Northwest Bronx: Van Cortlandt Park and the Fieldston Historic District

Required: bring proof of full vaccination. Please bring lunch, snacks water to drink and a mask. We'll have a lunch break in the park. Wear sturdy shoes as there will likely be some hiking on woodland paths please be able to walk uphill at times. 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. Estimated distance is 6 miles.  

Note: this tour is offer in conjunction with the Meetup Group, "Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods".  https://www.meetup.com/Exploring-NYC-History-and-Neighborhoods/

 Meeting Place: The East Side of Broadway approximately one block north of the elevated train station of the #1 at 242nd Street. There's a small building that has restrooms (there are other restrooms inside the park that we'll also pass by at the beginning of the tour). There's also a place by the train station for beverages and sandwiches (before we begin our walk). 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 OVERVIEW

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 (visited by George Washington), 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.  The park features a variety of nature and hiking trails, a lake, horse riding stables, a golf course, including one that follows an abandoned train line. 

 Inside the park we'll stop for a good look at the Van Cortlandt Mansion (pictured). This historic house, the oldest remaining buildiing 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.  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!