Prospect Park Carousel

City-Kid Review:

I want to ride this horse.
…Can we go again?

This is part of a fun series about NYC carousels.

We love Carousels. Ever since City Kid had the opportunity to ride upon a vintage Carnival carousel in the expansive town square in the beautiful French city of Orléans. Prior to becoming a parent, I had not ridden on one since I was my own City Kid. Growing up, we called them ‘Merry-go-rounds’ and they are, indeed, very merry. And, yes, they do go round.
And round.
And round.

Luckily for us, NYC has plenty of carousels: some beautifully traditional, some whimsically modern.

We stumbled upon the historic Prospect Park Carousel on our way to Prospect Park Zoo. This is a traditional carousel built in 1912 and lovingly restored in 1990.

It was an overcast spring day and we originally had thought it to be closed. On discovering the carousel to be open, we had the entire carousel to ourselves. Wooden horses, traditional Wurlitzer music from the organ in the center and views of the greenery outside make this a very pleasurable ride.

It is definitely worth the trip and it can be combined with the Prospect Park Zoo, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, the Lefferts House, the nature playground or the Audoban Center.

Need to Knows:

This brings out the City Kid in everyone.

Admission: $2 per ride. You can purchase 5 tickets for $9 or get a family supporter membership for unlimited rides.
Open Thursday- Sunday, and holidays: 12-5pm

Location: Inside the Children’s Corner of Prospect Park. This is at the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Empire Boulevard/Ocean avenue. The nearest subway stop is Prospect Park Subway Station, for the B, Q and S.

They have a small snack stand.

Top-Tip

On Thursdays in August, city kids under 12 can ride for free!

Do you have a favorite Carousel? Please share in the comments below.

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