7. Take a Kayak Eco-Tour at Liberty State Park
Kayak eco-tours are conducted most weekends and some weekdays throughout the summer by the Interpretive Center’s naturalists. The tour takes you to the cove behind the Statue of Liberty, an inlet in the harbor-estuary that is teeming with more life than you can imagine. Depending on the tide, you’ll most likely get a chance to pull up to Caven Point beach, which is the last natural salt marsh and longest stretch of natural beach remaining in New York Harbor.
Your guide will help you identify the myriad of fauna you’ll see and hear, including great and snowy egrets, live horseshoe crabs, great blue herons, and so much more as you traverse the coastline. It is truly an experience to be able to see that much diversity in the backyard of Manhattan. There’s even a point on the tour where the marsh grasses completely block out the skyline and you feel like the city is hundreds of miles away. The naturalists give a brief instruction on the basics of kayaking so this trip is appropriate for beginners as well as advanced kayakers. (The kayaks even have pedals in case your arms get tired!) Pre-registration is required and spaces fill up fast! The tour has an age limit of 16 and up and only costs $20 per person. For more information, click here.
Pro tip: if you have your own kayak: the launch point is public and can be used any time. Just pop into the park office right next to it and give them your name and time you go out. Ask for a harbor map in the office, and remember to give proper distance to wildlife!