Top Urban Parks Across the US

Dolores Park – San Francisco, CA (Photo by Woody L )

There’s a lot that’s off the table in 2020. Urban parks, however, are thriving due to our collective yearning to escape the confines of our homes and explore the great outdoors. Thank your city’s planners for this list of conveniently located, city-centric parks to escape it all without leaving your metro. 


Piedmont Park – Atlanta, GA (Photo by Lynsey A)

Yelper Anar M. loves Piedmont Park in Atlanta, GA for its “multitude of hidden paths and walkways.” This urban oasis is “huge considering that the park sits right in the heart of Midtown. Best to explore by foot, but you can also rent bikes, or a scooter to ride through paved paths.”


Japanese Tea Garden – San Antonio, TX (Photo by JJ J)

Parks come in many shapes and sizes. “What a great place to escape reality!’ says Alana M. of San Antonio’s Japanese Tea Garden on Yelp: “It is somewhat small and you can see everything within 30 minutes… or you can spend lots of time here gazing at the beauty.” 


Capitol Park, Sacramento, CA (Photo by Keith A)

Sacramento’s Capitol Park earned high praise from Nancy V. on Yelp: “I love urban parks and this is one of the best. It is a large park with plenty of room to walk and explore and reflect. The rose garden in magnificent and the scent wafting off of the plants in the late afternoon was heavenly.” 

We’ve compiled a list of the highest-rated urban parks in the United States. From vast city forests to quaint greens, sculpture gardens to picnic paradises; you’re sometimes just footsteps away! Follow the handy Yelp Collection or peep the full list below.

1.  Central Park – New York, NY
2.  Mission Dolores Park – San Francisco, CA
3.  Griffith Park – Los Angeles, CA
4.  Piedmont Park – Atlanta, GA
5.  Liberty State Park – Jersey City, NJ
6.  Laurelhurst Park – Portland, OR
7.  Bryant Park – New York, NY
8.  Lake Eola Park – Orlando, FL
9.  New Orleans City Park – New Orleans, LA
10.  Diamond Head State Monument – Honolulu, HI
11.  Forest Park – Portland, OR
12.  Prospect Park – Brooklyn, NY
13.  Ensign Peak Park – Salt Lake City, UT
14.  Golden Gate Park – San Francisco, CA
15.  Washington Park – Cincinnati, OH
16.  Cherokee Park – Louisville, KY
17.  Minneapolis Sculpture Garden – Minneapolis, MN
18.  Forest Park – Saint Louis, MO
19.  Millennium Park – Chicago, IL
20. City Park – Denver, CO
21.  Freedom Park – Charlotte, NC
22.  Centennial Park – Nashville, TN
23.  Theodore Roosevelt Island – Arlington, VA
24.  Gas Works Park – Seattle, WA
25.  Garfield Park Conservatory – Chicago, IL
26.  Discovery Park – Seattle, WA
27.  Boston Public Garden – Boston, MA
28.  Barton Creek Greenbelt – Austin, TX
29.  White Rock Lake – Dallas, TX
30.  Exploration Peak Park – Las Vegas, NV
31.  Hermann Park Conservancy – Houston TX
32.  William Land Park – Sacramento, CA
33.  Charleston Waterfront Park – Charleston, SC
34.  Liberty Park – Salt Lake City, UT
35.  Falls Park – Greenville, SC
36.  Japanese Tea Garden – San Antonio, TX
37.  Eagle Creek Park – Indianapolis, IN
38.  Railroad Park – Birmingham, AL
39.  Indianapolis Canal Walk – Indianapolis, IN
40.  Georgetown Waterfront Park – Washington, DC
41.  Federal Hill Park – Baltimore, MD
42.  Washington Square Park – Philadelphia, PA
43.  Tubbs Hill – Coeur d’Alene, ID
44.  Oak Leaf Trail – Milwaukee, WI
45.  Hubbard Park – Meriden, CT
46.  Scissortail Park – Oklahoma City, OK
47.  Dinosaur Park – Rapid City, SD
48.  Town Square/ Washington Park – Jackson, WY
49.  Ada Hayden Heritage Park – Ames, IA
50.  Windmill Island Gardens – Holland, MI

Methodology: This is a list of the best urban parks to visit according to Yelp. We identified businesses in the parks category with a large concentration of reviews mentioning relevant keywords, then ranked those businesses using a number of factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews between March 1, 2020 and August 20, 2020. We included only limited parks businesses in some states for geographic diversity.

Note: Some parks may currently be closed due to state or local regulations.