NYC Arts: The Complete Guide to Art and Culture

The Central Park Conservancy, in partnership with the New York City Parks Department, is the great caretaker of America's most frequented urban park-25 million visitors annually-covering 843 acres. Founded in 1980 by Elizabeth Barlow Rogers and a group of civic and corporate leaders, the conservancy today maintains the park, restores and conserves its 51 sculptures, monuments and historic buildings, creates educational programs for 30,000 students annually and offers recreational programs for thousands at the North Meadow Recreation Center.

Conservancy crews aerate and seed lawns; rake leaves; prune and fertilize trees; plant shrubs and flowers; maintain ball fields and playgrounds; remove graffiti; conserve monuments, bridges, and buildings; and care for bodies of water and woodlands, controlling erosion, maintaining the drainage system, and protecting over 150 acres of lakes and streams from pollution, siltation and algae.

Conservancy education programs focus on environmental science and park history; recreation programs for youth, families, community organizations and schools; and a volunteer program for youth and adults in horticulture. Moreover, the conservancy organizes hundreds of free public programs throughout the park, primarily at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, Belvedere Castle, the Dairy and the North Meadow Recreation Center.

• Directions: Subway: N or R to Fifth Avenue - 59th Street. Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4 or M30 to East 64th Street; M66 to Fifth Avenue

• Disability Access: Fully accessible, except for Dairy bathroom.