Most people think of elevated trains and dense apartment blocks when they think of the Bronx, but there are several residential neighborhoods as well with beautiful views of the Hudson River. Bronx Park and Van Cortlandt Park are two large and tranquil green spaces and feature two square miles of boating, horseback riding, tennis, and the oldest public golf course in the United States.

The Bronx is home to one of the country's most storied professional baseball teams, the New York Yankees ("Bronx Bombers") and Yankee Stadium. It is also the birthplace of hip hop music, one of the most important truly American musical genres.

The Bronx has experienced some gentrification, creating attractions beyond the Bronx Zoo and Yankee Stadium, such as the New York Botanical Garden, City Island, located in Long Island Sound but officially part of the Bronx reminds people more of a small New England fishing village and is worth a visit.

Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place of such notable Americans as Duke Ellington, George M. Cohan, Miles Davis, F. W. Woolworth, J.C. Penney and R.H. Macy.

There is still a strong ethnic flavor that helps define the Bronx. The Italian American, Puerto Rican, Mexican and Dominican republic cultures have a strong presence and contribute to its ethnicity.