Conference House Park — Attraction in New York

Everything that once made Staten Island so unique is encapsulated right here: unspoiled land teeming with flora and fauna; an ancient Indian burial ground; high bluffs & rolling surf...and History. Explore the trails, walk the beach, or stroll the great lawn of the House. The Visitors Center has restrooms and various exhibits that rotate throughout the year. The negative: the absolute slobs that fish the waters and never - ever - take their garbage with them, so that part of the beach at the foot of the Conference House looks like something out of the post-apocalyptic Planet of the Apes. Ignore (or avoid) this area and instead enjoy the solitude and reflect in nature while walking the many defined trails. If you DO go to the area of the beach in front of the Conference House, know that this is where a British-run "ferry" arrived from Perth Amboy, carrying Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge to take part in a (failed, obviously) peace conference. They had to walk through a gauntlet of menacing British Soldiers up that hill to the house to meet with Lord Howe. Take a moment to visualize this while looking up at the House. There were rumors of a secret tunnel that led from the basement of the House to the Raritan Bay, so that the Loyalist Colonel Billopp could make his escape if the Rebels ever tried to capture him - but it's either just a legend, or it's yet to be discovered. If you're lucky enough to discover an oyster shell along one of those high paths in the woods, observe just how FAR away from the water it is. It didn't fly up there on its own; it was brought there by one of the many Leni-Lenape Indians that encamped on Staten Island hundreds (and thousands) of years before the Europeans arrived. Look at those shells: Ancient. Rare. A true Historic Artifact. DON'T go digging or looking for treasure, though -- it's a Protected Area and illegal to do so. The red "South Pole" marker at Ward's Point defines the southernmost point in New York State - so you can say that New York begins right here! Highly recommended if you love nature. This is my escape from what Staten Island has become, so if you're the type that likes to blast their radio, feel like a big shot while talking loudly on your cell on speakerphone, or bs with your goombahs while chomping on your cigar and employing colorful expletives - find another place. Please. That's what the other 99.9% of Staten...

Hidden gem on the south shore. Just a cool place to jog or walk your dog. What used to be cool that i havent seen in a while though was mystery teennagers would build these crazy little forts and alcoves in the woods in side the park. Someone took all different colored yarn once and weaved like a crazy tent through all the branches and set up logs inside to sit and people would hang old jewelry, bottle caps, kids toys from the yarn. It was a the coolest thing. Of course the parks dept tears them down when they find them but theyre worth exploring through the woods to find. You'd think with the heroin crisis on staten they would encourage kids to build and create.... maybe make that a part of the park and hold a compition so they have something to do other than drugs but whatever. They have different art shows, bazaars, and historical reenactments at the actual conference house. The married caretarkers in charge of the tour inside the conference are funny and super nice. I go there at least 5 days outta the week to run, walk...

This park has a little of everything. It is at the southern-most tip of Staten Island and has great views of Raritan Bay, especially at sunrise and sunset. There is a nature trail that is well over a mile long. It's mostly flat and great for hiking or trail-running. The trail is varied consisting of dense tree cover and beach terrain. The actual Conference House is a very old structure where a famous event in history occurred. On September 11, 1776, Benjamin Franklin met at the House with Britain's Admiral Howe to discuss peace between the American Colonies and Britain. Obviously nothing came of the talks, but this meeting is an interesting footnote to the early history of the United States. Several times a year during the warm months, the Conference House sponsors free camping events that are open to the public. The Parks Department lends out the camping gear, but it is recommended that individuals interested in camping must sign up online to secure...