Belvedere Castle Grounds

Belvedere Castle is a Victorian folly perched atop Vista Rock, the second-highest natural point in Central Park, providing panoramic views over the Great Lawn, Turtle Pond, and the Ramble from its terraces and turrets.

Designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould in 1869, the miniature castle was originally built as a decorative feature with no interior rooms. It was later enclosed and has served as the Central Park weather station since 1919, providing the official temperature readings for New York City.

The castle overlooks Turtle Pond (formerly Belvedere Lake), a shallow water body that supports red-eared slider turtles, painted turtles, and various wading birds. The Delacorte Theater, home of Shakespeare in the Park, sits at the base of the rock.

Shakespeare in the Park, produced by the Public Theater since 1962, offers free performances of Shakespeare and other works in the open-air Delacorte Theater each summer. The free tickets are among the most sought-after in New York City's cultural calendar.

Belvedere Castle Grounds provide the highest vantage point in mid-Central Park, a place where a Victorian fantasy castle, a working weather station, Shakespeare performances, and turtle-watching converge in one of the most enchanting settings in the city.