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Heckscher State Park was once the 19th century estates of George C. Taylor and J. Neal Plum. William Nicoll, founder of the Town of Islip, originally built his estate on this property. The park was bought by the State of New York using a donation by the affluent August Heckscher with strong opposition from wealthy local residents. It was one of Robert Moses' most difficult fights to obtain land for public recreation on Long Island. Only with assistance and support from then Governor Alfred E. Smith was Moses able to close the deal on this beautiful property fronting the Great South Bay.
From jct Hwy-27A & Southern State Pkwy (exit 45): Go 1-1/2 mi S on Southern State Pkwy.
Cottage Area cabins are available to reserve starting at $110 per/night
This is a big picnic location in a natural environment. Great South Bay on the south side. Heckscher field parking 6 is huge too. This place has hundreds of seating, benches, tables, and a lot of BBQ pit. It is a place of adequate safety and security. It has men's and women's changing rooms by the bay.
This amazing place is in a different league. You don’t feel like you’re in NY here. People are so nice. This place is massive. You can literally spend weeks here and not see everything. Do your research before coming here. There are numerous playgrounds here. One of the playground areas is adjacent to the water. There are also many paths through the woods. They even have cottages that can be rented out to sleep at. There is an entry fee during the season. This is an exceptional place. The playgrounds are acceptable and nice but there is nothing extraordinary about them.
This park is always clean. It is well maintained. I enjoy taking my best girl for a walk on the deck by the water. She enjoys the park as well. Adequate amount of well cared for benches to enjoy nature for a spell.
Very big state park. The entrance fee is about $8. I went on a Saturday morning. Looks like you need to book before for an event. This is a very large park. Nice and clean road. There are many fields. Before going for an event, ask for which field. There are 6 fields .
Clean restrooms and wide parking spaces are available.
It's a beautiful park located on the south shore right on the Great South Bay. Incredible amount of wildlife. Decent playgrounds for the kids. Has a paved bike path with some unpaved hiking trails. It's long island so remember the tick spray if you want to hike through the woods. Has restrooms I wish it had some kind of space to buy food or coffee it would definitely be a plus. All in all a park I like to go to with my kids
