Located in Jersey City, New Jersey opposite of Ellis Island, Liberty State Park is bordered by water on three sides: on the north by the Morris Canal Big Basin and on the south and east by Upper New York Bay. As such, it offers daily ferries to Statue of Liberty National Monument, Ellis Island and Liberty Island.
This was one of the first things we really visited after landing in Newark. We spent part of the day with some work friends and they took us to one of their favorite places, the Liberty State Park. It is one of the most amazing and peaceful parks I have been to. It felt very tranquil. They have two paths for strolling called Freedom Way and Liberty Walkway. Freedom Way goes through the center and serves as a barrier between the area closed to the public, to its west, and the area that is open to the public, to its east. It has many bike paths, walkways, and fields.
Liberty Walkway is a crescent-shaped promenade which stretches along the waterfront south to the Statue of Liberty overlook, bridging two coves along the way. It is part of the longer Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. Halfway along Liberty Walkway is a bridge to Ellis Island, but only authorized vehicles are allowed. The southeastern corner of the park contains the Statue of Liberty overlook, picnic facilities, a playground, the U.S. Flag Plaza and Liberation Monument, the Public Administration Building, and a memorial to the Black Tom explosions.
Picnicking and barbecuing facilities are also located at the southern end of the park. Originally called “Liberty Walk”, this part of the project won a landscape award in 1995. The name “Liberty Walk” was already associated with Philadelphia such as through a booklet The Liberty Walk Through Historic Old Philadelphia published by the American Wax Museum, Philadelphia (before 1969) which listed a walk round 23 sites of historic interest.
As I said earlier, it felt very tranquil and I would have loved to have set around and hung out longer, but it was a little cool in October. However, the best part of this park is being able to see the Verrazzano Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.
