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 


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