Recreation & Play Areas

Parks & Reservations

Blue Mountain
Welcher Avenue, Peekskill, New York, (914) 862-5275
Description: Blue Mountain Reservation is a 1,500-acre park in the northwest section of Westchester County. It features miles of trails for mountain biking, strolling and nature study, and offers challenging hikes to the tops of two large peaks, Mt. Spitzenberg and Blue Mountain. Read more

Boscobel Restoration
1601 Route 9D, Garrison, NY 10524, (845) 265-3638
Description:   Boscobel is situated on a bluff on the east bank of the Hudson River opposite the United States Military Academy at West Point. The house museum and surrounding grounds and gardens are situated on 45 acres. They offer visitors memorable views of the Hudson Highlands and the Hudson River. The house was completed in 1808 for the States Dyckman family and is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of Federal architecture in the country. It contains one of the nation’s leading collections of furniture and decorative arts from the Federal period, much of it made by premier New York cabinetmakers such as Duncan Phyfe and Michael Allison. Take a guided tour of Boscobel House (hours begin at 10 a.m. and the last tour begins at 4:15 p.m. April through October, 3:15 p.m. in November and December, tours last approximately 45 minutes), and enjoy a self-guided tour of the magnificent rose garden, orangery, herb garden, springhouse, gatehouse, and the Woodland Trail with its rustic cedar structures and glorious scenery. There is also a fascinating exhibition on the rescue and restoration of Boscobel in the Visitors’ Center. An excellent museum shop is located in the Center as well. Boscobel is open every day except Tuesdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The museum and grounds are closed during January, February, and March. Nearby, visitors can explore the nineteenth century village of Cold Spring with its antique and specialty shops. Numerous fine restaurants are located in the immediate area. Bear Mountain State Park, Manitoga, Dia Beacon, and West Point are also a short scenic drive from Boscobel. Read more

Bronx River Parkway reservation
Yonkers to Valhalla, (914) 723-4058
Description: The Bronx River Parkway Reservation, Westchester’s oldest park, is an 807-acre paved linear park that was created as an adjunct to the Bronx River Parkway that opened in 1925. The Reservation touts a number of “firsts:” it was the first linear park in Westchester, as well as one of the first in the country, and, the Bronx River Parkway was the first parkway in the nation. The Reservation also has the distinction of being the first official Westchester County Park, whose establishment led to the creation of today’s County Park System of more than 50 parks spanning nearly 18,000 acres. The picturesque Reservation, which runs through the heart of southern Westchester County, features ponds, wooden footbridges, and hundreds of varieties of native trees and shrubs. It is a favorite place for bicycling, walking, running and nature study. Read more

