Please check with the institution for hours, directions and fees;
also, be aware of the institution's policies regarding Covid-19.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden was founded more than a century ago and is located on 52 acres in the heart of Brooklyn. The Garden is home to over 12,000 kinds of plants. It offers programs and workshops for adults, children and families. The website has a wealth of gardening how-to information.
The Freeport Memorial Library offers passes for this museum and they can be reserved here or in the Children’s Room.
The not-for-profit Friends of Hempstead Plains at Nassau Community College is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the Hempstead Plains and to offering educational programs about this special and rapidly vanishing ecological and historical habitat. Hempstead Plains is 19 acres of College-owned land that is part of a 65-acre remnant of the Plains – this is all that remains of 40,000 acres of native grassland prairie that once comprised central Nassau. The Plains is home to 250 species of plants, including some six state rare and/or endangered species. Check the website for operating hours.
New York Department of Environmental Conservation offers a list of all fishing spots in New York City, Nassau County, and Suffolk County. Click on the park name to learn more about the waterway and types of fish found. Always check New York State Regulations for in season fish and fishing permits.
Nassau County Parks, Recreation, and Museums
Nassau County has over 70 parks, preserves, museums, historic properties, and athletic facilities. This is a list that breaks out the parks by activity.
The New York Botanical Garden is the largest garden in any city in the United States. It has 50 specialty gardens and a collection that has more than one million plants. The Garden offers a variety of programs for all ages and has recordings of previous ones available on the website.
The Freeport Memorial Library offers passes for this museum and they can be reserved here or in the Children’s Room.
New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
New York State has 180 parks that cover the shores of Long Island to the Niagara Falls. One can experience beaches, boat launches, hiking trails, campsites, and golf courses. New York’s state parks include 30 nature centers where one can learn about honey bees, sea stars, snakes, and coyotes, exploring geology, migration and botany. These nature centers also offer diverse environmental education programs for children, families, and adults. There are 37 historic sites that tell the story of New York’s cultural heritage.
The Freeport Memorial Library offers the Empire Pass that can be used at New York State parks and can be reserved here or in the Children’s Room.
New York State Recreation Lands
The Department of Environmental Conservation has an interactive map of all the parks in New York State that are available for leisure activities. Just click on a region for a list of the names and details. Long Island parks can be found here.
The North Shore Rail Trail is a 10-mile multi-use recreational path and runs along the former Wading River railway corridor in Brookhaven. A branch of the Long Island Rail Road, the Wading River railway line was used by Nicola Tesla to commute to his Long Island laboratory. The railway line was abandoned in 1939 and the idea of turning it into a rail-trail was first introduced in the 1970s. Over fifty years later the North Shore Rail Trail, Long Island's first rail-trail, opened to the public in June 2022.
It is an ADA compliant trail. Open from dawn to dusk only, the trail has no lights, benches, garbage cans, water fountains, or restrooms. No electric or motorized vehicles of any kind are allowed on the trail. Dogs are allowed on leashes and must be picked up after. This is a carry in/carry out trail—all animal waste and garbage must be disposed of offsite.
Old Westbury Gardens is the former home of John S. Phipps, his wife Margarita Grace Phipps and their four children. Completed in 1906 by the English designer George A. Crawley, the mansion is nestled amid 200 acres of formal gardens, landscaped grounds, woodlands, ponds and lakes. Westbury House is furnished with fine English antiques and decorative arts from the more than fifty years of the family's residence. Old Westbury Gardens offers visitors guided tours of Westbury House and the formal gardens, children's and family programs, and other related events.
The Freeport Memorial Library offers passes for this museum and they can be reserved here or in the Children’s Room.
Suffolk County offers many park experiences including beaches, golf courses and historic sites.