Discovering hidden historical and cultural gems in Manhattan & Beyond
Category: Botanical Gardens and Parks
The Solar Eclipse at its full extent from our location in Brooklyn.
Daffodil Hill at its peak of blooming.
The Children’s Garden in bloom during the Eclipse.
Gobbler’s Knob and Trail
1548 Woodland Avenue Ext.
Punxsutawney, PA 15767
https://www.facebook.com/weathercapital
https://www.groundhog.org/getting-here-and-around
Open: Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm/Monday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm (Visitors Center) Site open: Dawn to Dusk.
Admission: Free
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on Exploring Punxsutawney, PA for Groundhog’s Day:
(this will give you some great places to stay, eat and visit)
https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/category/exploring-punxsutawney-pa
“Are you off to see the Groundhog?” is a famous line in the movie “Groundhog’s Day”. The one thing is that the scene in the movie was shot in the square of Woodstock, ID. The real Gobbler’s Knob is located in Punxsutawney, PA, the real home of Phil.
The welcome sign to Gobblers Knob.
Located just outside the downtown (ironically behind a Walmart; talk about progress), Gobblers Knob is located in what was once woods in the back of town has become an open field with a stage, Visitors Center and gift shop. Every years thousands of people flock to this small town literally in the middle of Pennsylvania to see the Groundhog’s Day Festival.
Gobbler’ Knob is the famous home of the “Groundhogs Day” festival and swells into a crowd of more than thirty thousand people from all over the world. It is an incredible event to join in.
I attended the festivities here twice. Once in 2016 and again in 2024 and I have to say that it is something you have to do once in your life just to experience the excitement of the morning that Phil sees his shadow.
The signs were out and lit for the prediction. No one knew how Phil would react. Would he see his shadow or not?
The History of Groundhog’s Day (From the Groundhog’s Club website):
The Christian religious holiday of Candlemas Day has become most commonly associated with the current celebration, but it’s roots are older than that. The celebration started in Christianity as the day, (February 2nd), when Christians would take their candles to the church to have them blessed. This, they felt, would bring blessings to their household for the remaining winter.
As time rolled on the day evolved into another form. The following English folk song highlights the transition to weather prognostication.
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.
This “interpretation” of Candlemas Day became the norm for most of Europe. As you can read, there is no mention of an animal of any kind in the preceding song. It wasn’t until this traditional belief was introduced to Germany that an animal was introduced into the lore, hence another evolution of February 2nd. If, according to German lore, the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a “Second Winter” or 6 more weeks of bad weather. As German settlers came to what is now the United States, so too came their traditions and folklore. With the absence of hedgehogs in the United States, a similar hibernating animal was chosen. This leads us to yet another evolution in the legend and to present day Punxsutawney.
In Punxsutawney, 1886 marked the first time that Groundhog Day appeared in the local newspaper. The following year brought the first official trek to Gobbler’s Knob. Each year since then has seen a steady increase in participation of the celebration from people all over the world.
When the knob is full that morning you can feel the excitement of the crowd. From three in the morning until Phil comes out to make his prediction, there are all sorts of bands, comedians and singers to entertain the crowds all morning.
The crowds get bigger as the morning gets later, most arriving before 6:00am.
The stage was always filled with entertainment acts.
The entertainment for the evening until the top hats arrive and the fun begins. First they are the introductions of the VIPs, like the Governor of Pennsylvania showed up as well as all the other politicians to follow him.
Watch my video of Phil seeing his shadow in 2024:
Then there is a fantastic fireworks display. This lasted about a half hour.
Watch the fireworks display and you will see why you need to be there at 3:00am to enjoy the festivities:
The video on the finale was the best:
Then the camera’s arrive and it time for the prediction. Will it be an early Spring or will Winter keep going.
The arrival of the Punxsutawney Groundhog’s Club starts the program.
Phil did not see his shadow in 2024. Spring is on its way!
