Perched on the northern shore of the Harlem Meer is Central Park's newest building — the first in its history to be built specifically as a visitor center. The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center opened to the public in 1993 and offers a wide variety of the Conservancy's free education and community programs, seasonal exhibits and holiday celebrations.

Adjacent to the Discovery Center is a small plaza where many community programs take place. These include the Harlem Meer Performance Festival, the Halloween Pumpkin Sail of candlelit Jack O'Lanterns across the Meer, and the annual Holiday Lighting event.

The Charles A. Dana Discover Center is also the home of our Catch-and-Release Fishing Program.