Francisco Cortes New York City

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Massapequa Lake

Located in the heart of Massapequa, the preserve is one of the most beautiful parks in the area. Perfect for biking it rides along a stream surrounded by trees and gardens. The preserve is officially named The Peter J. Schmitt Massapequa Preserve and is made up of 432 acres. It contains a bike trail, hiking trail via the Greenbelt, as well as fishing and nature walks.

By most accounts, it is considered one of the most beautiful areas in Nassau County and one of the most hidden.  It’s right in the middle of Massapequa but being inside feels like you’re in the middle of the forest. The trail is well known for being one of the few places in Nassau County that you can actually feel like an escape from the surrounding suburban sprawl.

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Maria Regina Roman Catholic Church

As a community of Baptized Catholics, endowed by God with special gifts and nourished by the Eucharist, we at Maria Regina Parish recognize our mission to call forth these gifts to help build the Body of Christ. 

If you are new to the area or just visiting, Maria Regina welcomes you! To become a member of our community of faith, please stop by the Parish Office or call us at [phone].  We pray your time with us is enjoyable and spiritually enriching.  

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Philip B. Healey Beach at Florence Avenue

Philip B.Healey Beach is located in the southern part of the Town of Oyster Bay, in Massapequa. This beach is considered a private beach for the local people of Pequa Shores.  #franciscocortestravel

Phillip B. Healy Beach is a Town of Oyster Bay residents only beach in Massapequa. This beach offers bathing in South Oyster Bay, as well as a playground for children, and a picnic area.

If you are indeed a resident from the Town of Oyster Bay, grab your picnic basket and head on out to the shore where you can enjoy bathing in the South Oyster Bay.

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Jones Beach

Jones Beach State Park (colloquially, "Jones Beach") is a state park of the U.S. state of New York. It is in southern Nassau County,  in the hamlet of Wantagh, on Jones Beach Island, a barrier island linked to Long Island by the Meadowbrook State Parkway, Wantagh State Parkway, and Ocean Parkway.

 The park – 6.5 miles (10.5 km) in length – is renowned for its beaches (which, excepting the beach on Zachs Bay, face the open Atlantic Ocean) and furnishes one of the most popular summer recreational locations for the New York metropolitan area. It is the most popular and heavily visited beach on the East Coast, with an estimated six million visitors per year.

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Nassau-Suffolk Trail

Nassau-Suffolk Greenbelt Trail is a 12.6 mile moderately trafficked point-to-point trail located near Woodbury, New York that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. 

There are many segments that make up this 19 mile trail.  You can start your hike in a variety of places and can plan for a variety of lengths for your outing.   Long Island is hilly and rocky in the north.  If you start at Cold Spring Harbor you'll have some relatively steep hills to climb and this northern portion of the trail is popular for the aerobic workout it can provide.     Southern portions of Long Island are flat.  The southern segments of this trail can get swampy in rainy weather, but provide wonderful views of lakes/ponds with lots of ducks and swans.   A bike trail, marked with blue markers, runs near to the pedestrian trail. Biking can be a great way to cover more of the trail in less time, especially if completing the whole thing is your goal. In several areas, such as Stillwell Woods, there are additional trails to explore.    

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Jones Beach State Park

In order to pursue his vision of creating a getaway for the middle class, Robert Moses transformed bleak swampland into a splendorous park system.

Jones Beach State Park, which opened in 1929, served as the forefront of his dream. Today, the park stretches across nearly seven miles and receives six to eight million visitors each year.

Yet no matter how many times you've soaked up the sun or strolled along the boardwalk of this iconic park, there are probably still things you didn't know about Jones Beach.

You can spot this famous 231-foot structure from miles away. Affectionately referred to as "the pencil," this tower was modeled after the campanile of St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice. Despite its name, many Long Islanders don't know that this water tower stores a steel cylinder that supplies 300,000 gallons of fresh water to facilities throughout the park, including all of the beach's swimming pools, restrooms, water fountains and the U.S. Coast Guard station. Since it was erected in 1930, the tower has been off limits to the public.

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Wantagh Park

Wantagh Park is a county park located in southeastern Nassau County, NY within the hamlet of Wantagh. At 111 acres (0.45 km2) the park provides various recreational activities along a picturesque waterfront location.

This park is just off Merrick Road. If you aren't careful, it's easy to get on Wantagh Parkway South instead of entering the park! The pool complex is in the back, at the end of the road.

The complex is made up of an Olympic-sized main pool, a diving pool, a kiddie pool (mid-calf deep), training pool (4 feet deep), an interactive water-play area, and two water slides (30 foot). There is also a playground near the snack bar. No pictures are allowed here.

GOOD FOR: Cooling off with lots of options for different-aged kids.

BEST FEATURE: Training pool which is deep enough to be fun for the slightly older kids but not too deep to scare Moms.

