After-Hours Adventures
During the summer, your favorite parks aren’t just for daytime picnics—the Urban Park Rangers host Family Camping nights throughout the summer months at parks in all five boroughs. For one night, you’ll get a tent, cookout treats, and guided activities like stargazing at no cost.
Or there are the coveted zoo sleepovers like the Bronx Zoo’s Family Overnight Safari, a delightful affair for fervent animal lovers that includes a picnic dinner, hands-on animal experiences, scavenger hunts, a sea lion wake-up call, and more. If you’re unable to make reservations, don’t despair—we also love The Art Farm in the City, the Upper East Side eco and animal center that hosts weekend feeding and snuggling sessions.
Bike It
Looking to get active in the parks? Small kiddies can take an easy 1.3-mile loop around Staten Island’s Silver Lake Park, full of wildlife-viewing opps, or the breezy 4.5-mile round trip from Owl’s Head Park to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Brooklyn.
For more experienced bikers, a 6.25-mile scenic route between Pelham Bay Park and Orchard Beach in the Bronx runs through five different types of landscapes; a 6.5-mile trail from Alley Pond Park to Fort Totten and Little Bay Park in Queens takes you around a Civil War fortress.
Fams looking for a manageable challenge can set out from 79th Street to the Little Red Lighthouse right in Manhattan, a moderate 10-mile round trip that parallels the Hudson River and takes you to the lighthouse immortalized in the 1942 children’s classic.
More from our SUMMER FUN GUIDE:
11 Top Water Parks Within Driving Distance
Local Fishing, Kayaking, And Sailing
Our Favorite Beaches Around NYC
Editor’s Picks: Camping For Families
Garden Oases, Animal Encounters, And Good Learnin’
