Sunday, Oct. 25, is a full day in Van Cortlandt Park. In the afternoon, the lawn of the Van Cortlandt House Museum hosts Halloween: Wags to Witches, a free family event with a dog costume contest. After dark, the Urban Park Rangers lead a free hike in search of flying squirrels and bats.

Halloween: Wags to Witches

The event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. on the museum lawn at Broadway and West 246th Street. There are crafts, face painting and spooky stories with LINC. The dog costume contest is at 3 p.m.; owners can check their dogs in that day from 2 to 2:45 p.m. or pre-register on Eventbrite. Admission is free.

It is organized by the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, the Van Cortlandt House Museum and the Urban Park Rangers, sponsored by Ethical Culture Fieldston School, and funded by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs with the City Council and a grant from the New York City Tourism Foundation.

A night hike for bats

From 6 to 7:30 p.m. the same day, the Rangers lead a Nocturnal Creatures and Wildlife Hike from the Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The walk covers flying squirrels and the nine bat species found in New York. It is free, with no registration.

Washington and the King's Bridge

On Thursday, Oct. 22, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., the Kingsbridge Historical Society presents a free talk by member Gerry Bogacz on how Washington's army escaped Manhattan in 1776 by crossing the King's Bridge into what is now the northwest Bronx. The talk includes Col. John Glover's regiment, which counted free Black and Indigenous soldiers in its ranks. It is held at Riverdale Neighborhood House, 5521 Mosholu Avenue.

Volunteer in the park

Three free volunteer sessions run during the week, each from 9 a.m. to noon:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 21: wetland restoration at Van Cortlandt Lake, meeting at the Golf House. Ages 15 and up, limited to 30 volunteers, with sign-up through the Alliance.
  • Thursday, Oct. 22: Trail Work Thursdays at the Alliance's Learning Garden, 6000 Mosholu Avenue, across from the Riverdale Stables. Tools and gloves are provided.
  • Friday, Oct. 23: Forest Fridays restoration at the Classic Playground.

About the park

Van Cortlandt Park covers 1,146 acres in the northwest Bronx, bordering Kingsbridge and Riverdale, and is one of the city's Flagship Parks. The 1 train's last stop, 242 Street–Van Cortlandt Park, lets out at the park's southwest corner, a short walk from the museum.

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