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Washington Heights & Inwood Online
Resource Directory
Parks & Gardens (24) 
Anne Loftus Playground
Corner of Riverside Drive and Broadway, at the Dyckman Street A-train station.
Located at the northeastern corner of Fort Tryon Park, this is the only playground for children originally designed by the Olmsted Brothers. The state-of-the-art reconstruction evokes their original plan.
Bennett Park
Between 183rd and 185th streets and between Fort Washington and Pinehurst avenues.
It's only 2.8 acres big, but it has a great children's playground that's great for toddlers. There is also a children's garden and a community garden on site. And it's the highest point in Manhattan.
Community Gardens in WaHI
There are 12 community gardens in Washington Heights and Inwood. Click to see a map and table showing the locations. Then show up if you want to become a member and participate.
Department of Parks & Recreation
Northern Manhattan: 741 Fort Washington Avenue, New York, NY 10040.
Tel: 212-795-1388.
Fax: 212-543-1020.
Email: crmmail@crm.nyc.gov?subject=Message%20to%20Commissioner%20of%20DPR.
Millions of visitors a year come to our magnificent parks, historic sites and recreation areas. The department offers art fairs, festivals and sports programs for people of all ages and abilities, and also sponsors boating and snowmobiling programs, nature study and outreach programs for those interested in zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums.
Foot Park
Tel: 212-674-5121.
Email: foot_park@hotmail.com.
Foot Park stands for better, safer access (by foot) to parks. Its first priority is to reclaim the footpath at 177th and Haven Avenue to Fort Washington Park. Volunteers are needed along with the participation of community groups to help achieve Foot Park's goals. Community participation is necessary to persuade city and state agencies, such as the DOT, to give WaHI high priority in the services they provide.
Fort Tryon Dog Owners Group (FTDOG)
P.O. Box 750, New York, NY 10040.
Tel: 1-877-512-9899.
Email: info@ftdog.org.
An organization of concerned Washington Heights and Inwood residents, primarily dog owners, who enjoy Ft. Tryon Park daily and are dedicated to improving the community by promoting the establishment and maintenance of humane off-leash recreational opportunities, responsible dog ownership and respectful park stewardship. FTDOG also manages a network of foster parents for lost and abandoned dogs. Contact them to volunteer as a foster parent or give a dog a permanent home.
Fort Tryon Park
West 190th Street to Dyckman Street, between Broadway and the West Side Highway.
More than 60 acres of wooded hills landscaped by Frederick Law Olmstead, son of the codesigner of Central Park and Prospect Park. This gorgeous park has eight miles of paths bordered by trees, parapets, scenic overlooks, and gardens, including a huge children's playground in the northeast corner (at Dyckman and Broadway).
Fort Washington Park
Along Riverside Drive (West Side Highway), from 158th Street to Dyckman Street.
159 landscaped acres, with playgrounds, tennis courts, handball courts and ballfields. Many paths with benches where visitors can sit and enjoy the spectacular views of the Hudson River, the George Washington Bridge, and the Palisades in New Jersey.
Friends of Fort Tryon Park
c/o Fort Tryon Jewish Center, 524 Fort Washington Avenue, New York, NY 10033.
Tel: 212-927-7174.
Email: fftp@att.net.
Aims to involve the entire community surrounding the park in maintaining and improving the park's appearance and condition and promoting its use by the public. They have beautification projects throughout the year. Volunteers always wanted.
Friends of Indian Road Playground
251 Seaman Avenue, New York, NY 10034.
Tel: 212-304-9327.
Email: firp1@yahoo.com.
Works to make the Indian Road Playground (at 214th Street and Indian Road) a clean, safe and enjoyable environment for the children of the community. Ongoing projects include maintaining clean sand in the sandbox, gardening and cleanup projects, and keeping the Parks Department as well as elected officials informed about any needed repairs and improvements. Volunteers are welcome.
Friends of Payson Avenue
73 Payson Avenue, New York, NY 10034.
Tel: 646-427-9665.
Email: MnGovt@aol.com.
Friends of Payson Avenue is dedicated to improve Inwood Hill Park conditions. Help Payson Avenue residents with their quality of life issues and get a long-lasting resolution. Since the Park is 196 acres, the Parks Department does not have enough people to cover the area. You can help by becoming a volunteer member of this organization.
Graffiti in New York Parks - Request for Removal
Report graffiti in any New York park so that the Parks Department can come and remove it.
Henry Hudson Parkway Scenic Byway Initiative
The Henry Hudson Parkway Task Force c/o Riverdale Nature Preservancy, P.O. Box 239, Bronx, NY 10471.
Email: info@henryhudsonparkway.org.
A group of individuals and local organizations working together to take a significant step toward preserving and improving the Henry Hudson Parkway and the parks and waterfront along it: They have proposed that the parkway be designated an official "New York State Scenic Byway," which would make the highway and its immediately adjacent areas eligible for special state and federal funding set aside for historic and scenic roads. It would also give the community a greater voice in the design and management of the highway and its corridor.
