Roslyn-North Hills, Searingtown Road, north of Long Island Expressway
516-571-8113
On-site staff: Yes

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CHRISTOPHER MORLEY PARK , SET ON 98 ACRES AND CENTRALLY LOCATED IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE county, has been in the Nassau County park system since 1961. The County paid $704,000 for the property, which was the former estate of Nettie Ryan. The park is named after Christopher Morley, one of the foremost American “men of letters” in the 20th century, a prolific writer who produced more than 50 books, including several popular novels, plays, poetry and essays. He also edited two volumes of “Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations” and was a founder of the Book of the Month Club.

A great deal of Morley's work was done in a functional one-room studio called the “Knothole” (see fuller description in the list below), located on his property in Roslyn on the North Shore and constructed in 1934. “I built myself a pine-wood cabin, as aloofly as a Long Island suburb would permit, to consort with the shade of John Bartlett,” wrote Morley.

In 1966, nine years after Morley’s death, the writer’s friends and neighbors had the Knothole transferred to one of Nassau County’s parks in Roslyn-North Hills, subsequently named Christopher Morley Park. The Knothole, renovated in 2006, includes built-in bookshelves, a fireplace and a bunkbed. But the public has been most intrigued over the years by the Knothole’s “dymaxion” bathroom, which was designed in 1936 by Morley’s friend, Buckminster Fuller, the renowned scientist and inventor. It is a one-piece, pre-assembled unit.

The park provides numerous opportunities for recreation:

Athletics/Physical Activities:

• There are five tennis courts (fee and Leisure Pass required);
• four lighted handball/paddleball courts;
• four basketball courts;
• and two paddle-tennis courts.
• Athletic fields include three baseball fields (softball and hardball, including Little League) and volleyball courts.

Family/Kids:

The playground at Christopher Morley provides a variety of activities.

• A recently renovated playground provides a variety of activities, including a nontraditional climbing apparatus.
• Hobby enthusiasts can enjoy the 140- by 300-foot boat basin designed for model boats.
• There are unreserved and reserved (fee) picnic areas, which include barbecue equipment. Leisure Pass and fee required for reserved areas; call 516-571-8113.

Golf:

• The park features a 9-hole, par-30 golf course. The course is 1,603 yards, with holes ranging from 97 yards to 267 yards. Click here for link to Nassau County Golf.

Fitness Trail:

• In the summer of 2007, the park introduced a one-mile Fitness Trail that provides a jogging or walking trail and 20 attractive and simple fitness stations incorporating a variety of exercises. These include stretching, pull-ups, sit-ups and balance walking exercises that increase slightly in difficulty as the trail proceeds. The trail begins on the north side of the park entrance by Searington Road, heads east past the Dog Run and the woods before working its way past the baseball fields and playground and ending by the parking area overlooking the pond.
• The park is also adding a flat quarter-mile warm-up, cool-down trail; a half-mile flat trail; a half-mile hill trail; and a one-mile hill trail.

The ice skating rink is open seven days a week from December through March.

Ice Skating:

• Christopher Morley’s outdoor ice skating rink, a community fixture since 1966, was named by News 12 Long Island viewers as the best outdoor skating rink on Long Island. The facility, which is 200-feet by 80-feet, is used by recreational skaters and hockey teams. Group and private lessons are available; skate rentals are also available. The rink opened on Dec. 5, 2008, and remains open through March 8, 2009.
• Hours: Three two-hour morning/day sessions seven days a week at 10:30 a.m., 1:15 p.m. and 4 p.m.; and two-hour evening sessions on Thursday at 6:45 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
• Fees (daily): Resident adult with Leisure Pass, $7; resident teenager 13-17 years of age with Leisure Pass, $5; resident child 12 and under accompanied by adult with Leisure Pass, $5; senior, disabled, vol. firefighter, ambulance corps, auxiliary police, veterans with Leisure Pass, $4; adult without Leisure Pass, $14, child without Leisure Pass, $10. Skate rentals are available for $5.

Swimming:

The pool is a popular summer destination.

