This year’s 200th anniversary of the Hyde Hall covered bridge in Glimmerglass State Park near Cooperstown, the oldest covered bridge still standing in America, is being celebrated on October 11, 2025. It’s all traceable to one man: George Clarke.
A statue of abolitionist and writer Solomon Northup, whose story was told in his memoir and the Academy Award-winning film Twelve Years a Slave, has provided a space for reflection at Saratoga Spa State Park this summer. The 13-foot bronze “Hope Out of Darkness” sculpture was unveiled during a July 10 ceremony attended by Northup descendants, area officials and community members on the lawn in front of the Lincoln Bathhouse.
Northup, a free-born Black American born in Minerva, NY, lived in Saratoga Springs with his wife and children for about seven years when he was tricked into joining a traveling circus. This sinister ploy led to Northup being kidnapped in Washington, D.C. in April 1841 and sold into slavery.
Continue reading Returning Home: Solomon Northup at Saratoga Spa State ParkGanondagan’s Indigenous Music & Arts Festival is a vibrant celebration of Indigenous cultures, held annually at Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, southeast of Rochester near Canandaigua. The festival began in 1989, just one year after Ganondagan was officially established as a New York State Historic Site. Originally named The Anniversary of the Dedication of the Site of Ganondagan, the event was later renamed The Native American Dance & Music Festival. In 2019, it adopted its current name: Ganondagan’s Indigenous Music & Arts Festival.
In its early years, the festival was a one-day event, drawing just 200–300 attendees, with only one 40×40 tent and no volunteers. Today, it has grown into a two-day celebration that welcomes over 3,000 visitors and relies on the support of more than 125 volunteers. The festival now features multiple tents, including a large performance tent, and includes 25–30 Native vendors, Indigenous and non-Native food vendors, art demonstrations, Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) dancers, contemporary Indigenous performers, storytellers, a Native Arts Market and children’s activities.
Continue reading A Preview of Ganondagan’s Indigenous Music & Arts FestivalSchool’s out, the temperature is rising, and everyone’s thoughts are turning to summer getaways. If you’re looking for a new place to spend an afternoon, a weekend, or longer and not break the bank doing it, you’ve come to the right place. We asked our Fun Experts to take you on a tour of some of the lesser-known, hidden-gem spots in our system, and they delivered: fascinating history, peaceful lakeside oases, and camping away from the crowds. Let’s go!
Continue reading Road Trip to These Hidden-Gem Parks and Historic Sites
In April 1850, the 1750 Hasbrouck House in Newburgh was transformed into New York State’s first state historic site: Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site.
Since then, New York State has collected objects, archival materials, and other items related to New York’s history. 2025 marks the 175th anniversary of New York’s state historic sites – which now number over 35 locations, over a million historic objects, and over three million archaeological objects.
Continue reading 175 Years of Collecting Historic Objects in New York State
New York State Parks and Historic Sites Blog 