Highbridge Canine Club
520 West 190th, 1I, New York, NY 10040.
Tel: 646-763-9181.
Email: hbcc@netzero.net.
Aims to foster greater community involvement and goodwill by hosting pet events, family oriented events, and partnering with outreach programs to increase community awareness of the true nature of our canine friends (dogs). The group helped establish and manages the Highbridge Park North Dog Run at 193rd Street and Ft. George Avenue.
Highbridge Park
155th Street to Dyckman Street, between Amsterdam Avenue and the Harlem River Drive.
Tel: 212-927-2600.
119 landscaped acres, including an outdoor swimming pool open during the summer, a recreation center, playgrounds, handball courts, basketball courts, ballfields, hiking trails and the historical High Bridge and its water tower. A mountain biking trail is under development.
Inwood Hill Nature Center
Inwood Hill Park; enter at 218th Street and Indian Road.
Tel: 311 (ask for the Inwood Hill Nature Center).
The Inwood Hill Nature Center serves as an in-park community center for public education, recreational activities and environmental studies. The center serves as a starting point for walking tours and as a workshop site for educational programs for the whole family. Other reasons to check out the nature center: exhibits highlighting the diversity of Inwood Hill Park's landscape, and an abundance of informational written material like trail maps, nature center brochures, and The RedTailer, a newsletter that lists walks, tours, and special events in this and other nature centers throughout the city.
Inwood Hill Park
Dyckman Street to Spuyten Duyvil (where the Hudson and Harlem rivers meet).
196 acres, including the only remaining natural forest in Manhattan. Caves once housed the Algonquin Indians. Glacial configurations are etched deeply into the rocks throughout the park. The Ecology Center has a nice, hands-on exhibit of the geology and natural history of Inwood Hill. Picnic areas available. Ballfields, basketball courts, handball courts.
Isham Park
Isham Street to 214th Street, at Seaman Avenue.
A quiet alternative to Inwood Hill Park, with lots of lawn, benches and a playground. People tend to let their dogs run unleashed in this park so be vigilant with young children.
Little Red Lighthouse
Fort Washington Park, West 178th Street at the Hudson River. Directions: From Lafayette Place at W 181st Street, take steps, footpath and footbridge over the highway, down to the park and south to the lighthouse.
Tel: 212-304-2365.
The Jeffreys Hook Lighthouse served as a navigational aid before and after the George Washington Bridge was built. But it was deactivated in 1947 and was scheduled to be dismantled. Hildegard Swift's children's book, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge, popularized the lighthouse, and the millions of children who loved the lighthouse spoke out, saving it from destruction. Today, the Urban Park Rangers conduct tours of the light. In the fall, a Little Red Lighthouse Festival features tours of the light, food, photo displays and a reading of the famous story.
New York Restoration Project
31 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019.
Tel: 212-333-2552.
Fax: 212-333-3886.
Email: restore@nyrp.org.
NYRP carries out founder Bette Midler's dream of a cleaner, more beautiful New York. The organization restores, develops, and revitalizes underserved parks, community gardens, and open space in New York City. They provide ongoing maintenance and programs. Parks in our area that NYRP has invested in include Fort Washington Park, Fort Tryon Park, Highbridge Park, Roberto Clemente State Park, Gorman Park, and Swindler Cove Park and Boathouse.
NYC Park Facilities
Tel: 311.
New York City parks have hundreds of baseball, softball, football, soccer and cricket fields, basketball, tennis, volleyball and bocce courts, golf courses, ice skating and roller hockey rinks, marinas, bike paths, and more. The Parks and Recreation Department also manages 14 miles of beaches and 53 outdoor pools. For a comprehensive list of facility locations, and to apply for athletic permits and tennis permits on-line, check out the Park Facilities Website.
Riverside-Inwood Neighborhood Garden (RING)
Located at the confluence of Riverside Drive, Dyckman Street, Broadway and Seaman Avenue.
Email: mclarke@hunter.cuny.edu.
This community garden is run and maintained by neighborhood volunteers. Volunteer gardeners always welcome for an annual membership fee of $10.
Washington Heights Neighborhood Association (WHNA)
751 West 183rd Street, New York, NY 10033.
Tel: 212-923-7800 x1162.
Email: whnafobpk@aol.com.
Volunteer community group founded in 1988. Our goal is to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood. Sponsors children's summer programs at Bennett Park and the community garden at 184th Street.
Wave Hill
West 249th Street and Independence Avenue, Bronx, NY 10471.
Tel: 718-549-3200.
Wave Hill is a 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades in the northwest Bronx. Award-winning gardens, greenhouses, and woodlands offer people of all ages the opportunity to explore their connections to the natural world. Programs are offered in horticulture, environmental education, woodland management and the arts.