• The swimming pool complex (Leisure Pass and fee required) includes an Olympic-sized pool, diving tank with boards, and a “kiddie” pool. Lockers and showers are available. The pool will open on June 29, 2009, and remains open through Labor Day.
• Hours: Mon.-Sun., 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Fees (daily): Resident adult, $5; resident child (4-17 years of age), $3; senior, disabled, vol. firefighter, ambulance corps, auxiliary police, veterans, $3; non-resident adult, $10, non-resident child guest, $6. Seasonal family ($225), individual ($90) and senior ($50) memberships are also available. A Leisure Pass is required for residents to receive the resident rate.

Dog run:

• A dog run is located on the north side of the parking lot by the Christopher Morley "Knothole." Please note that dogs are not allowed in any County parks or preserves, with the exception of the dog runs.

Other Activities:

• The park features 30 acres of peaceful and beautiful wooded nature trails that provide an ideal area for a leisurely stroll or jogging.
• There are courts for horseshoes and shuffleboard.
• On June 3, 2009, the Farmer's Market began operating again at the park on Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market remains open through late November.

The interior of the Knothole, the writing studio used by Christopher Morley.

Christopher Morley "Knothole":

The Christopher Morley “Knothole” is a tiny one-room wooden cabin formerly used as a studio by prominent 20th-century Long Island editor and writer Morley (who authored such novels as “Thunder on the Left” and “Kitty Foyle”); it was later transported to the park. The facility is located by the dog run and is open occasionally for public programs.

Constructed in 1934, the Knothole includes built-in bookshelves, a fireplace and a bunkbed. But the public has been most intrigued over the years by the Knothole’s “dymaxion” bathroom, which was designed in 1936 by Morley’s friend, Buckminster Fuller, the renowned scientist and inventor. It is a one-piece, pre-assembled unit.

In 2006, the County completed renovation work on the Knothole, which involved replacing damaged siding, a task that required creating new siding to replicate the thick and irregularly shaped “wavy”-edge style of the original; adding a new roof and flashings; rebuilding windows and sills; and rebuilding the porch. In addition, a new handicapped-accessible ramp was installed.

Viewing doors will also be installed so that the public can see the interior of the studio and bathroom. “Morley embraced the language and had an incredible vocabulary, even by the standards of the 1920s, when people who went to college received broad educations,” says Harrison Hunt, Supervisor of Historic Sites for the Nassau County Department of Parks. “I actually need a dictionary out for virtually every page when I read his essays because on each page there will be some great word which has fallen into disuse.”

Directions:

To reach Christopher Morley Park, take the Long Island Expressway to Exit 36/Searingtown Road exit (from east or west). Take Searingtown Road North and look for the park entrance on right (about 200 yards from the LIE).

Nassau County Outdoor Pools to Open for Summer Season on June 29

Four of Nassau County’s outdoor swimming pool complexes will open on Monday, June 29, announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi. The outdoor pools at Nickerson Beach Park are scheduled to open on June 20.

The County’s pool complexes include three comprehensive “water theme” facilities at Cantiague Park in Hicksville (571-7056), North Woodmere Park (571-7800) and Wantagh Park (571-7460).

The water theme parks incorporate Olympic-size swimming pools, diving pools, “kiddie” pools, interactive water-play areas and water slides. In December 2006, the pool at Wantagh Park, which features a beautiful waterfront location, was named "Best Public Pool on Long Island" by the Long Island Press, the weekly newspaper.

The large swimming complex at Christopher Morley Park (571-8113) in Roslyn-North Hills includes an Olympic-size pool, diving tank with boards, and a kiddie pool, all framed by a beautiful wooded preserve behind it. At Nickerson Beach Park (571-7700) in Lido, a 121-acre oceanfront park, there are two small pools as well as kiddie pools.

The pools at Cantiague, Christopher Morley, North Woodmere and Wantagh parks also offer swimming lessons for adults and children over the summer.

Pools are open seven days a week, but hours vary slightly by park, opening at either 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. and closing at either 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. Admission is available on a daily basis at all pools or on a seasonal basis.

Daily fees are as follows: resident adult, $7; resident child (4-17 years of age), $5; senior, disabled, volunteer firefighter, ambulance corps, auxiliary police and veterans, $3; non-resident adult, $20; and non-resident child guest, $15. A Leisure Pass is required for residents to receive the resident rate. The admission fee now includes access to the water slides at the three water theme parks. Seasonal passes are also available for residents with Leisure Passes, with rates as follows: families ($225); individuals ($90); and seniors ($50).