Get Outdoors and Get Together Day 2025 is in the books! On the second Saturday of June each year, select state parks and public lands hold Get Outdoors and Get Together Day to bring outdoor recreation to people with disabilities, and to encourage the entire community to spend a day together in the outdoors. Visitors enjoyed music, crafts, and educational programs, and tried out adaptive recreational equipment.
On Saturday, June 8, New York State Parks and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation celebrated Get Outdoors & Get Together Day at 22 locations across the state. This annual event coincides with National Get Outdoors Day and encourages people of all abilities to connect with public lands through outdoor recreation activities such as fishing, nature walks and hikes, birding, archery, camping, and paddling.
Get Outdoors & Get Together day is a partnership with host sites, the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities and the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services to promote inclusivity of access to recreational spaces by bringing people of all abilities, ages, identities, and backgrounds together for a day of fun, healthy activities.
This year, more than 2,000 participants enjoyed the day at a New York State park or historic site! Activities included a magic show, a raptors and reptiles show, dancing, singing, spin art, yard games, and more! Let’s take a look at some of the action.
Continue reading Celebrating Get Outdoors & Get Together DayNew York State Parks is dedicated to making sure that visitors of all abilities can enjoy our parks and historic sites. In 2023, a record 84.1 million visitors came to our properties, so it is more vital than ever to ensure that all who visit have a safe and fun experience!
“Every individual has a different set of abilities, a different set of strengths, and a wealth of experience and wisdom that comes with them.
As in ecological communities, our social communities and lives are enriched by having a diverse array of problem solvers, friends, and loved ones.
We at Rockefeller [State Park] are excited to welcome people who have traditionally been excluded from outdoor spaces, knowing that the more perspectives and voices are on our public land, the closer we are to cultivating sustainable relationships to our natural world and to one another.”
-Devyani Mishra, Conservation Steward at Rockefeller State Park Preserve
New York State Parks and Historic Sites Blog 