Westchester Real Estate 2012: Rye Best Place for Nature Lovers

When you mention the great outdoors in Westchester, most eyes turn north toward Ward Pound Ridge or Blue Mountain Reservation. But residents of the City of Rye and nearby towns can also get plenty of fresh air; check out the birds, bees, and other wildlife; and do their own version of Thoreau’s thing. The Rye Nature Center tops the list of places in Rye you can visit again and again. There are trails and exhibits for everyone in the family, including a maple sugar shed, an old quarry, indoor and outdoor honeybee hives, and Nanderwhere Pond, a beautiful place to linger and enjoy some peace and quiet, Rye-style.

Not far away is the Marshlands Conservancy, the county’s only extensive saltwater marsh. The site is part of the County Parks system. It’s a birders’ heaven, too, with open fields, marshes, and woodlands to attract more than 300 species. You haven’t lived until you’ve spotted a rare yellow-headed blackbird or a red-necked phalarope.

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You might see one or the other at the nearby Jay Heritage Center, too, which is right next door. The Rye Golf Club is on the other side of the Marshlands, as well. It’s a members-only club for Rye residents and the only course in the county with holes that play directly on Long Island Sound. And don’t forget Rye Playland, not to mention Rye Town Park, where there are 28 acres of lawns and paths as well as an expansive, 34-acre beachfront and swimming area.

Rye residents reconnect with Mother Nature at the Rye Nature Center and many other spots.

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