Exploring New York City parks is one of my favorite free summer outings — here are 5 of the best

Jessica Mai / Business Insider

New York City has hundreds of parks in the span of five boroughs. The best part?

They're free.

And these parks are more than mildly equipped. In fact, you'll find ones with barbecue grills, ones where there are dozens of art sculptures, ones with zoos, and even ones where you can swim.

Most of the parks are accessible by New York City's subway, and will cost you less than $6. For a complete list of free parks and activities, visit NYC Parks' website.

I was born and raised in New York, and I still live there. Here are my five of my favorite parks:

Brooklyn Bridge Park in downtown Brooklyn takes No. 1 on my list. I am convinced there's no place to find better views.

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Fulton Ferry Landing.

You can play soccer, basketball, handball, go kayaking ... or simply break away from the chaos.

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Check out all the activities on the Brooklyn Bridge Park website.

It's located at the edge of Brooklyn, next to the East River.