Battery Park

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Skirting the southern edge of Manhattan, this 12-acre oasis lures with public artworks, meandering walkways and perennial gardens. Its memorials include tributes to those who died in the Korean War and Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano. The first Dutch settlement on Manhattan was founded here in 1625, and the city's first battery was later erected in its defense. You'll also find the lovely SeaGlass Carousel, historic Castle Clinton and the ferry service to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Warning! There's an ongoing turf war of hustlers scamming tourists looking to visit the Statue of Liberty. Only one company, Statue Cruises, sells these tickets. If you didn't purchase them online, buy them at the ticket office in Castle Clinton.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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  • Ellis Island and the Immigration Museum

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    1.29 MILES

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  • Beautiful view of Manhattan during a summer sunset

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    3.5 MILES

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    0.7 MILES

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  • SolomonR. Guggenheim Museum, detailed view

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  • Statue of Liberty

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    1.78 MILES

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  • NEW YORK CITY, USA - JUNE 18 2016 - Panoramic view of the interior National 9/11 Memorial Museum. The Last Column Remnants and Slurry Wall. Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA

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    0.6 MILES

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Nearby attractions

1. Castle Clinton

0.05 MILES

Built as a fort to defend New York Harbor during the war of 1812, this national monument has played numerous roles, including opera house, entertainment…

2. SeaGlass Carousel

0.09 MILES

Paying homage to the Battery as the site of New York's first aquarium, this luminous, nautilus-shaped carousel lets you glide along sitting inside one of…

3. National Museum of the American Indian

0.15 MILES

An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, this elegant tribute to Native American culture occupies Cass Gilbert's spectacular 1907 Custom House, one of…

4. Skyscraper Museum

0.19 MILES

Fans of phallic architecture will appreciate this compact, high-gloss gallery, examining skyscrapers as objects of design, engineering and urban renewal…

5. Bowling Green

0.19 MILES

New York’s oldest public park is purportedly the spot where Dutch settler Peter Minuit paid Native Americans the equivalent of $24 to purchase Manhattan…

6. Museum of Jewish Heritage

0.24 MILES

This evocative waterfront museum explores all aspects of modern Jewish identity and culture, from religious traditions to artistic accomplishments. The…

7. Fraunces Tavern Museum

0.25 MILES

Combining five early-18th-century structures, this unique museum/restaurant/bar pays homage to the nation-shaping events of 1783, the momentous year in…

8. New York Stock Exchange

0.37 MILES

Home to the world’s best-known stock exchange (the NYSE), Wall Street is an iconic symbol of US capitalism. Behind the portentous neoclassical facade,…