Battery Park

Financial District & Lower Manhattan

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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

  • A woman takes notes in front of a sculpture at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

    Metropolitan Museum of Art

    5.94 MILES

    What started with a handful of paintings brought over from Europe or donated by a coterie of philanthropically minded robber barons in the 19th century…

  • OCTOBER 2015: Visitors paddle in boats near a bridge at Central Park..

    Central Park

    6.07 MILES

    One of the world’s most renowned green spaces, Central Park comprises 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcroppings, elm-lined walkways,…

  • Ellis Island and the Immigration Museum

    Ellis Island

    1.29 MILES

    Located in New York Harbor, Ellis Island is the US's most famous and historically important gateway and is home to one of the country’s most moving…

  • Beautiful view of Manhattan during a summer sunset

    Empire State Building

    3.5 MILES

    The Chrysler Building may be prettier, and One World Trade Center taller, but the queen bee of the New York skyline remains the Empire State Building. NYC…

  • NEW YORK - MAY 29 : ONE WORLD OBSERVATORY grand opening day on May 29, 2015. It is open year round. Starting May 29th until September 7th from 9 a.m. until midnight

    One World Observatory

    0.7 MILES

    Spanning three levels at the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, One World Observatory offers dazzling panoramic views over Manhattan's…

  • SolomonR. Guggenheim Museum, detailed view

    Guggenheim Museum

    6.28 MILES

    A New York icon, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, more commonly known as the Guggenheim, is an internationally-renowned art museum and one of the most…

  • Statue of Liberty

    Statue of Liberty

    1.78 MILES

    It’s been over a century since Lady Liberty made her debut appearance on the New York skyline, but this iconic statue is still one of the city’s most…

  • 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

    National September 11 Memorial Museum

    0.6 MILES

    When the twin towers of the World Trade Center toppled during the awful events of 11 September 2001, it led to years of soul-searching about what would be…

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Nearby Financial District & Lower Manhattan 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,…