YOU SHOULD KNOW: Nassau County runs a camp in this park and the training and interactive water-play areas fill up after 11am on weekdays. I recommend getting there when it opens and moving to the kiddie pool when the camp kids come. Additionally, the concession stand doesn't have any healthy options and doesn't sell juice.

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Tackapausha Museum and Preserve

Seasonal exhibits of local wildlife and plants.  Located on 80 – acre preserve; 5 miles of nature trails; nocturnal animal exhibit, live fruit bats, educational programs, children’s birthday parties and Scout programs. Tackapausha Museum Business hours are as followed 10am – 4pm Tue – Sat., 1pm – 4pm. Sun.; year round.

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Cedar  Creek Park Playgrounds

Playgrounds are located at Fields 5 and 6.

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FIELD 6 PLAYGROUND is first when entering the park on the left. This is generally made for little kids and is fenced-in. It's faded but in good shape with swings.

FIELD 5 PLAYGROUND is the more popular one and much larger. There are four separate big kid and little kid play systems and swings with rubber ground. At the back there is a sandpit. Playground has almost no shade, but does have a large gazebo for moms to get out of the sun. Don't forget the sunscreen. Playground is large enough you can lose sight of the kids if you aren't paying attention. This is a popular spot so the parking lot and playground can be crowded on the weekends or prime times. There is an adjacent roller skate rink, great for letting the kids practice the bike, scooter, or skate. Restrooms are located next to this playground.

There are sports fields, the Jones Beach bike path entrance, tennis courts, and dog runs so the park can fill up during peak times.

GOOD FOR: Field 6 is great for letting the kids run without worry they can escape. Field 5 is great for socializing with moms and occupying the kids for a long time.

BEST FEATURE: Large with areas for all ages

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Massapequa Preserve

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Located in the heart of Massapequa, the preserve is one of the most beautiful parks in the area. Perfect for biking it rides along a stream surrounded by trees and gardens. The preserve is officially named The Peter J. Schmitt Massapequa Preserve and is made up of 432 acres. It contains a bike trail, hiking trail via the Greenbelt, as well as fishing and nature walks.

By most accounts, it is considered one of the most beautiful areas in Nassau County and one of the most hidden.  It’s right in the middle of Massapequa but being inside feels like you’re in the middle of the forest. The trail is well known for being one of the few places in Nassau County that you can actually feel like an escape from the surrounding suburban sprawl.

In addition, it’s a great path to traverse Long Island and go from the Long Island Expressway in the North down to Massapequa Preserve and then to bike further down to Cedar Beach and go all the way down to the ocean.

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Jones Beach State Park

World famous Jones Beach State Park, home of 6.5 miles of beautiful white-sand beach on the Atlantic Ocean, is made up of more than 2,400-acres of maritime environment on the south shore of Long Island.

Among the 6 million visitors to the park each year, families enjoy their own piece of the beach for a day, with many returning dozens of times through the summer. Designed on the theme of an ocean liner,

Jones Beach offers many activities to those who visit the park. They swim in the ocean, stroll the boardwalk, fish, visit an historic exhibit, get a bite to eat at one of the many concession stands, play miniature golf, shuffleboard and basketball, attend concerts at Northwell Health Theater Box Office, open Tuesday – Saturday 12pm-6pm (516-221-1000).

Other activities that take place in the park include learning about the marine environment at the Jones Beach Nature Center, pool swimming, sunbathing, bicycling, surfing, and visiting the playgrounds.

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Freeport's Nautical Mile

For Freeport and residents from other towns in Nassau County, the Nautical Mile is the place to go in the summer time. It's a restaurant strip in a waterfront property with a beautiful marine view that ends in a water park/marina with great views. There is a variety of places to have fun there, like seafood restaurants, bars, dancing terraces, fish markets and one can even board a tour boat to go whale watching.

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Beaches are romantic. You can make your personal rom-com experience at the Seaford Bay; or pretend you are in your own movie! Be a drama queen for the day! Or, pretend like you're Jack Sparrow -- the beach is what you make it!

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Seaford Head Nature Reserve is near the beach and offers cliff top walks. The reserve has excellent ground flora and many species of insect including 28 species of butterfly; Seabirds are a common sight too.

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Seaford Bay- enjoy a breezy beach on a lazy day.  Far removed from the usual hustle bustle yet close enough for a quick weekend escape Seaford Bay is the perfect place to enjoy the sun sand and beach.

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The Cross Island Parkway Trail closely follows its namesake thoroughfare through northeastern Queens. From its northern end, you will soon enter Little Bay Park, which offers lovely views

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Although just a mile long, the Beach Channel Drive Greenway in Queens offers expansive views of Jamaica Bay and the beautiful Marine Parkway Bridge as it traces the border of Jacob Riis Park.