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
149 Girdle Ridge Rd, Katonah, NY 10536, (914) 232-5035
Description:   Caramoor is the legacy of Walter and Lucie Rosen, who established the estate and built a great house as its centerpiece, filling it with treasures collected on their travels. Walter Rosen was the master planner, bringing to reality his dream of creating a place to entertain friends from around the world. Their legendary musical evenings were the seeds of today’s International Music Festival that is held annually on the estate. Walter Rosen’s friend Charles Hoyt first introduced the Rosens to the estate. Hoyt’s mother had an estate in Katonah, a village in the town of Bedford, New York that she was looking to sell. It was named after her – “Caramoor” for Caroline Moore Hoyt. Charles Hoyt, a collector like Walter Rosen, certainly knew of his love for things Italian. The Hoyt estate, which was more than 100 acres, had a beautifully laid-out Italianate garden, with rows of tall cedars mimicking the ubiquitous cypresses of Italy. The Rosens fell in love with this garden, still found at Caramoor today, and bought the property. The Caramoor property was purchased in 1928 by the Rosens as a summer home and country retreat. Both were passionate collectors and accomplished musicians. From 1929 to 1939, Mr. Rosen designed and built the rambling stucco villa now known as the Rosen House. The Rosens furnished their mansion with their vast collection of European and Asian art and furnishings. Noteworthy are the 15th-century Spanish Alcove in the Music Room imported from Toledo; an eight-paneled 18th century green jade screen from China – one of only two in the world; a relief from the studio of Donatello; tapestry from 14th-century Florence; terra cotta reliefs from the studio of Della Robbia, Ming vases and a gilded bed once owned by Pope Urban VIII. In 1945, the Rosens bequeathed the Caramoor estate as a center for music and art in memory of their son. The next year the Music Room was opened to the public for three summer concerts. The International Music Festival grew from those intimate concerts the Rosens shared with their friends at their home. During the 1950s, outdoor concerts were presented in the Spanish Courtyard. Caramoor’s fame continued to grow and seats became impossible to obtain. Prompted by The New York Times critic Howard Taubman, Lucie Rosen decided to make Caramoor more available to the public, and she had a larger space – the Venetian Theater – constructed. The theater opened in 1958. The Caramoor museum was created in 1970. In 1971 the house was opened to the public. In 1974 a new wing was added to include rooms and objects d’art from the Rosens’ New York City residence. What is known today as the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts was originally created by a foundation established by the Rosens to operate the estate in perpetuity. Lucie Rosen once said that people feel they have gone to another country and another time when they visit Caramoor. Because the Rosens were touched by this, by the obvious pleasure their friends took in Caramoor’s beauty, they decided to leave their home as a legacy for all to enjoy after they had gone. It is to the vision and energy of this inspirational couple that thousands owe their enjoyment of Caramoor each year. Read more

Cranberry Lake Preserve
1609 Old Orchard St, White Plains, NY 10604, (914) 428-1005
Description:   Cranberry Lake is a 190-acre nature preserve comprised of forest, wetlands, and a 10-acre lake that was carved by glaciers thousands of years ago. There are three miles of trails, including a loop around the lake, and others that traverse the predominantly northern oak-hickory forest. The area is part of the Kensico Reservoir watershed, which provides drinking water for residents of Westchester County and New York City. The name Cranberry Lake is derived from the growth of wild cranberry, which still exist in various parts of the fen. Read more

Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Garden at Pepsico
700 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577, (914) 253-3433
Description:   The Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Garden features a collection of 20th-century sculpture set within 168 landscaped acres surrounding the world headquarters of PepsiCo. The PepsiCo office building, which opened in 1970, was designed by Edward Durrell Stone (architect of Washington`s Kennedy Center). Three prominent landscape designers - E.D. Stone Jr. (the architect`s son), Russell Page, and Francois Goffinet - had a hand in laying out the grounds, which are meant to complement the 45 sculptures and serve as works of art themselves. Smaller pieces by Henry Moore, Seymour Lipton, Henri Laurens, and others fill the building`s courtyard, which is shaded by trees and filled with flowers and a central fountain. Monumental works, including pieces by Alexander Calder, George Segal, Isamu Noguchi, Claes Oldenburg, Louise Nevelson, Jean Dubuffet, and David Smith, are spaced throughout the grounds. A "Golden Path," the inspiration of Russell Page, winds its way past the sculptures and through the various landscapes, offering walkers an opportunity to see the art - both natural and manmade - from many perspectives. The grounds include a lake; a stream garden; lily ponds; an iris garden and perennial garden; two woodland gardens; topiary; and groves of birch, oak, sequoia, and many other species. A detailed map of the sculpture garden is available at the Visitor Center. PepsiCo welcomes the public as its guests, picnicking is allowed in a designated area. The Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Garden is located at PepsiCo World Headquarters, 700 Anderson Hill Road in Purchase. It is open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. April-October and 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. November-March. Free admission. 914-253-2000. Read more

Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park
2957 Crompond Rd,Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, (914) 245-4434
Description:   A scenic haven approximately 40 miles from New York City, Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park offers day trippers a day of fun and relaxation. The park`s spacious picnic areas, which can accommodate individual families as well as large groups, may be reserved in advance. The park`s mammoth pool can hold 4,000 bathers at one time! In addition the park offers a host of other activities for people of all ages to enjoy. The park`s Mohansic Lake and Crom Pond, provide excellent freshwater fishing and boating. Popular catches include bass, perch, and sun fish. A New York State Freshwater Fishing License is required. Both rowboats and pedal boats are available for rental; however, a regional boating permit allows visitors to launch their own rowboats, canoes or kayaks. In wintertime, the pond provides ice skating and ice fishing. For those who are content to remain in the park`s picnic areas, there are many other activities to enjoy. All picnic areas have volleyball nets and many have softball fields or basketball courts. There is also a soccer field. Sports enthusiasts may wish to try their hand at Disc golf – a short distance from the picnic areas. One can play either 9 or 18 holes. The rules and scorecards are located at the course and loaner Frisbees are available from the park office. The park’s hills and trails are perfect for winter sports. The young and the young at heart will enjoy sledding or cross country skiing. Read more

Greenburgh Nature Center
99 Dromore Rd, Scarsdale, NY 10583, (914) 723-3470
Description: Our mission is to educate and to promote conservation, research, and appreciation of nature and the environment while preserving the natural and historic character of our property. Features a 33-acre woodland preserve, with live animals, a museum, a greenhouse with botanical exhibits, and a hands-on discovery room. Read more

Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden
28 Deveau Rd, North Salem, NY 10560, (914) 669-5033
Description:   The Japanese Stroll Garden provides a place of natural beauty and tranquility, to delight the senses and refresh the spirit. It is a place where aspects of Eastern and Western culture can be appreciated through art exhibitions, concerts, special events and educational programs in order to promote global awareness and understanding. The museum also supports the efforts of artists and performers in the Greater New York Metropolitan Region. Read more

Historic Hudson Valley
There`s always something new at the historic sites of Historic Hudson Valley.  In spring, lambs are born on the farm at Philipsburg Manor and wisteria blossoms cover the façade of Kykuit. Summer brings opportunities to kayak on the river or play 19th-century baseball at festivals like River Day and Independence Day 1856. The Headless Horseman, ghosts, pirates, and other scary characters from Hudson Valley folklore make appearances around Halloween. Winter is the time to explore the sites by candlelight and enjoy a warm cup of cider by the bonfire. You will want to come back to the sites again and again, and bring friends and family to celebrate the changing seasons at Historic Hudson Valley. Of course, Historic Hudson Valley`s sites are wonderful places to just unwind. You can read a book, picnic, stroll in a garden, hike a woodland trail, bird watch, sketch, visit the farm animals, play traditional children`s games, and enjoy the beauty and serenity of the Hudson Valley. www.hudsonvalley.org

Kensico Dam Plaza
Bronx River Pkwy, Valhalla, NY 10595, (914) 328-1542
Description:   Kensico Dam Plaza is a 98 acre property located at the base of the Kensico Dam. The park provides a unique setting for a wide variety of activities including ethnic celebrations, concerts, antiques shows and arts and craft shows, as well as areas for picnicking, in-line skating, walking and nature study. Read more

Lasdon Park and Arboretum
2610 Amawalk Rd, Katonah, NY 10536, (914) 864-7268
Description:    Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Memorial is a magnificent 234 acre property consisting of woodlands, open grass meadow and formal gardens with flower and shrub specimens from all over the world.  Lasdon is also the site of the Chinese Friendship Pavilion that was a gift from the People’s Republic of China to the citizens of Westchester. The park also houses four inspirational memorials and a museum honoring Westchester veterans.  Lasdon is available for meetings, weddings and other catered events. Read more

