Manhattan · New York County
Turtle Pond
NYC Parks
- Location
- Mid-Park at 79th Street, beneath Belvedere Castle, Central Park
- Size
- Part of Central Park acres
- Hours
- Central Park hours
- Type
- NYC Parks
Turtle Pond is a shallow freshwater body at the base of Vista Rock beneath Belvedere Castle in Central Park, named for the population of red-eared slider and painted turtles that sun themselves on the rocks and logs along its shoreline.
The pond was created when the former Belvedere Lake was drained and relandscaped in the 1990s as part of the Central Park Conservancy's comprehensive restoration. The shallower pond was designed to better support aquatic wildlife and native plantings.
Turtle Pond's elevated wooden observation deck provides birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts with a platform for viewing the pond's wildlife without disturbing the habitat. Great blue herons, green herons, and night-crowned herons are regularly seen fishing in the shallows.
The Delacorte Theater, home of the Public Theater's free Shakespeare in the Park productions, sits at the western edge of Turtle Pond. On summer evenings, the sounds of Shakespeare's language drift across the water as turtles bask on the rocks.
Turtle Pond provides one of Central Park's most intimate nature experiences, a place where turtles, herons, and Shakespeare coexist beneath a miniature Victorian castle in the center of Manhattan.