10 Brooklyn Parks with the Best Views of Manhattan

The best views of the Manhattan skyline can be found right in your Brooklyn backyard. These ten family-friendly parks (listed from north to south in neighborhoods including Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights, and Sunset Park) are your key to taking in that strikingly beautiful Manhattan skyline view—all while keeping your children entertained. It is a win-win for the whole family. As the saying goes, sometimes you have to leave something to appreciate it, and it’s true New York City.
      

WNYC Transmitter Park

West Street, between Kent Street and Greenpoint Avenue, Greenpoint 

With a view straight across to Manhattan’s East Village and Alphabet City, WNYC Transmitter Park is a quaint and quiet park in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood. What was once home to the WNYC public radio towers, one of the oldest radio stations in New York state, now houses a large, open lawn, a nautical themed children’s play area, a spray shower, and nature gardens. You can also take a walk along the pedestrian bridge along the waterfront or stroll onto the pier to fish or simply catch a better view of Manhattan.
      

East River State Park

90 Kent Ave, Williamsburg

Almost a dozen blocks south of WNYC Transmitter Park lives East River State Park. More commonly known for Smorgasburg, America’s largest weekly open-air food market (which is family-friendly!), on Saturdays and Sundays during the warmer months, the park is open seven days a week, year-round. Come to this Williamsburg park to enjoy a picnic, walk out onto Hurricane Point, watch live music, play soccer in Bushwick Inlet Park, fly a kite in the open green space, or simply relax—all with a view of Manhattan. 
     

North 5th Street Pier and Park

105 River St, Williamsburg

For a quieter escape from the busy East River State Park, take a walk one block south to end up at North 5th Street Pier and Park in Williamsburg. Whether you want easy access to the North Williamsburg Ferry Terminal or to rest your feet by sitting on one of the benches, this park offers the chance to step away from the bustling city—and the oft-busy Williamsburg.
     

Grand Ferry Park

Grand and River streets, Williamsburg  

With the vision of creating one of Manhattan’s first residential suburbs in 1802, Richard Woodhull set out to start a ferry service that ran from present day Lower East Side to Brooklyn, naming the area ‘Williamsburgh’. Though Woodhull went bankrupt a few years later and the Grand Street Ferry closed in 1918, his land and the idea of what we know today as Williamsburg lived on. Grand Ferry Park, rich in this history, stands today and serves the community as an intimate park right on the water.
      

John Street Park

John Street, between Adams and Jay streets, Dumbo

Nuzzled on the east side of the Manhattan Bridge, John Street Park is an extension of Brooklyn Bridge Park and offers a quiet lawn and a concrete walking trail right on the edge of the water. Look up at the very close-by Manhattan Bridge for a wonderful, unique view of it, plus the Brooklyn Bridge, the closest view of both bridges in one shot until you pass the Brooklyn Bridge. Here, you’ll also find Spark by Brooklyn Children’s Museum, an art and play space at which children can drop-in Wednesday through Sunday afternoons to let their imagination soar, or go to scheduled programs and classes throughout the year.