Lyndhurst
635 S Broadway, Tarrytown, NY 10591, (914) 631-4481
Description:   Lyndhurst is an important Gothic Revival mansion whose 67-acre grounds offer fine views of the Hudson River. The house, clad in Sing Sing marble, was designed in two stages by Alexander Jackson Davis. In 1838, he created a Gothic villa for William Paulding, a former mayor of New York City; 26 years later, he doubled the house`s size, adding a four-story tower and porte cochere for New York businessman George Merritt. For both men, Davis also designed Gothic-style furniture, which the home`s third owner, railroad magnate and stock manipulator Jay Gould, retained and complemented with furnishings of his own. Gould`s daughter, Anna, gave the estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1961. Today, its rooms reflect the tastes of all of its owners. The house, which recently underwent a major restoration, contains stained glass, faux finishes, and murals. Particularly impressive are the dining room, created to resemble a medieval banquet hall, and the two-story-tall art gallery. In addition to the Davis-designed furniture, there are pieces by the Herter Brothers and European cabinetmakers, Meissen china, marble statuary, Barbizon School paintings, and other artwork. The grounds, combining sweeping lawns and groupings of magnificent specimen trees, also feature a rose garden with more than 500 varieties and a restored fern garden, as well as the estate`s carriage house, bowling alley, and conservatory. The carriage house contains an exhibit about the house`s various owners and a small café. Lyndhurst, at 635 South Broadway in Tarrytown, is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun. and holiday Mondays mid-April-October and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends and holiday Mondays only November-mid-April. Guided tours. Admission fee. 914-631-4481. Read more

Macy VE park
287 Ridge Rd, Hartsdale, NY 10530, (914) 946-8133
Description: This 172 acre park is centrally located in the county and a perfect spot for group picnics. “A section of V.E. Macy Park has been renamed so that the history of the Irish who fled to Westchester in the 1840s to escape poverty and famine will never be forgotten. The Great Hunger Memorial was unveiled on June 24, 2001 at V.E. Macy Park in Ardsley to commemorate the suffering of millions of Irish immigrants who died from the potato famine or were forced to leave their country.  The monument was created by Eamonn O`Doherty.  Read more

Mianus River Gorge Preserve
167 Mianus River Rd, Bedford, NY 10506, (914) 234-3455
Description:   Less than forty miles from Manhattan, the Mianus River Gorge Preserve (MRGP) remains an oasis of rich woodland and old-growth forest one hour`s drive from New York City. The Preserve was established in 1953 to protect an old-growth hemlock forest and receives the special designation as the first Nature Conservancy land project and the first National Natural History Landmark designated by the US Department of the Interior. Today, the Mianus River Gorge Preserve, Inc., is an independent not-for-profit that protects over 750 acres of land and a water supply for over 150,000 people in Connecticut and New York. Drawing on our rich history of science-based management and land conservation, we continue to be a model for the protection of rare, isolated habitat in an increasingly developed world. Read more

New York Botanical Garden
2694 Dr Theodore Kazimiroff Blvd, Bronx, NY 10458, (718) 817-8700
Description:   A grand museum of plants. A place to relax, rejuvenate, and experience the wonders of nature. A living “tip sheet” for your home garden. A worldwide leader in studying the Earth’s plant life. The New York Botanical Garden is all of these things and a great deal more. Founded in 1891, the Garden is one of the world’s great collections of plants, the region’s leading educational center for gardening and horticulture, and an international center for plant research. The Garden is alive with opportunities for discovery, from an "ecotour" of the world in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory to an innovative indoor/outdoor science museum for kids to 50 exquisite gardens and plant collections, all on a 250-acre National Historic Landmark site in New York City’s Bronx borough. Read more

Ridge Road Park
287 Ridge Rd, Hartsdale, NY 10530, (914) 946-8133
Description:   A 170 acre park offering picnicking facilities for groups with three pavilions, ball fields and playgrounds. Read more

