Fodor's Expert Review Great Lawn

The truly great 14-acre oval has endured billions of footsteps, thousands of ball games, hundreds of downpours, scores of concerts including regular events by the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera, the annual Global Citizen concert of superstars, and even the crush of people attending one papal Mass. The lawn and adjoining Turtle Pond are located on the site of a former reservoir for the 19th-century Croton Aqueduct system, which was filled in early in the 20th century. Yet it's the stuff of a suburbanite's dream—perfectly tended turf (a mix of rye and Kentucky bluegrass), state-of-the-art drainage systems, automatic sprinklers, and careful horticultural monitoring. The area hums with action on weekends and most summer evenings, when its softball fields and picnicking grounds provide a popular and much-needed outlet for city folk (and city dogs) of all ages, just as the Sheep Meadow does a bit farther south in the park. Although Central Park is dog-friendly, dogs must be on a leash.