Worth the Trip! Teardrop Park is a hidden gem where kids explore and interact with natural elements, unlike anywhere else in Lower Manhattan. The playground features – a super-tall slide, sandbox, and water-spray area – are highlights for kids, but not the only reasons to visit.
The two-acre park is enclosed by apartment buildings around the perimeter of a large rectangular block, giving it the feeling of a private oasis, and there are wide pathways that welcome visitors from all sides. Shady, paved pathways wind around and through the park. An abundance of trees, shrubs, and plants situated in micro-climates within the park, are explained through informational signs. Jagged stone slabs called “Geological Sections” are dramatic landscape art not meant for climbing, a rock wall 27 feet high divides the park's features south and north.
The South: The “Slide Hill” is one tall, steep, and fast slide – exciting for both kids and adults. The 14-foot slide empties into a huge sandbox with amphitheater-style seating for spectators. There are several ways to get back up to the top of the slide, which is part of the experience, including scrambling up boulders. At the top is also the kids’ water spray feature. It resembles a “watering hole” you might find at the base of a shady river, with water trickling down boulders into a shallow pool with a soft ground surface and sprays shooting up. When the water sprays are active, some kids like to get the slide and sandbox very wet and muddy. Beyond the slide is a separate, gated rectangular sandlot with some natural features and shade. This will keep the littlest kids contained and contented.
The North: The north lawns are often quiet and very peaceful. The gently sloped oval lawn is a common spot for a picnic, with a pathway around the perimeter where kids pick up speed downhill on their scooters (A clockwise route around the hill is safest). There is a hidden mini nature hike (“The Marsh”) for kid exploration, where for a moment the tall buildings disappear. Kids can climb and jump a couple of boulders, and walk across felled trees, without getting lost on this path. A perfect perch is on the rocks at the top of the smaller, steeper hill, “Hilltop Reading Circle,” with a flat surface and rocks that can serve as a picnic table.
What’s more? With its hills, rocks, and mature plantings, it’s hard to imagine Teardrop Park began as a flat empty lot only about twenty years ago. It was designed to incorporate sustainable and environmentally friendly landscaping practices. The Battery Park Authority website can help you identify the plantings in bloom and common birds. Head one block to the riverfront Rockefeller Park, where there is an expansive sunny lawn and one of our favorite playgrounds.
Snack Time/Coffee Break? Have a snack on one of the many shady benches on the picnic lawn, or at the seating by the slide. In a pinch, a Duane Reade is steps away for drinks, chips, or ice pops. There is a small extension of Teardrop Park South across the street, which ends at Blue Stone Lane, for coffee, pastries, and sandwiches to go, or a seated lunch outdoors. A block farther behind the Conrad Hotel is a commercial alleyway anchored by Shake Shack, with an upscale deli, bagel shop, pizza restaurant, and other options.
Visibility/Safety: This is not a traditional fenced-in playground with standard, age-range-defined playground equipment. The park encourages exploration and a bit of risk-taking, for both adults and children. Therefore, families may have different levels of comfort allowing their children temporarily out of sight or out of reach. And, it is very possible to lose your child (It’s happened several times to me!) if they run or scoot away too quickly down multiple possible paths.
Bathroom Emergency? In Teardrop Park near the west end of the rock wall, The Battery Park City Authority maintains clean, well-lit public bathrooms with several stalls, a couple of kid-sized sinks and a changing table.
Features: Slide, water sprays, sandpit, unique climbing structures, nearby snacks, public bathroom.
Gianna Abruzzo is a Brooklyn-born mom of three daughters living in Lower Manhattan. You can find her family downtown and around town, exploring new playgrounds, treat spots, and NYC’s diverse arts and culture. She is the creator of Our Play Patches. Follow her on Instagram
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