Rockefeller state park preserve
Route 117, Sleepy Hollow Rd, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591, (914) 631-1470
Description: Visitors will delight in the ever growing haven of open space in Westchester County known as Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Approximately 30 miles from the hustle and bustle of New York City, the Preserve is an idyllic spot for strolling, jogging, horseback riding, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. With 180 recorded species of birds and its IBA (Important Bird Area) designation by the National Audubon Society, the Preserve is a must visit area for birders. In season, licensed anglers enjoy fishing for bass in the 22 acre Swan Lake and for brown trout in the Pocantico River. In addition the beauty of the Preserve inspires many artists and photographers to memorialize its scenic vistas. While in the park, stop in the Preserve`s Gallery across from the Visitor Center. Its rotating exhibits feature the art of local artists. Within walking distance are the Preserve`s nearest neighbors - The Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, a nonprofit farm and educational center designed to demonstrate, teach and promote sustainable, community-based food production and Blue Hill restaurant. These numerous outdoor opportunities exist due to the foresight and generosity of the Rockefeller family. The Preserve land is comprised of a portion of the Rockefeller family estate in Pocantico Hills given to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in 1983. Since the Preserve`s inception, additional bequeaths have extended its size by 488 acres to today`s total of 1,233 acres. The most notable feature of the Preserve is the system of carriage roads built by John D. Rockefeller Sr. and John D. Rockefeller Jr. Designed to complement the landscape, the carriage roads, many of which are handicapped accessible, allow visitors to experience and enjoy the natural wonders of the area. These scenic paths wind through wetlands, woodlands, meadows, and fields and past streams, rivers, and lakes. They traverse wood and stone bridges, including the first triple arch bridge in America. One road passes by the foundation of Rockwood Hall, once the 220 room home of William Rockefeller. Its Olmstead designed landscape with its panoramic view of the Hudson River remains a spot of beauty for all who visit. Trail maps (with distance and grade descriptions) of all the carriage roads and equestrian permits are available at the Preserve Office. Hunting, swimming, biking, snowmobiling, camping, and open fires are strictly prohibited. Read more

Rye Nature Center
873 Boston Post Rd, Rye, NY 10580, (914) 967-5150
The Rye Nature Center is a Rye City-owned facility offering environmental programs through the cooperative efforts of the Friends of Rye Nature Center and the City of Rye. The Center is located on 47 acres of wildlife preserve, with over two miles of hiking trails, ponds, streams and granite outcroppings. The Nature Center has comfortable classroom and museum spaces for visiting classes and special events. Read more

Splash Down Beach
Clean, wet summer fun!  Fishkill, NY, www.splashdownbeach.com
Description: Splashdown Park in Fishkill is a multi-activity family waterpark packed with waterslides, tube slides, wave pool, and bumper boats for a really cool experience.

Sprain Ridge Park
149 Jackson Ave, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10706, (914) 231-3450
Description:   Sprain Ridge Park is named for its location on a ridge between the northbound and southbound lanes of the Sprain Brook Parkway. The Park`s 278-acres include a developed portion with a pool complex and picnic areas. The remainder of the park is heavily wooded with a variety of hiking and mountain bike trails. Read more

Sunnyside
West Sunnyside Lane, Off Route 9, Tarrytown, (914) 591-8763
Description:   A visit to Sunnyside is an enchanted adventure in a romantic landscape and a much-loved riverside home that has been charming visitors for generations. Hear about Washington Irving`s storied past and how he came to be America`s first internationally famous author, best remembered now for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and other short stories. His characters, from Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane to the mysterious Headless Horseman and the comic Rip Van Winkle, are icons in American culture. A gently curved path leads to gorgeous views of the Hudson River and reveals the allure of Sunnyside`s unique design, its intimate setting, its bucolic grounds, and its association with a beloved man of letters. Your guide, dressed elegantly in hoop skirts or formal dress of the times, explains how Washington Irving designed Sunnyside and its grounds himself, collaborating with his neighbor, the artist George Harvey. "It is a beautiful spot," Irving wrote, "capable of being made a little paradise." Beginning in 1835, he expanded a small cottage in stages, combining his sentimental interests in the architecture of colonial New York and buildings he knew in Scotland and Spain. The house became a three-dimensional autobiography. The grounds reflect Washington Irving`s romantic view of art, nature, and history. He arranged garden paths, trees and shrubs, vistas, and water features to appear natural, and planted an exotic wisteria vine (still growing) to envelope the house. Irving`s contemporaries extensively described and illustrated Sunnyside during his lifetime. And since Sunnyside and many of its furnishings remained in the family, a visit here is one of the most authentic experiences of mid-19th century life anywhere in the country. Read more

