Prospect Park - New York City - In Brooklyn

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux after their great success with Central Park, this 562 acres of woodland, meadows, bluffs, and ponds is considered by many to be their masterpiece and the pièce de résistance of Brooklyn.

The best approach is from Grand Army Plaza, presided over by the monumental Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch (1892) honoring Union veterans. For the best view of the lush landscape, follow the path to Meadowport Arch, and proceed through to the Long Meadow, following the path that loops around it (it's about an hour's walk). Other park highlights include the 1857 Italianate mansion Litchfield Villa on Prospect Park West; the Friends' Cemetery Quaker burial ground (where Montgomery Clift is eternally prone -- sorry, it's fenced off to browsers); the wonderful 1906 Beaux Arts boathouse; the 1912 carousel, with white wooden horses salvaged from a famous Coney Island merry-go-round (open Apr-Oct; rides 50¢); and Lefferts Homestead Children's Historic House Museum (tel. 718/789-2822), a 1783 Dutch farmhouse with a museum of period furniture and exhibits geared toward kids (open Apr-Nov Thurs-Sun noon-5pm; Dec-March open Sat and Sun, noon to 4pm.) There's a map at the park entrance that you can use to get your bearings.

On the east side is the Prospect Park Zoo (tel. 718/399-7339), a modern children's zoo where kids can walk among wallabies, explore a prairie-dog town, and more. Admission is $6 for adults, $2.25 for seniors, $2 for children 3 to 12. From April through October, it's open Monday through Friday from 10am to 5pm (to 5:30pm weekends and holidays); November through March, open daily from 10am to 4:30pm.