Review of Bayard Cutting Arboretum: A great day trip idea in Long Island, NY

 

Bayard Cutting Arboretum, NY

During our stay at our parent’s place in March, I got the sense that we all wanted to get out there and do a quick day trip somewhere, as we had all developed a serious case of cabin fever.  Living in a NYC apartment means the heat comes on constantly during the month of March, where temperatures are still having a hard time breaking 50 degrees.

Thanks to that, it sometimes gets stuffy inside the apartment.  Our attempt to ventilate the place doesn’t always work out, because then, we have to contend with the increased noise, automobile fumes, and sometimes cigarette smoke coming in from outside our windows.

Driven by our need to get some much needed fresh air and some much needed new stimuli, we decided to visit Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River, Long Island (NY), on a rather chilly, but a sunny day in March.

Bayard Cutting Arboretum is owned by the state of New York, and it is the former estate of William Bayard Cutting.  The arboretum was designed by the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park in New York City, as well as the US Capitol, and the Biltmore Estate.  

Sitting on 691 acres, the park features several hiking trails, with beautiful views of the Connetquot River, a stately mansion, and the beautiful arboretum.  We couldn’t wait to check it out!

We took a nice leisurely drive out of New York City via the Long Island Expressway (I-495) going eastbound.  The drive would take about 50 minutes.  

We arrived at the main entrance to the park and noticed a big sign at the gate that said there was no entrance fee.  We counted our blessings and processed towards the parking lot.

After parking our car, we decided to head left of the mansion to walk the grounds.  We immediately noticed beautiful and well maintained walking paths that meander throughout the park.  We took the main walkway marveling at the various types of plants that were sprawled all over the park.

Main walkway left of the mansion

My mom absolutely loved the place!  She commented on how beautiful and large the place actually was.  She couldn’t believe a place beautiful as this, existed only an hour away from where she lived.  We couldn’t disagree!

We set a leisurely pace to explore the various trees and the plants, deliberately taking our time reading those little placards that explain each species of plants.  We meandered through the walkway, coming up on the right hand side where the river stood.

We absolutely loved the views and the gravel lined paths along the river!  

Walking path along the river



We took our time enjoying the fantastic river views and it’s surroundings.  We loved the houses nestled across the river with their big boats anchored next to them.  As chilly as the day was, we didn’t mind it.  We had come fully prepared and dressed just right!

We walked along the river trail and saw several waterfowl playfully frolicking on the river, and we saw several large geese swim calmly, going nowhere in particular.  On one occasion, we saw a pair of geese walking on the trail, eyeing us wearily as we approached them.  

We didn’t want to startle them so we sat down at a nearby bench overlooking the river.  The geese settled down then went about their business of waddling around the trail!



The bench where we all sat, near the geese!


After spending few minutes idling away the time and admiring the river views, we got up to head back towards the mansion and the gardens.  We stayed on the river view trail all the way until we got adjacent to the mansion.

We found a public restroom at the mansion, so we all made a quick pit stop.  Afterwards, we walked out to wide open lawn area in front of the mansion.  The open space reminded me of Central Park’s Great Lawn, where during the summers, concerts would take place.  Wow, what a nice view!

The mansion!
Different view
Trail adjacent to the mansion

We found a nice bench for my mom to sit for few minutes.  The bench happened to sit right in front of the gardens, so we walked around the awesome gardens, looking for any blossoming flowers.  Luckily, we found some, displaying bright and vibrant blues!  It felt like spring was coming.

Garden path

By then, our family was getting hungry, as it was around 11 a.m.  We walked back towards the parking lot, then looked around the park for one last time, before heading out for lunch towards Roosevelt Field Mall, about 30 minutes away.

Our lunch stop would be at Cheesecake Factory, which is one of our favorite restaurants.  We pulled in to the parking lot after a short 30 minute drive, then ordered fish tacos (me), shrimp scampi (my wife), salmon (mom), and burger (dad) which we all enjoyed.

There’s absolutely nothing like a nice drive somewhere to explore, followed by a delicious meal!  It’s times like this that makes life worth living.  I mean, what’s better than to spend time together with your loved ones, experiencing new places, and eating delicious foods?  

