If you live in Westchester, then you have access to lots of fun things to do on the weekend. Of course you could drive into Manhattan and see a Broadway show, or go to a fancy restaurant, but you also have lots of fun outdoor activities to choose from. The list below will cover two fun outdoor activities you can partake in. Some will be leisurely outdoor activities, while the other will be more fast paced and exciting. All of them are within driving distance, so they make for a great day trip.
Visit The Bronx And See Beautiful Flowers
Right below Westchester is The Bronx. It's one of the best places in New York City to see beautiful flowers. There are two places you can spend the day. The first is at the Botanical Gardens. This is located in the Fordham section (right near Fordham University). The gardens are home to wonderful water gardens, rose gardens, special greenhouses that display orchids, and all sorts or flowers and exotic plants. It's a huge area (250 acres) so you can spend the whole day walking the grounds and looking at the beautifully maintained gardens.
The second place to consider visiting is the Wave Hill gardens in the Riverdale section of The Bronx. This garden does not have as large a collection of flowers, but the view is quite stunning. The property is situated on a huge hill overlooking the Hudson river. There are picnic areas, as well as walking paths that take you along the edge of the property so that you can get a nice view of the water.
Whitewater Rafting In Port Jervis
If you want to go whitewater rafting, then you should head up to the tri-state area of Port Jervis. It's a town located right on the Delaware river. It's on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. You can get a train from Manhattan that takes you right into Port Jervis (or you can drive up Interstate 87). The whitewater rafting outfitters are located on both the New York side of the river, as well as on the Pennsylvania side of the river in the town of Matamoras . The way it works is you sign up with the rafting outfit, and they take you upriver (to spots like Pond Eddy or Skinners falls) in a bus. You can leave your car downriver. When you get upriver, you will board the whitewater raft and then head down the river. At the base camp (in Port Jervis or Matamoras) you will beach the raft and then get back in your car. It's a really cool trip, and totally doable as an afternoon expedition from Westchester.
Check out companies like Andy and Bax for more ideas about adventurous trips you might take.
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