Watkins Glen State Park

At this park families will experience water cascading over 200-foot cliffs and feel the mist of 19 waterfalls, while traveling under bridges and through stone caves and tunnels. The Gorge Trail is open from mid-May until the beginning of November and outer rim trails are available for use year-round, which overlook the Gorge. In the summer the State Park offers guided tours of the Gorge Trail and evening activities like learning to identify frogs. The Watkins Glen State Park also includes tent and RV camping sites, picnic facilities, a playground, an Olympic-size pool, guided tours in the summer and easy access to Village of Watkins Glen. There is also an ice cream stand at the top of the par and there is a continuous shuttle service that runs through the park throughout the season for a small fee. Dogs, who must be caged or leashed, are allowed to go to the State Park picnicking areas, playground areas and outer rim trails.

State Route 14 Franklin Street, Watkins Glen, NY 14891. May until the beginning of November Daily 9am–6pm. There is only a fee to park $8; admission into the park is free.

Prospect Park

This 585-acre urban oasis boasts Brooklyn's only forest, a 60-acre lake, shaded hillsides, beautiful waterfalls, and rolling meadows. The Park is home to a vintage, hand-carved c. 1912 Carousel and the nation's first urban Audubon Center. Visitors can tour the park's watercourse by pedal boat or the park's turn-of-the-century style electric boat Independence and check out many as 250 species of birds. Prospect Park is also home to the Lefferts Historic House, an 18th century Dutch Farmhouse, and the site of the Revolutionary War's Battle of Brooklyn. Other park activities include skating at the Kate Wollman Ice Skating Center and team sports at the Parade Ground with fields for baseball, soccer, and football, as well as a tennis center with 11 courts. The park also has designated trails for horseback riding, seven children's playgrounds and a zoo for families with small children. Eating options include the Songbird Café at the landmark Beaux Arts-style Boathouse and the Movable Feast Café at the Picnic House.

Parkside/Ocean Ave. entrance Brooklyn, NY. The Audubon Center and Lefferts Historic House: Saturday and Sunday and public/school holidays, 12pm-5pm. Carousel and Pedal Boats: June: Thursday through Sunday 12pm-5pm. July and August: Thursday through Sunday 12pm-6pm. Free.

East River State Park Play Area

This brand new seven acre waterfront park with views of the Manhattan skyline in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn features interactive, eco-friendly play structures surrounded by dozens of new trees and natural landscaping thanks to a generous donation from Juicy Juice. The green space is actually a former shipping dock and railroad yard, and some of the historic railroad tracks and concrete pillars of the warehouses are left throughout the park as a reminder of its industrial heritage. A wooden train climbing structure is front and center and other play features include an oversized flower petal climbing/jumping structure, a human scale, rock-lined riverbeds that fill with rainwater and several wooden bridges and paths. There’s also a butterfly garden nearby, with native plants that specifically attract butterflies.

90 Kent Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211. 10am-dusk daily; Admission: free.

Pelham Bay Park

At more than 2,700 acres, this is New York City’s largest park. Families can hike the Kazimiroff Nature Trail or go birding at the nearly 500 acre Thomas Pell Wildlife Sanctuary. They can also visit New York’s very own “Riviera”, also known as Orchard Beach, where they can lounge in the sun or build a sand castle. Families can check in for special events at the park with the Urban Park Rangers.

Bruckner Boulevard, Eastchester, Hutchinson. Sunrise to am, Playgrounds: 8am-dusk. Free.

Morningside Park

A narrow strip that stretches 13 blocks through the neighborhoods of Harlem and Morningside Heights, Morningside Park blends landscaping with the pleasures of a community park. Built on a steep incline, multiple playgrounds nestle at the bottom of its cliff-like hillside. It features winding paths bordered with flowers and trees which lead to a cascading waterfall. The park boasts volleyball courts, spray showers, handball and basketball courts, baseball field, and barbecuing areas. And on Saturdays local farmers sell their goods in an outdoor market.

West 110 to West 123 Street, Manhattan Avenue to Morningside Drive. Sunrise-1am, Playgrounds: 8am-dusk. Free.

