Nature
Wild NYC is at the other end of your doorstep! Explore New York's urban forests, streams, and wildlife with these fun outdoor activities.
Nature Events
Sunday, July 13, 2025
Climate 101: Urban Heat Island Effect
at Section 2 Orchard Beach (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Summer heat getting to you? Cool off with the Urban Park Rangers and learn some of the effects of climate change and how trees other elements of nature provide shade and more.
Free!
Fire Ecology Hike | Caminata ecología del fuego
at Payson Avenue and Beak Street (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Friends of Inwood Hill Park is hosting a series of monthly, bilingual nature hikes focusing on fire ecology between June and September. We hope to see you there!
Free!
Event
Summer on the Hudson: Huellas De Vida (Bilingual Horticulture Tour)
at 120th Street and Riverside Drive (in Riverside Park), Manhattan
12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
Ven a celebrar la vida, fomentar conexiones con la naturaleza y honrar los ecosistemas que nos sustentan/ Foster connections with nature on this guided bilingual horticulture tour
Free!
Kids on the Move! Go with the Flow
at Wave Hill, Bronx 

1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Move through the grounds interacting with and experiencing the colors, textures, and movement of artist Sarah Jimenez’s sculptural creations with museum educator Corinne Flax.
Free!
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
Salt Marsh Ecology
at West 218th Street and Indian Road (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Explore the last standing natural forest and salt marsh in Manhattan to understand the impacts, human dimensions and effects of climate change.
Free!
Summer on the Hudson: Sun Gaze
at Pier I (in Riverside Park South), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Join the Amateur Astronomers Association to safely observe the central star of our solar system.
Free!
Monday, July 14, 2025
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan 

9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan 

9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Coastal Ecology: Oysters Monitoring and Stewardship
at Stapleton Waterfront Park
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Oysters and other bivalves act as natural filters for our shores. Learn more about these phenomenal creatures and other marine life at this Billion Oyster Project site along The Narrows
Free!
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
Thursday, July 17, 2025
Trail Work Thursdays
at VCPA Garden & Compost Site (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Be a part of the community effort to maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park.
Free!
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
Friday, July 18, 2025
Inwood Hill Park Forest Restoration
at Henshaw Street and Dyckman Street (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Volunteers will contribute to ongoing restoration work and learn the importance of species diversity to ecosystem health.
Free!
7/18 Restoration Fridays at Forest Park
at Strack Pond (in Forest Park), Queens
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join NYC Parks and The Forest Park Trust for Forest Restoration Fridays this summer to engage in hands-on forest restoration work!
Free!
Volunteer With EQA: Turn an unsightly lot into a Botanical Garden
at Entrance - Springfield Lane and 149th Avenue (in Idlewild Park), Queens
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
The Eastern Queens Alliance is looking for volunteers to help us turn an unsightly lot into a Botanical Garden.
Free!
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
Family Camping: Staten Island
at Blue Heron Nature Center (in Blue Heron Park), Staten Island 

6:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m.
The Urban Park Rangers celebrate the tradition of camping and we look forward to welcoming your family. Families are chosen by lottery. Lottery registration opens on Wednesday July 9.
Free!
Wild at Night: Evening Nature Encounters
at Wave Hill, Bronx 

8:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
After the sun sets, Wave Hill belongs to the creatures of the night. Bats, fireflies, and more emerge from their daytime slumber to animate the grounds far from human eyes and ears.
Saturday, July 19, 2025
Birding: Summer Birds
at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
Learn a new skill and take up a new hobby as we help you identify some of the most common colorful birds found in our parks during the summer.
Free!
Volunteer With EQA: Turn an unsightly lot into a Botanical Garden
at Entrance - Springfield Lane and 149th Avenue (in Idlewild Park), Queens
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
The Eastern Queens Alliance is looking for volunteers to help us turn an unsightly lot into a Botanical Garden.
Free!
Community Work Day
at Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum (in Fidler-Wyckoff House Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Stop by the Wyckoff Urban Farm on the third Saturday of the month to learn about what we're growing, get to know our farmers, and get your hands dirty with farm projects!
Free!
Farmhouse Family Day: Creative Critters
at Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum (in Fidler-Wyckoff House Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Create different bug themed crafts and meet some of our worms from our worm bin that help with our composting, go on a scavenger hunt to find rollie pollies and more!
Free!
Kids
Bike Ride to Waterfront Festival
at 114th Street & First Avenue (in Thomas Jefferson Park), Manhattan
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Ride to Waterfront Festival with El Barrio Bikes! Meet up at Thomas Jefferson Park in Harlem and enjoy a scenic ride along the riverfront and through the park, ending at the festival!
Free!
Waterfront Festival Volunteers
at East River Picnic Area (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Volunteers will assist in setting up the festival, working with vendors and craft tables, and breaking down the event.
Free!
Summer on the Hudson: Billion Oyster Project Presentation
at On the Pier (in West Harlem Piers), Manhattan 

12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Come see and learn about the Billion Oyster Project on the Baylander’s Jungle Deck.
Free!
Waterfront Festival
at East River Picnic Area (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
12:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
At the peak of summer, we’re bringing you a family-friendly, interactive day of fun centering water as a natural and refreshing resource.
Free!
Microorganisms Exploration
at Roy Wilkins Park - Entrance (in Roy Wilkins Recreation Center), Queens
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
View the natural world with your own eyes and through microscopes, as we zoom in on micro-organisms that are a vital part of our pond ecosystem.
Free!
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
What is the NYState Department of Environmental Conservation?
at Salt Marsh Nature Center (in Marine Park), Brooklyn 

1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
How does the NYState Department of Environmental Conservation protect the land, water and air resources of New York and Marine Park?
Free!
Family Camping: Brooklyn
at Salt Marsh Nature Center (in Marine Park), Brooklyn 

6:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m.
The Urban Park Rangers celebrate the tradition of camping and we look forward to welcoming your family. Families are chosen by lottery. Lottery registration opens on Wednesday July 9.
Free!
Sunday, July 20, 2025
Urban Farm Volunteers
at Urban Farm (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan 

10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Volunteer with our team to manage our one-acre Urban Farm!
Free!
Urban Farm Volunteers
at Urban Farm (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan 

10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Volunteer with our team to manage our one-acre Urban Farm!
Free!
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
Nature Exploration: The North Woods
at Entrance - West 100 Street and Central Park West (in Central Park), Manhattan
2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
On Nature Exploration hikes, we will discover the plants and animals that inhabit the urban forest. Join the Rangers on a nature walk into the North Woods of Central Park.
Free!
Monday, July 21, 2025
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
CANCELLED: Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan 

9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan 

9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
Friday, July 25, 2025
Kissena Park Forest Restoration
at Kissena Velodrome Parking Lot (in Kissena Park), Queens
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Volunteers will contribute to ongoing restoration work and learn the importance of species diversity to ecosystem health.
Free!
7/25 Restoration Fridays at Highland Park
at Vermont Place Parking Lot (in Highland Park), Queens 

10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join NYC Parks and The Forest Park Trust for Forest Restoration Fridays this summer to engage in hands-on forest restoration work!
Free!
Volunteer With EQA: Turn an unsightly lot into a Botanical Garden
at Entrance - Springfield Lane and 149th Avenue (in Idlewild Park), Queens
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
The Eastern Queens Alliance is looking for volunteers to help us turn an unsightly lot into a Botanical Garden.
Free!
Queens County Farm Hayrides!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Visit the Farm Store to purchase your ticket for a tractor-drawn hayride throughout the farm.
Hanging with the Herps
at Wave Hill, Bronx 

8:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
Environmental educators from Tenafly Nature Center highlight the characteristics that distinguish reptiles from amphibians using animal ambassadors as living examples.