Boating in Central Park

Central Park is the best place for outdoor activities – biking, jogging, baseball, basketball, you name it! But the park has a special place in the heart of boating-lovers, with The Lake being their place of worship, and the Loeb Boathouse – their temple.

Loeb Boathouse

The place to go when you want to rent a boat in Central Park! It became an attraction center in the 1860. The first building at this place was opened in 1872. It was a two-story building in Victorian Style. It was designed by Calvert Vaux, who is quoted of saying – “In order to compensate for the interruption of the view from the walk, and better accommodate those who should wish to wait in the vicinity, the roof was made a deck to be covered with awnings furnished with seats.”

In 1924 it was replaced by a wooden structure, that was there up until 1954, when it was replaced by the current building. It was erected thanks to Carl and Adeline Loeb. Carl M. Loeb was a popular entrepreneur, invest banker and philanthropist, president of the American Metal Company and founder of Carl M. Loeb & Co. He donated $305,000 for the building we all know and love today.

Oh, and the restaurant is amazing!

Rowboats

Loeb Boathouse owns a fleet of 100 boats, each one capable of accommodating 4 passengers.  You can rent them for $15 per hour, with additional $4.00 for 15 minutes, along with a $20 deposit. Life jackets are provided by the Boathouse.

The Lake is the second-largest water body in the park. It is about 20-acre, and is second only to the Reservoir. The views provided by the boats in The Lake are spectacular. It is situated just next to The Ramble, thus providing the boaters with a great vista towards Central Park’s own wild forest, as well as towards the near-by city skyline. The Lake provides the much needed serenity and calmness that both locals and guests of Manhattan occasionally need.

Renting a rowboat is a perfect idea for a small picnic, or for a romantic date far from all the people in Central Park. The rowboats have seen many marriage proposals, so if you’re looking for an original idea on how to propose to your significant other – that might be one of the best!

Gondola tours

The first-ever gondola in New York arrived as a gift from the city of Venice, the birthplace of the gondolas.

Unlike with the rowboats, you can actually make a reservation for the gondola. In fact, we recommend you to do so, due to the huge popularity of these exotic and romantic boats. The capacity of each gondola is six people. They cost $45 for thirty minutes.

The boating season in Central Park starts in April and ends in November. It is the answer of so many questions – whether you’re looking to explore The Lake in the best way possible, escape from all the hustle of Manhattan, go on a romantic, extraordinary date, or spend a fun hour with your family doing something new and exciting.