On the day after Groundhog’s Day, I went back to Gobblers Knob to visit it when it wasn’t so chaotic and crowded. It can magical in its own way in that you see the field and knob empty and realize that people all over the world watch the activities here every February 2nd. It is fascinating to just think about.
The entrance to Gobblers Knob the Saturday after Groundhog’s Day 2024.
The history of the site.
The historical marker of the site.
The stage area when it is quiet.
The end of the ceremony on Groundhog’s Day people were still milling around.
Gobbler’s Knob from the stage area.
The entrance display to the field.
The field when things were quiet after the event the next day.
Groundhogs Day in Punxsutawney, PA is a real experience that you should experience once. To sit out in the field with thousands of others to celebrate the day is a lot of fun. Until next year.
Sherman Creek Park
3725 Tenth Avenue
New York, NY 10034
(212) 720-3480
Open: Sunday-Saturday 24 hours
My review on TripAdvisor:
When I was recently walking around Washington Heights for the “Great Saunter” perimeter walk around the coast line of Manhattan over the summer, I revisited this little park that is tucked away inside Highbridge Park that lines the eastern side of Upper Manhattan. This is the Sherman Creek Park and Swindler Cove. I just thought it was a small extension of the park but it is way more.
The is a once dumping ground for garbage and waste that has been reclaimed and given a rebirth as a ecologically created watershed that is not only helping clean the East River with its plantings but also a sanctuary for birds, butterfly’s and other small creatures when they are migrating.
The paths are well landscaped and offer a sense of quiet and relaxation from the noise of the neighborhood especially in the summer when families are barbecuing and having parties in the small strip of part that is Highbridge Park. Small streams, a waterfall and river plantings plus a boathouse for canoes and Kayaks gives a different more relaxing view of the park.
The entrance to Sherman Creek Park.
(from the park website)
Sherman Creek Park, a former illegal dumping site, began as a shore cleanup and now encompasses 15 beautifully reclaimed acres along the Harlem River including Swindler Cove, Riley-Levin Children’s Garden, and a living shoreline installation. The neighboring Harlem River Greenway includes a sprawling esplanade, bike path, and a cherry tree planting framing the Harlem River Drive.
The pathways in Sherman Creek Park.
The park serves to demonstrate sustainable management of public lands in an underserved neighborhood, from hosting a major community green space in Northern Manhattan, to implementing organic gardening techniques and best horticultural practices on a daily basis.
The waterfall in Sherman Creek Park
NYRP’s work in Sherman Creek and the surrounding landscape recognizes the remarkable value of natural resources found in Northern Manhattan and works to improve and support public access to Manhattan’s largest remaining wetland complex.
The pathways through Swindler Cove Park.
SWINDLER COVE
(from the park website)
NYRP is responsible for conceiving, developing, executing and maintaining the vibrant and versatile Swindler Cove at Sherman Creek Park, a former illegal dumping site transformed by NYRP into a gorgeous green space. The 5-acre space is home to the Riley-Levin Children’s Garden.
Swindler Cove represents the crown jewel of New York Restoration Project’s public park projects. Opened to the public in August 2003, Swindler Cove represents the full spectrum of NYRP’s mission to restore open space as a catalyst for community revitalization and environmental conservation.
The restoration of the Manhattan coastline.
In 1999, in partnership with the State of New York Department of Transportation and acclaimed landscape designer Billie Cohen, NYRP transformed the land into an oasis of native natural habitats with a lush array of restored woodlands, wetlands, native plantings and a freshwater pond, accented by a gracious pathway.
LIVING SHORELINE
(from the park website)
Sherman Creek Park is threatened by climate change-induced erosion and sea level rise and in 2020 we introduced an ecosystem-based solution called a living shoreline.
Replanting and renovating the coastline.
Integrating native plantings and an artificial oyster reef, our living shoreline design aims to not only attenuate waves that wash away sediment but also enhance the native wetland habitat—one of the last of its kind in all of Manhattan. By stacking specialized concrete blocks called Oyster Castles, its design helps build new habitat for marine species that, over time, could transform the dynamics of a park that we might otherwise lose.
