Nickerson Beach Park offers the ocean, cabanas, the "Fun Zone" and a beautiful beach.

About Nassau County Parks, Recreation and Museums

Nassau County manages more than 70 parks, preserves, museums, historic properties and athletic facilities comprising 6,000 acres throughout the county. These range from the 930-acre Eisenhower Park in East Meadow to the beautifully renovated 2-acre Centennial Park in Roosevelt to the Garvies Point Museum and Preserve in Glen Cove.

The parks system provides a tremendous variety of experiences for residents and other visitors. Eisenhower Park features the Nassau County Aquatic Center, one of the finest swimming facilities in the country, along with three excellent 18-hole golf courses, including the “Red” course that plays host to the Commerce Bank (PGA) Championship. In summer, Eisenhower’s Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre is a center for entertainment, including a full schedule of concerts and classic movies under the stars.

Cantiague Park has an outstanding indoor skating rink that once served as the practice site for the New York Islanders and more recently hosted Olympian Nancy Kerrigan, while Christopher Morley and Grant parks have outdoor rinks. Viewers of News 12 Long Island have called the Cedar Creek Park playground the best on Long Island. The Mitchel Athletic Complex provides joggers and strollers with an outstanding track, and local baseball, soccer and football leagues with a number of fine ballfields.

Cantiague Park has a new artificial turf field for football, lacrosse and soccer.

Little Leaguers and others can also avail themselves of the scores of sports fields located throughout the parks system. Dog-owners own a piece of the parks as well, with parks like Christopher Morley and Wantagh providing dog runs so their pets can exercise and socialize. And on those hot July and August days, six parks provide kids and adults with outdoor pools for cooling off (sorry, no dogs allowed).

Meanwhile, the Sands Point Museum and Preserve offers visitors access to a historic and magnificent North Shore property with a variety of trails and homes, framed by the Long Island Sound.

That facility is joined by numerous other preserves and museums run by the county, such as Tackapausha in Seaford, which provides a window into many of the natural habitats of Long Island. The African American Museum in Hempstead has a steady schedule of exhibits and programs celebrating both local and national African American artists and historical figures, while the Cradle of Aviation Museum chronicles Long Island’s many contributions to American aviation. 

Functionally, the Nassau County parks system is divided into six geographic regions (Northwest, Northeast, Central, Eisenhower Park, Southwest and Southeast). Each area is headed by a regional director who is responsible for the facilities in that region, working with 18 park managers and other parks employees.

Old Bethpage Village recreates 19th-century history.

The operating budget of the parks system, at $28 million in 2008, accounts for approximately 1% of overall county spending. County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi has committed millions of dollars for reinvestment in the parks system, including renovation of the system’s largest and most heavily used parks. The changes range from refurbishing athletic courts to installing new picnic tables and park benches to clearing invasive species from the preserves.

In a densely populated area like Nassau County, the parks system plays a critical role in preserving open space, providing outlets for physical activities, and generally enhancing the quality of life. The government of Nassau County encourages all residents to make use of the wealth of wonderful assets in the county’s parks system.