Finding Shakespeare in Central Park

This tour of New York City’s Central Park includes America’s first Shakespeare statue, oldest Shakespeare garden, and much more.

Shakespeare stands guard over the Mall in Central Park (photo by Colleen Sehy)

Spring is here and this Shakespeare tour of New York City’s Central Park is a great way to get out and enjoy the warmer weather. The tour includes stops at America’s first Shakespeare statue, the home of New York’s famed Free Shakespeare in the Park, the oldest public Shakespeare garden in the United States, and more. You’ll be covering a lot of ground, so wear sturdy shoes!

“I like this place. And willingly could waste my time in it.” As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 4

Stop 1: The Dairy Visitor Center

Start your tour at the southeast corner of the park, at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South/59th Street. From here, head to the Dairy Visitor Center, where you can pick up a free park map or purchase a more detailed map for about $2. Maps are also available online. With map in hand, continue north to the Mall.

Note: If you want to do this tour in reverse, start at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre on the west side of the park, about midway between West 77th Street and West 81st Street.

Stop 2: Historic Shakespeare Statue

Central Park’s bronze statue of the Bard stares thoughtfully across the park from the south end of the Mall. This part of the Mall is known as Literary Walk, and in addition to Shakespeare, you’ll find statues of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, the Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, and the American poet Fitz-Greene Halleck.

Famous 19th-century Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth led the drive to erect the statue, which commemorates the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth. He and his brothers, Junius Brutus Booth, Jr. and John Wilkes Booth, staged a performance of Julius Caesar to help raise funds for the statue. It was the only time the three brothers performed together in public.

The statue was created by John Quincy Adams Ward, who’s known as “the dean of American sculptors.” It stands on a pedestal of Scottish granite designed…