GPS City GuideHarrisburgRiverfront Park

Stop 23 of 28 · Harrisburg audio walking tour

Riverfront Park

Harrisburg · City Beautiful riverfront reclamation

What you'll hear here: about 90 seconds on Riverfront Park — the story behind what you're looking at, playing hands-free as you arrive.

Riverfront Park runs beside the Susquehanna River here in Harrisburg, from Vaughn Street south to the I-83 John Harris Bridge. The park stretches parallel to the river between the shoreline and Front Street, from Vaughn Street at the north to the I-83 John Harris Bridge at the south. Under your feet and along the water is a concrete waterfront esplanade beside greenspace first developed during the City Beautiful Movement in the early 20th Century by Warren H. Manning — one of the first riverfront reclamations by American cities.

Ahead, the park overlooks views of the Susquehanna River, City Island, Wormleysburg, and Blue Mountain in the distance. You can follow bike lanes and paved paths as part of the larger Capital Area Greenbelt. Around you are statues and memorials, a series of exercise pits, gardens, public art installations, and a Harrisburg Centennial time capsule.

Special spots include the Sunken Gardens, the gravesite of John Harris Sr., and Kunkel Memorial Plaza. Riverfront Park also plays host to many of Harrisburg’s yearly festivals and events, such as Kipona, the Harrisburg Independence Day Celebration, ArtsFest, Woofstock Dog Festival, and Pennsylvania Pump Primers' Antique... Notice the esplanade stretching out to the river, City Island, Wormleysburg and Blue Mountain.

Where it is

Coordinates
40.2674, -76.8925
Area
Harrisburg
Era
City Beautiful riverfront reclamation
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Three stops free. No account needed. The audio plays itself as you walk.