The 2025 Ryder Cup is coming to New York State Parks, and it’s going to be a historic moment for both golf and New York. For the first time, Bethpage State Park is hosting the highly anticipated men’s golf competition between the United States and Europe. The PGA of America will bring the prestigious tournament to the famed Black Course this September. Like the Super Bowl, the FIFA World Cup, and the Olympics, the Ryder Cup is the peak event of professional golf and fans around the world couldn’t be more thrilled.
Continue reading Ryder Cup 101: What’s All the Excitement About?Category Archives: Recreation
Shoot Like a Pro at Parks and Historic Sites’ Most Instagrammable Spots
Spring season is photo season! Whether you’re capturing prom or graduation photos, scouting locations for wedding photos, thinking ahead to your Christmas cards, or just looking to refresh your social feeds, it’s the perfect time of year to get out there with your camera or cell phone. Read on for location inspiration in various categories—truly one-of-a-kind locations, waterfalls, iconic New York visuals, design-focused areas, and more!—and get professional photography tips from our State Parks photographer and videographer.
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Tapping New York’s Maple Heritage
In New York, spring means maple! Maple syrup and sugar are key agricultural products in New York and part of the state’s heritage. Many of our state parks and historic sites offer maple programs during the late winter and early spring. The last two weekends of March are Maple Weekends in New York, when producers large and small invite the public to see the process and sample some syrup. In this post, we’ll not only tell you how maple syrup is made, but uncover its past as a symbol of American independence and of the anti-slavery movement.
From Sap To Syrup
Making maple syrup has a lengthy tradition in Northeastern North America. Long before anyone wrote about it, Native Americans gathered sap from cuts made in maple trees that they boiled to concentrate the sugar. Once Europeans arrived in North America, they too began collecting sap and boiling it in large pots, evaporating the water to make syrup and sugar.
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Ready, Set, Swim Safely!
Swimming and State Parks: name a more iconic duo! In ‘The Centennial Pulse of the Parks’ survey by Open Space Institute, 39 percent of our visitors named swimming as their favorite state park activity. From expansive beaches on the ocean and Great Lakes, to small beaches along the lakes and rivers throughout the state, and pools and spraygrounds in cities and near campgrounds, there’s a place for everyone to swim.
Celebrating 200 Years Along the Erie Canal
In 2025, New York State commemorates the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo. This event was transformative for both the state and the nation, linking the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean in an unprecedentedly efficient waterway. During the bicentennial, we are offered an opportunity to reflect on two centuries of rich and complex history and discover how that period’s impacts allow us to explore and enjoy the Canal today.
New York State Parks and Historic Sites Blog 