7. Marine Park, Brooklyn
Marine Park on the southern Brooklyn waterfront is the borough’s largest park at 798 acres and includes a salt marsh, nature trail, remnants of a colonial mill, a man-made island. Walking through the reeds, you’ll be transported out of New York City, fast.
The Gerritsen Creek (or what remains of it after infill further inland) leads out to Jamaica Bay, and as such, Marine Park is protected as a Forever Wild Preserve for its unique habitat.