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SwimmingSwimming
If you don’t have a pool in your apartment complex, the next best thing is to go to one of the many free outdoor pools in NYC. There is a bounty of these sporting baths in New York City including several in every borough.
You can also find spots to swim indoors if that’s more your style. For a fee, you can swim inside at your nearby YMCA, the Manhattan JCC, Asphalt Green, and some NYC indoor recreation centers.
SunningSunning
If sun and sand are more your thing than chlorine and cement, head to one of the many beaches in and around NYC. Jacob Riis is a favorite among many urbanites. Located in Rockaway, Queens, with an Art Deco bathhouse, food stand, and a putt-putt golf course, this historic beach on the Atlantic Ocean has something for everyone.
Everyone’s heard of Coney Island, and while the boardwalk is full of tourists, the beach folks are mostly locals. Grab your umbrella, beach chair, and picnic lunch and spend the day at Coney, located at the end of Brooklyn’s D, F, N, and Q subway lines.
Up in the AirUp in the Air
Want to throw yourself off a platform 25 feet in the air? Hudson River Park has an outdoor trapeze school located at Pier 40 and West Houston Street, which runs from April through October.
Float along the sky in a hot air balloon basket in the Adirondacks. There are plenty of hot air balloon companies in upstate New York vying for your business. Read this guide for the scoop on this type of aerial adventure.
Happy TrailsHappy Trails
Suppose you want to hike and head over to the Palisade Interstate Park in New Jersey. Sitting on the western shore of the Hudson River, the Palisades has the topography for various activities, including hiking trails, a nature sanctuary, boat basins, ski trails, uplands, and cliffs.
Meanwhile, the Shawangunk Mountain Region offers 761 miles of trails in the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania and Kittatinny Mountain in New Jersey. In New York, the “Gunks” reach from the New York-New Jersey line to Rosendale, NY.
If you want a hike but prefer to stay in NYC, check out some of the best local hiking trails at the Bronx River Greenway, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, etc. Additionally, Central Park is a popular place for family-friendly hiking. Find the trails in the North Woods for some fantastic sights hidden from view in the park proper.
Urban AdventureUrban Adventure
Riverbank State Park is a public recreational facility high above the Hudson River in Harlem. The Park offers a broad array of recreational, athletic, and cultural experiences for all age ranges. Riverbank boasts an Olympic-size pool, a covered ice skating rink that doubles as a roller-skating rink in the summer, an 800-seat cultural theater, and a 2,500-seat athletic complex complete with a fitness room, and a 150-seat restaurant, Sofrito On the Hudson.
For an entirely different sort of adventure, “Wildman” Steve Brill guides those interested in foraging wild plants and wild mushrooms. He gives tours in Central Park in Manhattan, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Forest Park in Queens, Inwood Hill Park in upper Manhattan, and other spots in the Tri-State area.
Indoor SportsIndoor Sports
Seeking the ultimate indoor playground? Try Chelsea Piers. This sports and entertainment complex sits on 28 acres along the Hudson River between 17th and 23rd Streets and has many sporting options.
Like to climb? Brooklyn Boulders is an excellent spot with hybrid rock climbing facilities located in Boerum Hill.
For extreme indoor sports, including escape rooms, archery tag, paintball, and laser tag, try Indoor Extreme Sports in Long Island City, just one stop from Grand Central Station on the seven trains.
Whatever adventure or sport you fancy, you can find it nearby. Have fun and play safe!