As a reminder please remember to practice social distancing (at least six feet) when visiting the Park.
Randall’s Island Park Alliance hosts a wide variety of guided, drop-in walking tours for Park visitors. All tours are free of charge. Individuals and families are welcome. Groups of five or more should contact RIPA’s Public Programs team to ensure accommodation is feasible.
Visit RIPA’s events calendar for dates and time.
For questions or more information contact us at [email protected].
Wetland Tours
Randall’s Island Park is host to many acres of gorgeous wetland habitat, including our five-acre Little Hell Gate Salt Marsh and one of the city’s only freshwater wetlands. RIPA’s tours showcase these brilliant spaces and offer participants the opportunity to learn about how wetlands function and their ecological importance in an urban setting. Participants can enjoy viewing beautiful wildflowers, birds and other native wildlife while learning about some of the fascinating history that has shaped the natural areas on the Island. Meet snowy egrets, yellow crowned night herons, red-tailed hawks, and more!
Water’s Edge Garden Tours
Located along the shoreline of the East River, the waterfront garden offers year-round beauty, from spring-blooming daffodils to winter-blooming Witch Hazel. Join an experienced member of our Horticulture Department and learn about the flowers growing along the water’s edge. Enjoy breathtaking views of Manhattan while you explore the winding paths of our shade garden.
Wildflower Meadow Tours
Stretching along the East River near the iconic Hell Gate Bridge, our Wildflower Meadow is home to an array of native and ornamental plants that provide food and shelter for bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. Join an experienced member of the Alliance’s Horticulture Department for a stroll through the meadow. Smell the flowers, search high and low for meadow residents, and take in the breathtaking views.
Historical Tours
Randall’s Island has a rich, unique and varied history. RIPA’s staff loves nothing more than to share this fascinating history with interested visitors. Two colossal bridges, both the largest of their kind when completed, span the island, which was once three separate land masses; these were combined by Robert Moses through landfill in the mid-1900s. Come learn more about the man, the bridges, and the history of the Island and the Park it became.
FLOW Art Tours
FLOW is an annual art exhibition at the Park’s southern end. RIPA’s goal is to foster appreciation of the shoreline through artistic expression, while calling visitors to interact with and care for the Island’s environment. Each year, FLOW features site-specific projects by participants in the Bronx Museum’s Artists in the Marketplace (AIM) program for emerging artists. Come meet the artists and hear more about their inspirations and challenges in creating these unique pieces of outdoor public art.
Foliage Walks
Join RIPA’s staff for a guided walk along our waterfront to view the fall colors. Learn the reasons behind changes in leaf color, the chemical representation of each of the colors they turn, and why leaves of different species achieve different hues. Explore our recently-completed woodland path, visit our tidal marsh, and take in breathtaking views along the waterfront. Hot beverages will be provided.