Urban Oasis: Escape into These Gorgeous City Parks

From New York to San Francisco, Chicago to Dallas, we’ve noted a few of our favorite urban parks across the U.S. These beautiful and dynamic city parks offer visitors serenity, beauty and plenty of exciting activity. Features include art installations, outdoor film and music festivals, canoe rentals and miles of bike and jogging paths.

1. Central Park / New York
Absolutely stunning through each season of the year, Central Park is a continual favorite. Tourists travel from around the world to see this amazing urban oasis. With over 800 acres of lush, green vegetation, Central Park has something for everyone. Activities and features include baseball and kickball leagues, canoe and paddle-boat rentals, fishing, hiking, biking, playgrounds, fountains, live music and performances, film festivals and irresistable views of the famed Manhattan skyline.

2. Golden Gate Park / San Francisco
Claiming the title as the third most popular urban park in the U.S., Golden Gate Park spans over 1000 acres. It was inspired by Central Park in the 1860’s. With attractions like the Music Concourse, De Young Museum, Academy of Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden, Botanical Gardens and amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco skyline, it’s no wonder why over 13 million tourists visit each year.

3. Millenium Park / Chicago
Millenium Park is unlike Central Park and Golden Gate as it is much smaller, 24 acres, and was created as more of an entertainment space. Previously railyards and old parking lots, the City of Chicago revitalized the land into a modern and well-equipped urban oasis. It lies within the larger Grant Park in downtown Chicago. It is also a showcase for postmodern architecture. It features the McCormick Tribune Ice Skating Rink, Peristyle at Wrigley Square, Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance, AT&T Plaza, Chase Promenade and Trees in Millennium Park.

The park is successful as a public art venue in part due to the grand scale of each piece and the open spaces for display. There are four major artistic highlights: Cloud Gate, Crown Fountain, Lurie Garden and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Millennium Park is often considered the largest roof garden in the world, having been constructed on top of a railroad yard and large parking garages.