Northwest Bronx: Van Cortlandt Park Hike and the Fieldston Historic District

About this event

This is the first of a series of 4 guided walks and tours in celebration of autumn and fall foliage! RSVP's begin Sunday, September 27th at 9:00pm. Space is set aside for new members, first and 2nd timers who land on the waiting list. Feel free to email me at [email protected] to request a spot once you see you are on the waiting list. Please no repeaters if you have been on this walk in prior years. This tour is free with a welcome voluntary donation to your guide at the end via cash, Venmo or Zelle. Meeting Place: In front of the Van Cortlandt House Museum which is about a 5 minute walk once you enter the park. After exiting the #1 subway at West 242nd Street (last stop), walk along the park and enter the park about one block past the small restroom building which is one of two restrooms option before the tour begins. The enormous open field will be on your left. We'll meet in front of the historic stone house (pictured). Optional: If you like come early to take a self-guided tour of the house which opens at 11am: Admission is $5, for seniors $3. Free for Bronx Residents. Restrooms are in the nature center which is located past the house along the main path. http://www.vchm.org/visit.html Bring lunch and water to drink. Wear sturdy shoes as there will be some hiking on woodland paths. You may want to bring a walking/hiking stick. Please be able to walk uphill at times and be healthy and fit as this is more like a hike than a walking tour although there will be a good amount of narration by me. The nature trail that we will take is rated moderate as opposed to easy. Estimated distance is 6 miles. We'll have a lunch break in the park convenient to rest rooms. There's also a place by the train station for beverages and sandwiches (before we begin our walk). A good option is The Best Deli, 201 West 242nd Street, corner of Broadway. Once the walk begins there will be no place to purchase food or drink so be prepared! Tour ends at 242nd Street & Broadway by the #1 train near where we began! Optional afterparty at a local restaurant. TOUR DESCRIPTION Inside the park we'll start out with a for a good look at the Van Cortlandt Mansion (pictured above). This historic house, the oldest remaining building in The Bronx, was built in 1748, is a national and NYC landmark, has a rich history as part of a large family farm and George Washington stopped here on his way to reclaim New York on Evacuation Day, November 25, 1783, marking the end of the American Revolution. The Van Cortlandt family had enslaved Africans to work the farm and we'll pay homage to that history and visit what is believed to be an African Burial Ground. Van Cortlandt Park, 1,146 acres covering ridges and valleys of the Northwest Bronx, is New York City’s 3rd largest park - and is larger than Central Park. Van Cortlandt was established as a park in 1888 and is home to the country’s first public golf course, the oldest house in the Bronx and the borough’s largest freshwater lake. It also features a popular cross-country running trail and a riding stable. With some of the oldest trees in NYC, the park's dense woodlands, natural waterways and geology provide a wonderful window into what NYC was like before the Europeans arrived in the 1600's. The Wiechquaeskeck tribe of the Lenape nation originally inhabited the land and used it as a planting field, a housing settlement, and a burial ground. They established a trail, the Hudson River Path, that ran from the southwest Bronx to the site of the village. After exploring the park, we'll also visit the nearby historic Fieldston neighborhood, with its stately homes and winding streets, a unique area whose streets follow the natural contours of the landscape. You won't believe you are in New York City, let alone The Bronx. Cheers! Your organizer and guide, Hank 646-596-3005 [email protected]