The Wild of New York - A Nature Tour

It seemed important to make this list, since few of us associate the city with any kind of wilderness. Dedicated to all of us insiders who love the city but sometimes miss a bit of air and green and wildlife (rats and hoary old urban pigeons don't count!).

Belvedere Castle
Central Park (at around 79th Street)
(Closed Tuesdays)

In autumn you can watch the hawk migration. During the cold fronts in September and October, you can spot raptors, eagles, falcons, harriers, and accipiters. There's a park ranger on staff who helps you identify the various hawk species.

Inwood Hill Park
Above Dyckman Street (northwest corner of Manhattan, in the Bronx)

The island's last great forest can be found here, surrounding a series of caves which the Native Americans used for eons.

Orchard Beach
Pelham Bay Park (in the Bronx)

There's a boardwalk you can follow all the way east, that leads you to a splendid beach, a salt marsh, and and a beautiful forest that contains vestige populations of American chestnuts.

Prospect Park
Near grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn

Beloved Brooklyn park, home to all manner of recreational activities, including horse riding lessons, etc.

Old Stone House
336 3rd Street (btw 4th and 5th Avenues in Brooklyn)

Gives a nice sense of New York during the Revolutionary War.

Salt Marsh Nature Center
3302 Avenue U (btw Burnett and E. 33rd Street)

This one's a great hidden treasure of the city, a vast marsh that turns bronze every fall and is teeming with wildlife. Park rangers on staff often arrange creative programs for visitors to experience the place.

Merchant's House Museum
29 E 4th Street (btw Lafayette and Bowery)

It's a small brownstone that still features whale oil lamps and secret passages from the time fo the Underground Railroad.

National Museum of the American Indian
1 Bowling Green (btw Whitehall and State Streets)

The museum has an amazing collection of artifacts from the various people who originally occupied Manhattan Island and the surrounding area.
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of StreetAdvisor.
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BroadwayBK 2yrs+
It's always nice to enjoy a bit of greenery in the city - which is made even rarer by the changing seasons here. I can't wait until it is warm enough to hang around in the NYC "wilderness" again. Great list.
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uptowngirl 2yrs+
Uraniumfish what a great list! @BroadwayBK , I echo your thoughts, I am so tired of this winter and the bone chilling cold already.
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Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@ uptowngirl Okay, so here's the secret the Europeans taught me about how to survive bone-chilling winters and remain cheerful and energetic even in the worst winters: the sauna. It does incredible things to your circulation and your mood--how do you think those Scandinavians are always smiling. I have to do a bit of research and come up with a decent list. The difficulty is of course Americans have so many hangups about bodies that sauna isn't really part of the culture. See what I can dig up.
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uptowngirl 2yrs+
Now where in the world will I find a sauna? I guess the Gyms? I use my apartment building gym so don't belong to a NYSC or any such club but have heard about the Russian baths on East 10th street. Wouldnt mind soaking in bath just to ward off the cold but must admit am a bit bashful myself.:)
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BroadwayBK 2yrs+
I absolutely cannot live without the sauna. I swear it's the cure for the common cold, or whatever you might be coming down with!

@uptowngirl The best place to find a sauna is definitely a gym, though I assume there should be at least one bath house in the city. And surely they have saunas at NYC spas.
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hhusted 2yrs+
I've been to Central Park, but never went to Belvedere Castle. I'll have to check it out.

@Uptowngirl, I agree with you regarding the cold weather. Last night I stopped at the 34th St and 8th Ave bus stop to wait for the M16 bus. This is a Waterside bus that stops right at my block. The M34 does not go that direction. I had to wait for about 9 minutes with temperatures at 22 degrees. it was bone chilling for sure. And with MTA cutting back on routes, that now forces the buses to cut down on the amount of stops they take, which means more time is involved in waiting for the bus. I refused to take a cab because I would have to pay $2.50 just to get into it. By the time the cab got me to my block, I would probably have to pay $6 or $7 bucks.
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DBlack 2yrs+
This is a really great list. I'm just itching to get outdoors these days and get away from my desk!
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I think an often underrated activity is the marshlands on the West Side Highway park. They really did a great job with landscaping there
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