Teatown Lake Reservation
1600 Spring Valley Rd # 1, Ossining, NY 10562, (914) 762-2912
Description:   Teatown Lake Reservation is a nonprofit, environmental organization with an 834-acre nature preserve and education center located in the Lower Hudson Valley in the Towns of Yorktown, Cortlandt, and New Castle, New York. Teatown Lake Reservation’s mission is to conserve open space and to educate and involve the regional community in order to sustain the diversity of wildlife, plants and habitats for future generations. We are devoted to conserving biodiversity, teaching ecology and promoting nature-friendly living. Located in the heart of the Lower Hudson Valley’s Hudson Hills and Highlands bioregion, Teatown is the largest nonprofit nature preserve in Westchester County. About 25,000 people come each year to attend an education program, visit the Nature Center, hike our trails, or tour Wildflower Island, a two-acre island sanctuary located within Teatown Lake that is home to over 230 native and endangered species of wildflowers. Teatown’s educators offer adult, family and children’s programs to over 10,000 participants annually, including nearly 6,000 school children and 700 summer campers. Annually, over 15,000 hikers traverse Teatown`s 15 miles of scenic trails that span abundant fields, mixed forests, lakes, streams, swamps and farm land. Our Nature Center is a source of wildlife knowledge and home to a variety of amphibians, birds of prey, mammals and reptiles. Teatown conducts three annual celebrations: Hudson Hills and Highlands Fall Festival; Nature-friendly Plant Sale and Workshops; and Hudson River EagleFest, a celebration of the annual winter gathering of bald eagles in the Hudson Valley. In addition, Teatown is rapidly developing a reputation as the Hudson Hills and Highlands’ foremost environmental organization, providing conservation leadership to this bioregion, which encompasses most of Westchester and Putnam Counties, and parts of Dutchess, Orange and Rockland Counties. Teatown takes an active role in state, county and community efforts to protect open space and natural areas. We provide assistance to civic leaders in crafting practical solutions to environmental issues and help land owners and residents become more “nature friendly between the parks.” Read more

The Cloisters
Fort Tryon Park, 99 Margaret Corbin Drive, New York, NY 10040, (212) 923-3700
Description:   The Cloisters, the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe, was assembled from architectural elements, both domestic and religious, that date from the twelfth through the fifteenth century. The building and its cloistered gardens—located in Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan—are treasures in themselves, effectively part of the collection housed there. View highlights from The Cloisters: sculpture, tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, goldsmiths` and silversmiths` work, stained glass, enamels, ivories, and more. All group visits require reservations. Please call 212-650-2280 to schedule a group visit. Read more

Tibbetts Brook Park
1 Midland Ave, Yonkers, NY 10705, (914) 231-2865
Description:   Tibbetts Brook Park a 161acre park with its mammoth 412’ x 125’ pool is one of the first parks developed by the County.  The Park offers many recreational activities throughout the year and hosts ethnic celebrations, fairs and festivals during the summer months. Read more

Untermyer Park and Gardens
945 N Broadway, Yonkers, NY 10701, (914) 377-6450
Description:   Grecian gardens landscaped in the Beaux Arts style. Temple overlooking a mosaic pool, a Greek amphitheater and sculptures. Views of the Hudson River and the Palisades. Read more

