Discover our State Parks and Historic Sites through these New Mobile Tours
New York’s remarkable collection of state parks, historic sites, and public lands have a beauty and wonder that speaks for itself. Yet, an interpretation of what you're experience can greatly enhance your visit—whether it’s your first step into a historic building or a routine stroll through your nearby state park. Nowadays, technology provides audio tours that are easily available through your mobile device, providing a deeper and more accessible experience for some of our most iconic locations.
Many of these welcome additions are the product of the hard-working Friends groups who dedicate their time to stewarding our state parks, historic sites, and public lands. Countless hours of research, writing, and recording have been dedicated to these engaging audio supplements. We hope they will add to your on-site experience, or inspire you to take a journey that checks off a bucket list item.
BENNINGTON BATTLEFIELD
This important Revolutionary War site, hugging the border of Vermont, hosts over twenty audio clips to enhance the visitor experience at this historic battlefield that played an integral role in America’s independence. Signage dotted throughout the 1777-era site provides one or more audio-connected QR codes (21 audio files total), easily accessible by pointing your smartphone and tapping the link.
13 voice actors and 4 musicians bring life to first-person accounts via this Park and Trail Partnership Grant-funded project (administered by PTNY in partnership with State Parks). Recordings and narrations run from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
TACONIC STATE PARK
The natural, living, and industrial history of this popular state park, nestled in the Taconic mountain range and bordering Massachusetts, is accessible in 15 engaging audio clips which can be streamed on-site or download prior to your visit. The stops on the tour are Taconic tour are follow an established trail, while others function as companion for a site-based stroll. Recordings provide information on the remains of the Copake Iron Works, the First Nations Mohicans who were the pre-colonial inhabitants of the land, the geologic found through rock formations along the Bash Bish Brook, and much more.
WALKWAY OVER THE HUDSON
The “world’s longest elevated pedestrian walkway” features numerous interpretive panels to enhance visitors' experience. Over twenty clips are offered in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Italian, touching on a wide range of topics including the history of the former railway bridge as well as the living and natural history of the majestic Hudson River 160 feet below.
If you want a sample prior to visiting the Walkway, clips can be accessed via their website. We're sure a little sampling will make you even more excited to visit this 1.2-mile wonder in person.
REINSTEIN WOODS HISTORY TRAIL
The History Trail Audio Tour for this DEC nature preserve—located outside of Buffalo—consists of just over a dozen stops. The 20-minute tour was produced by the Friends of Reinstein Woods in 2021 with support from PTNY's Park and Trail Partnership Grant program. Descriptive narratives relating to Dr. Victor Reinstein's alteration of the landscape provide an engaging view into how human's shape the natural world. Ponds, forests, swamps... and even signs of a former trolley line, are some of the many features mentioned throughout the tour.
CONNETQUOT RIVER STATE PARK PRESERVE
Despite how many times you may have visited this popular Long Island destination, this walking tour will provide you with a whole new perspective! Standing structures such as a grist mill, icehouse, and an active fish hatchery are just a few of the interesting features covered in these recordings. You’ll also discover artesian wells, and stand upon the point exactly 50 miles from New York City that was once a Native American footpath. The audio for each stop is easily accessible by a mobile device through scanning a QR code. Visitors can also call the phone number provided on an accompanying map to access audio content.
GEOLOGY OF TAUGHANNOCK STATE PARK
Discover the extraordinary footprint glaciers leave upon our landscapes while visiting this remarkable state park. Boasting the highest vertical single-drop waterfall in the northeastern United States, Taughannock State Park certainly has some spectacular views. Based on the book Ithaca is Gorges: A Guide to the Geology of the Ithaca Area by Warren D. Allmon and Robert M. Ross, this audio tour gives you expert insight to all things geological for the site. Have a great time with this tour companion that provides a thorough and compelling understanding behind the eye-opening features traversed at Taughannock.
The tour audio is downloadable using the izi.TRAVEL app, including are accompanying diagrams and descriptions available on the website.
JONES BEACH ENERGY AND NATURE CENTER
Described as “a playful journey through the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center,” this mobile tour will truly immerse you in this iconic stretch of Long Island’s south shore. With its atmospheric seashore sounds, the audio ties the award-winning Energy and Nature Center to both the natural beauty of the park and the future of New York’s renewable energy sector. In fifteen minutes, The Power of Nature mobile tour covers an array of renewable energy sources—including the sun, wind, and nearby crashing waves—while touching upon the ecology of the surrounding landscape. A second mobile tour, Net-zero, delves deeper into the modern architecture and state-of-the-art features highlighted in the facility, including its geothermal system, all designed to protect the vulnerable ecosystem surrounding the site.
OLANA STATE HISTORIC SITE
Check out the engaging supplemental materials for this architectural marvel with views of the Hudson Valley and Catskill mountains. An amazing companion to the mansion's indoor tour, learn more about the surrounding lands, including the 1.5 miles of historic carriage roads, with this 45-minute audio companion.
In addition to the walking tour, audio components also detail Fredrick Church’s travels to the Middle East, a primary source of inspiration for much of Olana's stunning architecture. The tours can be listened to directly from the website or downloaded to your mobile device.
MARTIN HOUSE ESTATE AUDIO TOUR
This outdoor interactive audio tour focuses on Frank Lloyd Wright’s impressive architectural contribution to the city of Buffalo. For a fee, visitors can download the audio tour and walk the grounds of this New York State historic site, discovering the interesting history of the early 20th century estate. Walk the grounds with your audio companion to learn how Wright's vision created connection between the buildings through the landscape and their fine architectural details focusing on his iconic trinity of purpose, place, and design.