Tour Central Park on Scooters, Bikes or E-Bikes

Central Park in New York City covers nearly 850 acres. Exploring it on foot would likely eat up your entire vacation to the Big Apple. During a recent trip to New York City, my wife and I decided to tour Central Park – only we did it on scooters. We were able to explore the major sites of the park and feel the wind in our hair as we zoomed down the streets.

If you plan to visit Central Park, I recommend renting a bike, e-bike or scooter so you can speed up your travel time through the park. Here’s what you need to know as you prepare for your visit.

Renting Bikes, E-Bikes and Scooters to Tour Central Park

Renting a bike that fits your needs to tour Central Park is easy. You can book the rental online or visit their store just south of Central Park (1391 6th Ave, New York, NY 10019) and rent it in person. They do have a good inventory with a few options, so walk-in rentals should be okay.

Bike Rental Central Park has a few options of vehicles to rent:

• Adult and kid Trek bikes (lightweight and perfect for city riding)
• Electric bike (for that extra assist of power)
• Electric scooters (Perfect for quick exploration)
• Tandem bikes (Pair up with your spouse or child to ride together

If you’re renting any bicycle, they will provide you with a lock and a bike helmet. Please wear the helmet! In fact, helmets are required for children 13 and under in New York City. We rented scooters and they said a helmet wasn’t included in those rentals. They also didn’t provide us with a bike lock because I guess they don’t have one that actually works with the electric scooters. We were bummed about that, because we had the scooters for 24 hours, but no way to lock them up if we wanted to stop and explore The Met on the east side of Central Park.

If you aren’t familiar with Central Park, they’ll provide you with a map of the major sites. But I’ve outlined some of them later on in this article.

How long should you rent your bike?

Bike Rental Central Park has five options for you to choose from.

• One hour – Perfect for a quick zip around Central Park, but not enough time to stop and explore.
• Two hours – Stop and see the main highlights of Central Park, but not enough time to do much exploring beyond that.
• Four hours – This is the most popular option. It allows enough time to really explore Central Park, see the sites and even take a leisurely rowboat ride on the lake.
• All day (8 am to 9 pm) – If you plan to spend the entire day at and around Central Park, this is the best option for you. You can see the sights, explore some of the museums and dine in some of the restaurants nearby.
• Overnight (24 hours) – If you want to explore Central Park on a warm summer evening and catch sunrise in the morning, this may be your best option for mobility.

Starting Your Self-guided Tour of Central Park

As mentioned earlier, there are two ways to snag a rental – book it online or rent it onsite. Either way, you’ll need to stop in their store to grab your bike rental and tour Central Park. Their store is located 2.5 blocks south of Central Park along 6th Avenue on the west side of the road. When you arrive, check in at the front desk to book your rental onsite or show them your rental confirmation email.

They’ll get all the paperwork into their system, which takes a few minutes. You’ll have some papers to sign, and you’ll need to leave your driver’s license with them. If you’re booking a rental for 24 hours or even overnight, that may pose a problem if you need ID for something. But that request helps ensure people bring the rentals back.

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After picking up your rental – which includes the bike helmet and bike lock – you’re ready to go. Simply head north to Central Park and follow the map to navigate your way through and around Central Park.

Rules of the Road (Paths)

There are a few rules you should follow as you tour Central Park. They make sense and are easy to follow.

• The traffic flow is ALWAYS in a counter-clockwise direction, so you should, too.
• Cycling is prohibited in the pathways of Central Park, so walk your bike in those areas.
• Biking is not permitted when the park is closed – which is 1-6 a.m.
• Pedestrians ALWAYS have the right of way.
• When passing walkers or runners, use a bell or horn to alert them of your presence.
• As was stated earlier – Wear a helmet!

Major Sites to Visit in Central Park

As you tour Central Park, there are at least two dozen places you may want to explore. Some of them are right on the path of where you’re riding. Many others are a short walk from the main road. I say walk because you’re not supposed to ride your bike on the smaller pathways. That’s where the bike lock comes in handy.

Here’s a rundown on some of the major sites I recommend visiting while in Central Park. I’ve tried to list them as if you were riding the counter-clockwise direction around the park, starting at the south entrance from 6th or 7th Avenues.

• Carousel – There’s a beautiful, vintage carousel, and if you have kids, you’ll definitely want to make a stop.
• Central Park Zoo – I’ve never visited the zoo, though I’ve walked through it on my way to the next spot listed. I’ve got it on my list for a future visit.
• Balto Statue – If you’ve seen the animated movie, Balto, then you know the story. So you’ll want to stop and grab a selfie at this statue.
• Bethesda Fountain Terrace – Have you seen The Avengers? What about Enchanted? Those are two of many movies that have been filmed at this iconic Central Park location. Lock your bikes up and venture a little north to cross the iconic Bow Bridge.
• Alice in Wonderland Statue – Located off the beaten path is a large statue with characters from the Alice in Wonderland book.
• Belvedere Castle – My wife has wanted to explore this iconic spot for a while, and loved the look of the castle. There was a small wedding party there during our visit, which made it a little crowded. But it’s a beautiful spot.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art – If you want to venture into The Met, you’ll want to lock up your bikes and plan to spend several hours inside. There’s SO MUCH to see. But I think a bike is the best way to access The Met, since there aren’t any metro stops very close to the museum.
• The Great Lawn – Did you think ahead and bring a picnic lunch or Frisbee with you? Then the Great Lawn is a fabulous place to pause, layout a blanket and enjoy nature.
• Duke Ellington Statue – Along the northeast corner of the park is a statue of the jazz legend.
• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir – The largest lake in Central Park is a beautiful place to sit, ponder and enjoy nature… with skyscrapers towering above the trees in the distance.
• American Museum of Natural History – You could spend hours exploring this museum, so if you’re planning to make a stop, lock your bikes up.
• Strawberry Fields – Beatles fans will enjoy a stop at Strawberry Fields to see the Believe mosaic.

The Details

Address: 1391 6th Avenue, (between 56th and 57th Street), New York City

How long to spend: Rental lengths range from one hour to all day (24 hours). You can tour Central Park in about 2-3 hours, but if you plan to lock up the bikes to explore further, you could spend a full day.

Cost: Prices range from $20-$99 depending on which bike or scooter you rent and how long you plan to rent it. Visit their website for details.

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Website: https://bikerentalcentralpark.com/

Phone: (212) 664-9600

DISCLOSURE: I received two complimentary electric scooter rentals from Bike Rental Central Park for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

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