Van Cortlandt Manor
525 S Riverside Ave, Croton On Hudson, NY 10520, (914) 271-8981
Description:   At Van Cortlandt Manor, explore the stone manor house and brick ferry house, wander through the heritage gardens, and stroll down a quiet country road along the Croton River. There, you`ll experience the domestic life of a patriot family living in the years just after the American Revolution - the New Nation period. Costumed guides demonstrate and invite visitors to try their own hands at blacksmithing, brick making, open-hearth cooking, spinning, weaving, and other crafts and tasks of the period. These activities and a lively program of special events help bring the past to life. Enter the manor house and see an extraordinary collection of furnishings from the colonial and federal periods, in their original setting. Downstairs hear about one of the largest and best-equipped colonial kitchens in America and see samples of 18th-century medicines and foodways. At the Ferry House, built before 1750, find a rural tavern that offered food, drink, and lodging to travelers along the Albany Post Road. Pause if you wish to see an extensive collection of Hudson Valley vernacular furnishings. As you walk through the gardens, you`ll find a remarkable array of flowers, vegetables, and herbs available to American gardeners in the late 18th century. The Van Cortlandts were one of New York`s most prominent families, who faced and influenced pressing political issues of the time, including Federalist and Anti-Federalist debates over the drafting of the constitution. The family also grappled with religious change following the rise of evangelical religions and had to confront the controversy over emancipation, since they were slaveholders. These issues, along with everyday life and social activities of the period, are explored at Van Cortlandt Manor. Read more

Ward Pound Ridge Reservation
Route 121 S, Cross River, NY 10518, (914) 763-3493
Description:   The 4,315 -acre park makes Ward Pound Ridge Reservation the county’s largest park. With its varied terrain and landscapes. And miles of wooded trails the park provides a variety of activities in all seasons. There are areas for picnicking, lean-to camping, fishing and cross-country skiing. Hike to the Leatherman`s cave and explore history. Read more

Wave Hill
675 W 252nd St, Bronx, NY 10471, (718) 549-3200
Description:   Wave Hill is a 28-acre public garden and cultural center in the Bronx overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades. Its mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscapes, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts. Read more

Weinberg Nature Center
455 Mamaroneck Rd, Scarsdale, NY 10583, (914) 722-1289
Description: For more than 30 years, this ten-acre sanctuary, owned by the Village of Scarsdale, has been a haven for a wide variety of animals and birds, as well as for people. With a meadow, fruit orchard, woodlots, swamp, and an apiary for bees, the Nature Center is perfect for family outings. Folks can stroll the trails or take advantage of the 8-mile trail that connects the Center to Pinebrook Ball Park for a lengthy hike. The Trailside Nature Museum offers nature-related exhibits, and families will find opportunities throughout the year to enjoy Special Events and Programs. The many Children`s Programs, including after-school programs, help introduce them to the world of nature. The Native American Village is a recent addition to the Center where visitors can explore the life and culture of the Lenape and Iroquois Tribes through exhibits that focus on how Indians lived with nature. School and Scout Groups can participate in wonderful hands-on Programs in forest and field ecology, geology and endangered species, the Adirondacks and the Catskills, the Hudson River, Northeast Woodland Indians, and many other topics. Hours: Wednesday thru Sunday, 9am to 5pm. In Summer open Monday thru Friday; Trails open daily from dawn to dusk. Picnic area available. Handicapped: Accessible. Read more

Westmoreland Sanctuary
260 Chestnut Ridge Rd, Mt Kisco, NY 10549, (914) 666-8448
Description: Westmoreland Sanctuary was established in 1957 as a private not-for-profit corporation. Surrounded by wooded countryside and suburban areas, Westmoreland`s unspoiled acres offers a variety of activities to its more than 20,000 annual visitors. Read more

Wilson’s woods park
8 Bradford Rd, Mt Vernon, NY 10553, (914) 813-6990
Description:   One of the oldest parks in the county system, Willson`s Woods is a 23-acre park offering a wave pool, water slides, a spray deck and water playground, against the backdrop of an English Tudor style bathhouse. The park also has areas for picnicking and fishing. Read more