New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation

You’re never alone in the woods! In our latest blog post, our wildlife team introduces you to some animals you might see out on the trails or in the campgrounds and gives you tips on how to ensure both humans and animals stay safe. https://ow.ly/OieG50T6Gex

Between hot temperatures, the NY SWIMS initiative, and the ‘Get Offline, Get Outside’ movement, it’s been the summer of swimming in New York State! Thank you to our hardworking park staff who helped more than 2000 kids learn a valuable skill that will provide a lifetime of enjoyment, and congratulations to our Learn To Swim graduates!

Transforming trash! This summer, Green Lakes State Park has been the site of a large-scale program with the potential to change the way New York State Parks handles waste. Go inside this ambitious project. https://ow.ly/iGnQ50T5bA3

A new installment of our ‘Blazing a Trail’ interactive history timeline is now live! Spanning 1946 – 1959, this latest era explores what a return to normal looked like for New York State Parks following the World War II. As attendance grew dramatically at parks, so did the demand for affordable recreation opportunities. To meet this growing demand for outdoor activity, new state parks were opened, investments were made to enhance existing parks, and new ways to recreate were built. Amenities like amphitheaters and ice-rinks came online, allowing for year-round park usage. Learn more about the post-war recovery in this new set of stories. bit.ly/NYStateParksHistory

The Great New York State Fair declared today State Parks Day in honor of our Centennial! Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simons and his family took a trip to the smallest state park in our system, the State Park at the Fair for some fun! They completed a Centennial Challenge mission by visiting our putt-putt course, learned about how to boat safely with our staff, made park promises for the future, and checked out this year’s sand sculpture dedicated entirely to State Parks inside the state fair Center of Progress building. Plan your visit to the State Fair now through September 2. We hope to #SeeYouOutThere! https://lnkd.in/excH4UA3

🎡 Come one, come all, to the Great New York State Fair! Home to the smallest state park in our system, the State Park at the Fair is hosting a variety of exhibits and activities to celebrate our Centennial anniversary, including ways to complete Centennial Challenge missions and a Blazing a Trail interactive timeline experience. Join us on Thursday, August 22, for State Parks Day at the Fair when we’ll be capturing your favorite park memories for our Share Your Story campaign. We hope to see you out there at the #nysfair.

The State Parks story is coming to television! In partnership with WMHT Public Media, we’re proud to introduce “From Land to Legacy: 100 Years of State Parks” premiering on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The documentary will traverse a century of New York’s parks, highlighting their history, beauty and grandeur, as well as the importance of preserving these treasures for generations to come. Visit wmht.org/nystateparks to learn more!

📣 Calling all journalists! We’ve launched a new and improved newsroom page on our website, featuring a serviceable and easy-to-navigate media kit. With approved, high-quality facility photographs, press releases, information about our Centennial, graphics, and more, the New York State Parks newsroom is the best resource available to help write your next story. Visit parks.ny.gov/newsroom to see for yourself.

To celebrate our most successful year so far of offering free swimming lessons, Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simons joined a group of New York's newest swimmers at Roberto Clemente State Park for their Learn-to-Swim graduation this morning. New York State Parks staff has helped more than 2,000 children learn a potentially lifesaving skill in 2024! Thanks to Governor Kathy Hochul’s NY SWIMS initiative, we were able to expand this program to more than 20 facilities across the state. Providing free swim lessons to kids aged 7–17, the Learn-to-Swim program gets kids away from their devices while promoting the health benefits of outdoor recreation and physical well-being. Join us in celebrating the graduating class of 2024, both in the Bronx and around the state! https://ow.ly/FB3B50SZGlM

Family fun on a budget: New York’s state park system was created with affordability in mind. Our latest blog post explores how state parks have provided wallet-friendly recreation for a century. https://ow.ly/aC2B50SZveu