York Public Library.

7. Join one of the tours that take you around it

Bryant Park| ©tom dube
Bryant Park| ©tom dube

Bird watching

Who knew that in a park as small as Bryant Park there could be such a diversity of birds? If you like bird watching, between September and October the NYC Audubon platform for the protection of these animals and their habitat organises guided tours to observe the wildlife of Bryant Park.

Guided tours

Weather permitting, every other Wednesday there is a guided walking tour of Bryant Park to learn about the origins of Bryant Park, its history and how for a few years it became a haven for crime and drugs in Manhattan's Town Square.

The tour starts every morning at 11AM from the Bryant Park Fountain, near Sixth Avenue and 41st Street, and lasts 45 minutes.

8. Attend the Film Festival in Bryant Park

Bryant Park Open Cinema| ©usoasol
Bryant Park Open Cinema| ©usoasol

A good plan for Monday nights in New York City during the summer is to head to Bryant Park for their Open Cinema Festival. In front of the park's famous fountain, a giant screen plays classic films while the audience picnics on the lawn.

The viewing area opens at 5PM to allow people to take their seats, but the film starts between 8PM and 9PM.

9. Drop by the Nikola Tesla Corner

Nikola Tesla Corner| ©Heather Paul
Nikola Tesla Corner| ©Heather Paul

The corner of Sixth Avenue and 40th Street is dedicated to inventor Nikola Tesla as it is said that he spent a lot of time here feeding the birds. In fact, there is a sign on the street that reads "Nikola Tesla Corner" to mark the site.

Other sculptures or tributes

  • The William Earl Dodge Memorial: On the north side of the park is a bronze statue dedicated to philanthropist and entrepreneur William Earl Dodge.
  • The William Cullen Bryant Memorial: Bryant Park is also home to a memorial statue to the poet and journalist William Cullen Bryant, after whom the park was named in 1884. When the New York Public Library was completed, this monument was installed in 1911.

10. Take the opportunity to see the surrounding buildings

Inside Grand Central Station| ©Hellotickets
Inside Grand Central Station| ©Hellotickets

If there's one thing we travellers love about New York, it's its eclectic architecture. From Bryant Park you can enjoy views of some very special buildings that surround the park and give it a unique personality.

42nd Street

  • 500 Fifth Avenue: On the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street stands this 212-metre tall Art Deco skyscraper designed by the architects of the Empire State Building.
  • Bryant Park Building: On the northwest corner of Avenue of the Americas and 42nd Street is this building that was remodelled in 1985 to house the Home Box Office Building (HBO).
  • Salmon Tower Building: This beautiful 1920s building is notable for the tile vaults in its lobby and the bas-reliefs around its entrance, which represent the months of the year. New York University occupies part of the building.

Avenue of the Americas

  • Bank of America Tower: One of the most modern skyscrapers surrounding Bryan Park. It was completed in 2010 with a sustainable design in connection with nature and is the eighth tallest in the city. You'll know it for its sloping roof and glass structure to let in light.
  • 1095 Avenue of the Americas: A 192-metre tall skyscraper that was built in the 1970s as the headquarters of New York Telephone.

40th Street

  • American Radiator Building: One of the most beautiful buildings surrounding Bryant Park. Art Deco and neo-Gothic in style, it is characterised by black brick with gold trim to symbolise fire - you'll spot it in no time!

Fifth Avenue

  • Knox Hat Building: This is one of the most beautiful commercial buildings in the city. It was built at the turn of the 20th century and housed the offices of a major hat manufacturer that was worn by the likes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John D. Rockefeller.
  • New York Public Library: One of the most impressive buildings in New York, both inside and out. Opened in 1911.

Other nearby buildings

  • Chrysler Building: The favourite skyscraper of many New Yorkers and tourists for its striking Art Deco architecture.
  • Grand Central Terminal: A marvel of art and engineering that opened in the 19th century and is now one of New York's most prominent architectural gems.

Where Bryant Park is and how to get there

Location of Bryant Park on the Manhattan map
Location of Bryant Park on the Manhattan map

Bryant Park is located on 42nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, very close to Times Square. The park can be reached by underground on the following lines:

  • B, D, F and M lines (42nd St/Bryant Park stop).
  • Line 7 (Stop 5th Ave)

Where to eat in Bryant Park?

Bryant Park Terraces| ©Dominik Pearce / Unsplash
Bryant Park Terraces| ©Dominik Pearce / Unsplash

Bryant Park is the ideal place in Midtown Manhattan to take a break and have a relaxed meal. There's a little bit of everything from upscale restaurants to cosy cafés and small kiosks.

The Lodge Deck

During the winter, next to the ice rink, The Lodge Deck offers a seasonal menu and hot drinks in a space overlooking the ice rink. There are different types of sausage with sides and sauces as well as various cheese, spicy or bacon fries. Open daily between October and March from 10 AM to 10 PM.

Fever-Tree Porch

When the weather is nice, a good place to grab a bite to eat while you recharge your batteries is Fever Tree Porch. Their salads are delicious, but there are also other options such as burgers and sandwiches.

There are also power outlets available at Fever Tree Porch to charge your phone or computer, which comes in handy after a day out on the town. With free Wi-Fi in Bryant Park, you can upload all your photos to social media or make a video call home to let people know how much fun you're having on your trip. Open Monday to Wednesday from noon to 6 PM and Thursday to Sunday from noon to 8 PM.

Bryant Park Grill

The Bryant Park Grill is a sophisticated Parisian-style restaurant perfect for a romantic evening if you're travelling to New York as a couple. Depending on the time of year, the terrace adapts to the weather and the menu is extensive and delicious - ask for their desserts and cocktails, they are exquisite! Open weekends from 12 PM to 8:30 PM.

Bryant Park Café

The Bryant Park Café is run by the Bryant Park Grill but has a more casual feel. You don't need a reservation to eat here and the menu is American style. Its terrace is a popular spot, especially during the summer. It is open from Wednesday to Friday from 3:30 PM to 9 PM and on weekends from 11:30 AM to 7 PM.