Conference House Park occupies the southernmost land in New York State, a stretch of shoreline, meadow and woodland that most New Yorkers have never set foot on. Coming for a free art exhibition is the excuse; the park itself - a seventeenth-century stone manor house, tidal shoreline and a genuinely quiet waterfront - is the reward. If you want a fall day that feels like leaving the city without leaving it, this is the far end of the map.
What to expect
A small visitor-center gallery you can see in twenty minutes, staffed by Parks and set inside a working park. The point is to combine it with the surrounding trails and shoreline rather than treat it as a destination museum.
Good to know
- Take the Staten Island Ferry, then the SIR train to Tottenville, the last stop, and walk down to the water
- No registration or booking is needed - walk into the visitor center
- The visitor center keeps daytime hours six days a week and closes on Sundays
- Bring layers - the shoreline here is exposed and windier than inland Staten Island
- Best combined with a walk in the park's meadows and along the beach
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Common questions
What is the exhibition about?
Works by multiple artists on endangered local and global species, shown alongside NYC Parks wildlife protection work.
Which days is it open?
NYC Parks lists it repeating Monday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm, through the end of 2026.
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