Alley Pond Park

This park, the second largest in Queens, offers glimpses into New York’s geologic past, its colonial history, and its current conservation efforts. Because of its glacier-formed moraine, the park has numerous natural features, like its freshwater and saltwater wetlands, tidal flats, meadows, and forests, which create a diverse ecosystem and support bird life. Alley Pond Park also features a high ropes adventure course which provides challenges for individuals as they work through physically and intellectually demanding situations. The course offers activities for all ages and all physical abilities. Alley Pond Park also boasts; playgrounds, barbeque areas, courts and fields. Free programs are offered for individuals on a first–come, first-served basis on Sundays from 10am-4pm, May through November (weather permitting).

Little Neck Bay to Springfield Boulevard, Union Turnpike. Sunrise-1am, Playgrounds: 8am-dusk. Free.

Wolfe’s Pond Park

The landscape of Wolfe's Pond Park on Raritan Bay features hiking trails, a fishing area, playground, roller hockey area, a beach, tennis courts, and barbecuing area. As one of Staten Island's largest parks, Wolfe's Pond Park wears many different hats; it’s a beach, wildlife and plant preserve and a recreational area with space to run, jump, and climb.

Cornelia, Holten and Luten Avenues on Raritan Bay. Open sunrise-1pm, playgrounds: 8am-dusk. Free

The Staten Island Greenbelt

The Greenbelt has over 2,800 acres of natural areas, connected by 35 miles of hiking trails through woodlands and ponds, lakes, ravines, and meadows.  Three outstanding features of the Staten Island Greenbelt for families include the Carousel for All Children at Willowbrook Park, the Greenbelt Nature Center, and High Rock Park.

700 Rockland Avenue Staten Island NY 10314.

The Carousel for All Children at Willowbrook Park

This park has a lake with a flat paved path which is perfect for a stroll and Canada geese and duck sightings. The Carousel for All Children is a traditional wooden merry-go-round accessible to all children, including those with disabilities. The carousel contains 52 colorfully painted wooden figures of traditional carousel horses as well as mythical beasts and endangered species. The Carousel’s wooden structure displays 40 hand-painted renderings of Staten Island landmarks, including the Conference House and the Tibetan Museum. Carousel Opening Day, a large public festival with face painting, crafts, and other fun activities, is held the first Saturday in May to celebrate the opening of the Carousel for the season. Pumpkin Festival, a large public festival with pumpkin painting and other activities, is held the second Saturday in October. Willowbrook Park features a playground and picnic tables.

2 Eton Place [off Richmond Ave] Staten Island NY 10314. 11am-5:45pm: May: Friday through Sunday, June: Wednesday through Sunday, July and August: Seven Days, September: Wednesday through Sunday, October: Friday through Sunday. Small fee for Carousel rides, refreshments, and souvenirs

The Greenbelt Nature Center

The gateway to the Greenbelt, families can grab a trail map and event schedules, ask questions, and learn more through their Richmond County Savings Foundation interactive exhibits. The facility is ADA-compliant and offers instant access to nature.  The nature center has resident reptiles, including a corn snake and a box turtle, and offers easy access to the trails of the Central Greenbelt over the Mitchell Crossing footbridge, and the 1 mile long “N” trail, which connects to an even shorter “E” trail, offer excellent first forest experiences. Weekend “Into the Outdoors” programs include hikes, nature investigations, eco craft workshops and musical performances. There are shady trees, a lawn area, and picnic benches.

700 Rockland Ave., Staten Island NY 10314. April through October: Tuesday through Sunday, 10am-5pm, November through March: Wednesday through Sunday, 11am-5pm.

High Rock Park

Designated a National Environmental Education Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior in 1971, High Rock Park is an excellent place to hike with the family and explore nature. From salamanders, dragonflies and butterflies, High Rock Park is a great place to observe nature. Walker Pond, Loosestrife Swamp, Moses Mountain, Pumphouse Pond, and Hourglass Pond are minutes from the Nevada Avenue parking lot. The Greenbelt Environmental Education Department also offers hikes and citizen science programs, such as FrogWatch USA and Lost Ladybugs, in High Rock’s natural setting. Moses Mountain, a 360-degree natural panorama, is about a 30-minute walk from the Nevada Avenue Parking lot, and an outstanding viewing location for migrating hawks in the spring and fall, and a great place to see dramatic fall foliage.

Nevada Avenue, off Rockland Avenue. Trails are open dawn until dusk; Parking lot closes at 5pm.