These State Parks In Central New York Offer Something Different

July is National Recreation Month and even if you're not the world's biggest lover of the great outdoors, chances are, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and everything got shut down, you looked for different ways to enjoy life and perhaps ended up visiting a New York State park or two?

Let's just say attendance to New York State parks has gone up considerably since the beginning of the pandemic and getting out and enjoying nature has increased in popularity. Governor Kathy Hochul stated back in February of this year that "New York's State parks, historic sites, campgrounds, and trails welcomed a record-setting 78.4 million visits in 2021." The increase in attendance to public outdoor spaces has actually been on the rise since 2008 according to the Governor's Office with state parks setting a new record for 2021 with overnight visitations to campgrounds.

If you're thinking of planning a camping excursion to any campground, you should be aware that it used to be that if you wanted to go camping, you could just show up at the state park of choice and pick out your spot. Those days seem to be over with the large increase and interest in camping now. Let's just say, don't take a risk by showing up and expecting to get accommodations of some sort since you'll likely get turned away. You need to make a reservation.

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With that said, get out and enjoy all that our beautiful Central New York State parks have to offer!

These Popular State Parks In Central New York All Offer Something Different

As a long-time Upstate New York resident who loves to enjoy the great outdoors, there is one thing I know - there is NO shortage of state parks in New York, and where I live in Oneonta, there are as many as 7 state parks to enjoy nearby within the counties of Chenango, Delaware, and Otsego. See for yourself below.

12 Great Ice Cream Stands in Upstate New York to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

What better way to celebrate this popular dessert and taste treat than by stopping by these fantastic dozen ice cream stands! Enjoy!

Upstate New York Road Trip: Spotlight on Broome County!

We continue with our series of county spotlights with a closer look at Broome County. The county has a population of about 200,000 residents, with a quarter of them (50,000) living in and around the county seat of Binghamton. Home to fine schools including the State University of New York at Binghamton, one of the system's four university centers.

The county has many small town and villages as well as the larger cities of Binghamton, Vestal, Johnson City, Endicott, and Endwell. These smaller places include Chenango Bridge, Windsor, Deposit, Harpursville, Whitney Point (home of the Broome County Fair), and others. The county covers over 700 square miles.

Here is a list of 21 things to do and see to make your trip to beautiful Broome County enjoyable.

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