Fort Tryon Park

Fort Tryon Park spans 27 acres along a basalt ridge in upper Manhattan, offering sweeping views of the Hudson River and the New Jersey Palisades across the water. The site saw fierce combat during the November 1776 Battle of Fort Washington, when British forces broke through the last Continental Army defensive line on Manhattan — the park takes its name from British governor William Tryon, who led that assault. In the 1930s the Olmsted Brothers landscape firm redesigned the grounds on behalf of the Rockefeller family, who donated the completed park to New York City. Within its boundaries sits The Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art housing a remarkable collection of medieval European art and architecture, including five reassembled monastery cloisters. Winding woodland trails, formal heather gardens, and open meadows make it a genuine retreat even for visitors skipping the museum entirely.