In conclusion:

Long Island is full of beautiful and interesting places to explore.  Even though I grew up in New York City, I ended up visiting Long Island more often than not, thanks to many wide open spaces, free parking (in most places), and less traffic!

Bayard Cutting Arboretum is one of many wonderful places we had the opportunity to visit.  It’s only an hour drive from New York City, but it sure feels worlds away!

We highly recommend this place if you’re planning to visit Long Island in your near future!

Thank you all for reading!


Jake

Wandering Money Pig 


Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Ocean City, Maryland’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Bushkill Falls and Grey Towers.’

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 natural attractions in Las Vegas’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Zion National Park’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Vdara Hotel’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Chateau at Coindre Hall’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Oyster Bay’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Ocean Casino Resort’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Wildwood Park and Fort Hunter Mansion’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Ottawa’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Fiore Suite and classic room at the Borgata’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 places with awesome views near Harrisburg, PA’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Quebec City, Canada’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 quintessential places to visit in New York City’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Ricketts Glen State Park, PA’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Beaufort, NC’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Vernon, NJ’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Harrisburg, PA’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Montreal, Canada’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area, Wake Forest, NC’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 parks to visit in Bogue Banks, North Carolina’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Niagara Falls State Park’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Claysburg, PA’.

Please check out our YouTube channel ‘Wandering Money Pig’ showcasing our travels and our Pomeranian dog! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kl9f4W9sfNG5h1l-x6nHw


Popular posts from this blog

AirBNB horror story: How we got a refund from AirBNB due to a noisy neighbor…

Image
  Letchworth State Park, NY My wife and I (and our Pomeranian Toby) have been slow traveling since our early retirement last August.  We rely on AirBnB or Vrbo when we travel, and this past April was no exception. We chose a monthly rental via AirBNB in the month of April, in a town called Claysburg, Pennsylvania.  The rental was a studio unit that has a bed, a futon, full kitchen and a private bath. On the day of our arrival (April 1st), we were greeted by snow falling at the condo.  It was a beautiful sight to behold! We checked in with no problems and slowly settled in.  The next three days were uneventful.  We did our usual unpacking, then we went shopping for food from a nearby supermarket the following day.  We enjoyed the sights nearby and were having a good time at a new location. By Monday of the following week, our luck had changed for the worse.  The neighbor upstairs did what sounded like to us, either deep cleaning and renovating! We ...
Read more

Review of Fiore Suite and classic room at the Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ (New Jersey)

Image
  Classic Room at the Borgata, Atlantic City My wife and I have been going to the Borgata hotel and casino since its opening 18 years ago thanks to my dad.  My dad had a loyalty/player’s card which allowed free hotel stays (comped rooms).  We couldn’t resist free hotel rooms when my dad asked if we wanted to go! Fast forward to now. I now have a loyalty/player’s card that I use to take my parents to the same hotel for free.  Funny how roles switch...My dad used to treat us to free rooms, so now I’m treating him...Favor returned! Borgata Hotel & Casino was built in 2003 to huge fanfare when it opened.  Costing then $1.1 billion, it rivaled the best hotels in Las Vegas and New York City.  It features 2000 rooms, outdoor / indoor pools, a spa, a buffet, 3000+ slot machines, and many high end restaurants. Since its opening, it added the Water Club (a boutique hotel) in 2008 at a cost of $400 million, which added another 800 rooms to the available room capa...
Read more

Review of Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area, Wake Forest, North Carolina

Image
  Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area, Wake Forest, NC After my wife and I sold our home at the end of August 2020, we headed down to Wake Forest, North Carolina.  This would mark the beginning of our early retirement.  We wanted to spend time with my brother in law and his family, who we haven’t seen in over a year.  It was during this visit that we discovered this fantastic recreation area. Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area is a man made reservoir located in the upper portion of the Neuse River Basin, nestled near North Carolina’s bustling Triangle Area.  The reservoir covers nearly 12,500 acres of water and is surrounded by 25,500 acres of public land.   The lake stretches 22 miles upstream to the confluence of three rivers: Eno, Flat, and Little Rivers. Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area boasts hiking trails, fishing, water sports, biking, wildlife viewing, etc. See my notes below when visiting the Recreation Area: The main entrance to the Recreation Area is access...
Read more