Bow Bridge is one of Central Park's most iconic cast iron spans, completed in 1862 and named for its elegant arc that resembles a violinist's bow. It's old enough to hold the distinction of being among the oldest cast iron bridges in the United States, yet elegant enough to have been filmed in dozens of Hollywood productions—from Enchanted to Great Expectations.

The bridge has become synonymous with romance; proposals happen here with surprising regularity.
The bridge's finest feature is its wooden walkway. In 2024, the Park Service installed more durable timber to handle the thousands of footsteps that cross it yearly, a small intervention preserving what makes this crossing special without destroying its character.

VoiceMap's self-guided tours use Bow Bridge as the gateway between the Ramble and the Lake, revealing how this single structure connects the park's most theatrical landscapes. The tours trace how this Victorian engineering marvel became a cultural fixture in American cinema and the backdrop for countless personal moments—turning a simple span into a lens for understanding both the park's design and its role in New York's romantic mythology.