Key takeaway:
- Crown Heights is known for its Caribbean community and its Lubavitch Hasidic community, and its food streets reflect both.
- Eastern Parkway runs through the neighborhood and hosts the West Indian Day Parade every Labor Day.
- The Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Prospect Park and the Weeksville Heritage Center are all in or near the neighborhood.
Crown Heights is a central Brooklyn neighborhood bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east and Empire Boulevard to the south. Prospect Park and Mount Prospect Park run along its western edge.
Two communities shape much of its character. Black Americans from the South and immigrants from the Caribbean moved here in large numbers in the 20th century, and the Lubavitch Hasidic community stayed when many others left. The result is a neighborhood with Caribbean restaurants, kosher food, historic sites and some of Brooklyn's biggest cultural institutions within walking distance.
Top Restaurants in Crown Heights
Where to eat
The main commercial streets are Franklin Avenue, Nostrand Avenue, Kingston Avenue and Utica Avenue. Each has its own feel:
- Caribbean food. Look for West Indian restaurants along the neighborhood's main avenues.
- Kosher dining on Kingston Avenue. Kingston Avenue has a high concentration of businesses serving the Hasidic community. Since the 2010 opening of Basil Pizza & Wine Bar, a series of upscale kosher restaurants has made Crown Heights a food destination of its own.
- Franklin Avenue. One of the neighborhood's primary commercial corridors, next to the Franklin Avenue subway station.
Cocktail Bars and Independent Coffee Shops
The neighborhood's commercial avenues are the places to look for cocktail bars and independent coffee shops. Walk a few blocks and see what is open.
Attractions and Activities in Crown Heights
Prospect Park
Prospect Park runs along Crown Heights' western edge. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed it, and it covers 526 acres, including the 90-acre Long Meadow, a 60-acre lake, the Boathouse and the Prospect Park Zoo.
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum, at 200 Eastern Parkway, sits near Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Flatbush and Park Slope. At 560,000 square feet, it is New York City's second-largest museum, with around 500,000 objects. Its collections range from Egyptian, classical and ancient Near Eastern art to American, Asian and African art, in a Beaux-Arts building designed by McKim, Mead & White.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden covers 52 acres next to Prospect Park, Mount Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum. Its specialty gardens include the Cranford Rose Garden, which opened in 1928, the Cherry Walk and Cherry Esplanade, and the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden.
Eastern Parkway
Eastern Parkway runs east from Grand Army Plaza through Crown Heights. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed it, and it was built between 1870 and 1874. It is credited as the world's first parkway.
Every Labor Day, the parkway hosts the West Indian Day Parade, the main event of the Labor Day Carnival celebrating Caribbean culture. The parade draws between one and three million participants. The carnival moved to Crown Heights in 1964.
Crown Heights Jewish Neighborhood
Crown Heights is home to 770 Eastern Parkway, the headquarters of the worldwide Lubavitch movement. The Lubavitch community stayed in the neighborhood at the request of its leader, Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, when many other white residents left in the 1960s.
The Jewish Children's Museum, at 792 Eastern Parkway, is a Jewish-themed children's museum.
Brooklyn Children's Museum and Brower Park
The Brooklyn Children's Museum houses the Brower Park branch of the Brooklyn Public Library on its ground floor. Brower Park is one of several neighborhood parks, along with St. John's Park and Wingate Park.
Historical Sites in Crown Heights
Weeksville Heritage Center
The Weeksville Heritage Center on Buffalo Avenue preserves the history of Weeksville, one of America's first free Black communities in the 19th century. Its residents built schools, churches and benevolent associations and were active in the abolitionist movement. The center's main exhibit is the Hunterfly Road Historic District, a set of historic houses on a site of about 12,400 square feet.
Empire Boulevard and the Ebbets Field site
Empire Boulevard forms the southern edge of Crown Heights. Just north of it stood Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The stadium was demolished in 1960 and replaced by the Ebbets Field Apartments, which opened in 1962. Nothing of the ballpark remains, but the site is a piece of Brooklyn baseball history.
Washington Avenue
Washington Avenue forms the western edge of the neighborhood. It is the natural place to start a walk into Crown Heights after a morning at the Brooklyn Museum or the Botanic Garden.
Getting to Crown Heights
Crown Heights is served by the IRT Eastern Parkway Line, with stations at Franklin Avenue (2, 3, 4 and 5 trains), Nostrand Avenue (3), Kingston Avenue (3) and Utica Avenue (3 and 4).
From JFK or Newark, BLADE offers helicopter flights between Manhattan and both airports in about 5 minutes, from $195 per seat. BLADE Downtown, at the Wall Street heliport, is the closest of BLADE's Manhattan lounges to Brooklyn. From there, continue by car or by the 2, 3, 4 or 5 trains to Crown Heights.
FAQs about Fun Things To Do Near NYC's Crown Heights
What are some fun things to do near NYC's Crown Heights?
Visit the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, spend a day in Prospect Park, tour the Weeksville Heritage Center, walk Eastern Parkway and eat along Franklin, Nostrand and Kingston Avenues.
When is the West Indian Day Parade?
On Labor Day, along Eastern Parkway.
Are there museums in Crown Heights?
Yes. The Brooklyn Museum, the Weeksville Heritage Center, the Brooklyn Children's Museum and the Jewish Children's Museum are all in or near the neighborhood.
Can you still see Ebbets Field?
No. Ebbets Field was demolished in 1960, and the Ebbets Field Apartments now stand on the site.
What are the neighborhood's boundaries?
Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east and Empire Boulevard to the south.