We continue to monitor the shoreline’s evolution to better understand and quantify the ecosystem services that urban wetland restoration projects like ours might offer. “We know that, acre per acre, wetlands are better than forests at fighting climate change,” says Director of Northern Manhattan Parks Jason Smith. “It just requires shifting our relationship with the landscape and realizing it’s not about building a big project and walking away; it’s about staying engaged, stewarding it, and learning from it.”
Video on the New York Restoration Project: Rebuilding parks and gardens.
Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Park
44 Battlefield Road
Stony Point, NY 10980
(845) 786-2521
https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/stonypointbattlefield/maps.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stony_Point_Battlefield
Open: Sunday (Grounds) 12:00pm-5:00pm (Museum) 12:00pm-4:30pm /Monday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday (Grounds) 9:00am-5:00pm/(Museum) 10:00am-4:30pm
Admission: Free but donations are accepted. Groups, Scouts and Organizations are $5.00 individuals per person and $7.00 for special events per person. Please call to make arrangements on this.
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Stony Point Battlefield Museum
The General’s tent on the battlefield.
We visited the Stony Point Battlefield one afternoon and it is a very interesting and historical fort in the Hudson River Valley. We were able to tour the battle site and explore the grounds of this historical site. Then we toured the museum which gave us a view of the battle and what happened that night through a series of displays of the artifacts.
The Gallery
The Gallery
The gallery was filled with all sorts of weaponry and items needed by the troops for battle.
The battlefield site.
The museum has displays of the weapons used, the structure of the fort, utensils used the time that the troops were defending this area and what life was like on a day-to-day basis. The museum also offers a glimpse of artifacts of both the fort and of the battle with docents assisting you in telling the story of what happened at that time and after the battle and the war were over.
The Stoney Point Battlefield tent set up.
Outside the fort, there was a set-up of tents to show what the troops life was like in battle as well as General Wallace’s tent that he lived in and used during the battle. At the end of the day, the park does a demonstration of lighting the cannon that would have been used in battle. That was interesting. It was a lot more work than people think.
The cannon set up.
There is lot to do and see along the pathways of the fort and its grounds with amazing views of the Hudson River.
The story of the battle.
The History of the park and battlegrounds:
(from the NYS Parks Division website)
Visit the site of the Battle of Stony Point, one of the last Revolutionary War battles in the northeastern colonies. This is where Brigadier General Anthony Wayne led his corps of Continental Light Infantry in a daring midnight attack on the British, seizing the site’s fortifications and taking the soldiers and camp followers at the British garrison as prisoners on July 16, 1779.
The map of the fort at Stony Point, NY.
By May 1779 the war had been raging for four years and both sides were eager for a conclusion. Sir Henry Clinton, Commander-In-Chief of the British forces in America, attempted to coerce General George Washington into one decisive battle to control the Hudson River. As part of his strategy, Clinton fortified Stony Point. Washington devised a plan for Wayne to lead an attack on the garrison. Armed with bayonets only, the infantry captured the fort in short order, ending British control of the river.
The weapons of battle on display at the museum.
The Stony Point Lighthouse, built in 1826, is the oldest lighthouse on the Hudson River. De-commissioned in 1925, it now stands as a historical reminder of the importance of lighthouses to commerce on the Hudson River. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 unleashed a surge of commercial navigation along the Hudson River, by linking New York city to America’s heartland.
Within a year, the first of the Hudson’s fourteen lights shone at Stony Point and others soon followed, designed to safely guide maritime travel along the river. Many light keepers, including several remarkable women such as Nancy and Melinda Rose at Stony Point, made their homes in the lighthouse complexes, and ensured that these important navigational signals never failed to shine.
The lighthouse light on display at the museum.
The site features a museum, which offers exhibits on the battle and the Stony Point Lighthouse, as well as interpretive programs, such as reenactments highlighting 18th century military life, cannon and musket firings, cooking demonstrations, and children’s activities and blacksmith demonstrations.
The cannon demonstration that we saw at the end of our visit to the battlefields.
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 