Remote Control Boats in Central Park

Have you seen those those idyllic wooden boats that kids push along with a bamboo stick at Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris?  Well you don't have to go to Paris (although that might make for a great excursion with the grandkids!) but you can accomplish a similar activity, albeit high-tech version, at New York's Central Park!  

Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris

Kerb's Boathouse (on the East side of Central Park near 74th St.) is on "Conservatory Water," a small lake where small boats of all kinds can be watched and sailed.  From April through October, remote control boats can be rented (at not too steep a costl; about $11/half hour in 2014) that provide great fun for children of all ages.  Younger children may need some help using the remote control, but most kids these days are "digital natives" and figure it more ably than their grandparents.

Remote Control Boats in Central Park

Lovely View of the City from Conservatory Water

Here are some relevant websites:

http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/attractions/conservatory-water.html

http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/attractions/kerbs-boathouse.html

Very close by are some wonderful scultures, statues, and features of the Park.  Children can climb on the sculptures of Alice in Wonderland and Hans Christian Andersen and identify many of the familiar aspects.

Alice in Wonderland

Hans Christian Andersen