Winter lingers long on the Rensselaer Plateau. The snow piles deep, muffling the landscape in an icy hush, and the trees stand still in their frozen slumber. But as the days lengthen and the sun begins its slow work of softening the land, the transformation begins. The snow melts, trickling down into the forest floor, pooling in low spots, carving out secret, glistening pockets of water between the trees. These pools, often small and shallow, are the first sign of life returning to the woods.
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?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.
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.
Continue reading Tapping New York’s Maple HeritageSwimming 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.
Following our Centennial anniversary, we continue to share the story of New York State Parks and Historic Sites through our interactive history timeline, Blazing a Trail: A History of NY State Parks and Historic Sites. Our latest addition to the series covers the 21st century history of New York’s state park and historic site system. “A New Millennium” details a new era of leadership, the threat of park closures, the creation of vital community partnerships, the impact of climate change, and vital investments in the late-2010s that helped position New York as a nationwide recreation destination.
Continue reading A New Millennium: ‘Blazing A Trail’ Covers New York State Parks’ Recent Past
New York State Parks and Historic Sites Blog 