Editorial

It’s the season for all things outdoors

Posted

June is Great Outdoors Month. It’s a recognition and celebration of all the things we can do outside. And here on the South Shore, there’s no shortage of ways to spend a day out of doors, and have lots of fun doing it.

It’s important for kids and adults alike to spend time in the fresh air. It invigorates body and soul, and everyone knows the importance of physical activity, whether it’s an easy walk or a serious workout. Why stare at a TV screen while running on a treadmill in your basement when you could be outside, striding along the beach or through the woods?

These days we spend more time being sedentary than ever before. Most jobs require long periods of sitting, and then there’s the commute to and from work (although Long Island Rail Road passengers don’t always worry about sitting).

So there’s no excuse for sitting around on weekends or days off. This Saturday and Sunday, for instance, is Path Through History Weekend in New York state, and there are a range of events planned in Nassau County parks. Head to the Old Bethpage Village Restoration for some hands-on history lessons, and take part in activities that were popular in the 1800s, like butter churning, candle making and military drills. Over at the Tackapausha Museum and Preserve, you can reconnect with the natural world at live animal presentations.

Eisenhower Park, in the heart of Nassau County, has activities for everyone. You can play golf at one of three courses, follow the two-mile-long Fitness Trail and get a great workout, or, if you want something a little more low-key, play bocci on one of the park’s courts or chess at one of the tables with inlaid boards.

Want to get the furry members of your family involved? The county has dog runs at Bay Park, Cedar Creek Park, Nickerson Beach Park and Wantagh Park. If you like your animals larger, try horseback riding at Hempstead Lake State Park.

Hempstead Lake, the largest freshwater body in Nassau County, also has boat launches, so break out the tackle and go fishing. Of course, when it comes to water, few areas of the country can match the sheer variety of southern Long Island. Take a tour of the new South Shore Blueway trail, 18 miles of coastal wetlands — with more than a dozen launching points — that you can paddle in a kayak or canoe.

At Long Beach or Jones Beach, take in the sun, go for a swim, learn to surf, or stroll or speed-walk two of the metropolitan area’s best-known boardwalks. There’s truly no place like the beach in the summertime.

Properly sunscreened, you will benefit from spending lots of quality time outside this season. Make it a habit, and you’ll no doubt discover that you prefer a fresh-air nap in a hammock in the backyard at the end of a busy day to the air-conditioned indoor alternative.