Ocean Parkway

Ocean Parkway is a 5.5-mile-long landscaped boulevard extending from Prospect Park south to Coney Island, encompassing approximately 43 acres of planted medians, pedestrian paths, and bicycle lanes. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and completed in 1876, it was among the first scenic parkways built in the United States.

Olmsted and Vaux designed Ocean Parkway as a scenic corridor connecting Prospect Park to the seaside, creating a continuous green experience that would allow Brooklynites to travel from the great urban park to the ocean beach along a tree-shaded avenue. In 1894 the city split the parkway's pedestrian path to create a dedicated bicycle path, widely recognized as the first bike path in the United States.

The parkway passes through a series of distinct Brooklyn neighborhoods including Kensington, Midwood, Gravesend, and Brighton Beach, each with its own character. The diverse communities along the route include Orthodox Jewish, Russian, Pakistani, Mexican, and Caribbean populations, making Ocean Parkway one of the most multicultural corridors in the city.

The landscaped median strips feature mature trees, ornamental plantings, and benches that create a linear park environment along the parkway's length. The central bicycle and pedestrian path is heavily used by joggers, cyclists, and families throughout the year.

Ocean Parkway stands alongside its companion Eastern Parkway as one of Olmsted and Vaux's most influential innovations: the urban parkway as a designed landscape that extends the park experience into the broader city. Nearly 150 years after its creation, the parkway continues to fulfill its original purpose, connecting Brooklyn's greatest park to its greatest beach.