Tavern on the Green: Where New York City's Elite Dine Amidst History and Lights

There is not a more romantic nighttime setting in New York City then taking a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park to the glittering lights in the trees above Tavern on the Green.

It’s also the final landmark a runner passes during the New York City Marathon as the renowned building sits right at the races Finish Line.

The Gothic Revival structure was built in the 1880s and designed by Calvert Vaux who also co-designed Central Park itself with Frederick Law Olmstead.

Vaux created the building to house the 700 sheep who grazed on what is now known as Sheep Meadow, the 15 acre expanse of grass directly across the parks West drive from the restaurant.

Robert Moses transformed the building into a restaurant in 1934.  Through the next few decades Tavern on the Green underwent several changes in management but the iconic view of the park and the addition of a dance floor, outdoor seating and lavish menu kept prominent actors, musicians and public figures coming back to the restaurant to dine drink and celebrate.

Celebrities dine amongst brass, Tiffany stained glass and Baccarat chandeliers to a seasonal American fare menu.

In the past Grace Kelly and Fay Wray dined here, while John Lennon in the late ’70s celebrated several birthdays here.

Other frequent guests included Bob Fosse, Gene Kelly, John Kennedy Jr, Gene Wilder, David Bowie, Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Robert Redford, Cary Grant, Richard Pryor, Barbra Streisand, Sigourney Weaver, Julie Andrews, Michael Jackson, Jim Carrey and Madonna.

Broadway show openings and movie premiere parties are always here.

Tavern on the Green is an absolute film icon whose cinematic style has been prominently featured in numerous films over the years as in the Ghostbusters, Coogan’s Bluff, New York Stories, An Unmarried Woman, Arthur, It’s My Turn, Only When I Laugh, Heartburn, Wall Street, Arthur 2, Beaches, New York I Love You. Crimes and Misdemeanors, Stella, Whispers in the Dark, The Night We Never Met, The Out-of-Towners,  It Had To Be You, Hall of Mirrors,  Made, Alfie and Mr Popper’s Penguins.

Today the sheep’s grazing ground is now home to legions of sunbathers, frisbee throwers and tired runners in nice weather.