Brooklyn Bridge Park Is Adding Two New, Family-Friendly Features

With its flora-filled gardens,  whimsical playgrounds and water features, and spectacular views of Lower Manhattan’s skyline, Brooklyn Bridge Park is already a hit destination with many city families. But this fall, the five-year-old park will introduce two additional areas for families to explore, discover, and enjoy together. The park will add a meadow to Pier 6, providing a natural area of respite, and an Environmental Education Center at 99 Plymouth Street, near the Manhattan Bridge.

In contrast to the other piers, designed for active recreation, the newest portion of Pier 6, located on the southernmost part of the park, will feature a more pastoral experience. In addition to the popular playgrounds located on the entrance to Pier 6, this new section, expected to open in fall 2015, will boasts a meadow with expansive lawns and lush greenery. Families and kids will enjoy meandering through small lawns surrounded by thirty-five different plants that will bloom in succession throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

In addition to appreciating the scenery, families will soon have an opportunity to formally learn more about the park’s environment and ecosystem at the park’s Environmental Education Center. Located at 99 Plymouth Street, the center is set to open with select hours in mid-September. The Center will serve as a living laboratory, and offer an environmental education program for students as well as day campers. The center’s signature exhibits will include a marine aquarium, featuring a 250 gallontank stocked with fish from the East River, and an attached touch tank. At the Nancy Bowe Discovery Station, kids and families can  participate in hands-on educational exploration of the park’s ecological, historical, and design elements.

In addition to the new center, an upgraded dog run, a new entry plaza at Washington Street and a bouldering wall for climbers of all skill levels can be found in the renovated and expanded Main Street park area.

An annex of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum is also coming to the park, and will be housed on the ground floor of the One John Street condominium.

In the meantime, families can also enjoy Danish artist Jeppe Hein’s interactive sculpture installation, “Please Touch the Art,” filled with interesting water installations and unconventional sculptures. The installation, which opened this past May, will remain in the park through April 2016. To really make the most of the exhibit, families can bring along this print-at-home scavenger hunt.

To learn more about Brooklyn Bridge Park, visit brooklynbridgepark.org!