Battery Park

Located at the southernmost tip of Manhattan and named for the protective artillery batteries installed there by the Dutch and British during Colonial times, Battery Park is a 25-acre public space that acts as a front yard of sorts to the downtown area.

Functionally, the park serves as a ferry hub, shuttling legions of tourists to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and providing commuters with a stop on the New York Water Taxi. But Battery Park is so much more than that. In addition to offering breathtaking views of New York Harbor and Lady Liberty, the 200-plus-year-old park is both a bastion of historical richness and a cradle of modern-day activities and culture.

Historically speaking, the park's major landmark is Castle Clinton, aka Castle Garden, aka Castle Clinton National Monument, an American fort that was built just prior to the War of 1812 on a small, man-made island in New York Harbor. When landfill was used to extend Battery Park further out into the harbor in 1823, the now-enclosed island became a permanent part of the park. In the years following, it served as everything from a beer garden to one of the premier theatrical venues in the United States. And in 1855 -- decades before the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island even existed -- Castle Clinton became America's first immigration depot, welcoming millions new citizens to the shores of New York. These days, it acts as a tourist draw and ticketing center for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferries... so not quite as glamorous as its previous incarnations, but that's the way it goes.

But even if you're not a history buff or a tourist in need of water transportation, Battery Park has plenty to entice, starting with vibrant gardens, a bevy of free activities (think open-air concerts) and a plethora of must-see art installations. Chief among these are the Korean War Memorial and Fritz Koenig's The Sphere, the latter of which once stood at the center of the World Trade Center Plaza and has been temporarily installed at the northern end of the park as a memorial to the victims of Sept. 11.

By Tom