Pelham Bay Park and Orchard Beach

The area originally inhabited by the Siwanoy Indians and was sold to Thomas Pell in 1654. During the American Revolution, the track of land served as a buffer between Manhattan occupied by the Redcoats and colonist controlled Westchester County with a pivotal battle fought at Pell's Point where the patriots thwarted a British advance in 1776. Many remnants of the park's history remain observable to modern day visitors, including the 19th century Pell Mansion, carriage houses and cemetery and the ruins of the Hunter Mansion.

The southeast section of Pelham Bay Park has wide variety of recreational facilities including basketball, bocce, handball and tennis courts, baseball, soccer and football fields, roller hockey rinks, golf courses, driving range and a track and field facility that was newly renovated as part of New York's 2012 Olympic bid. The undeveloped sections of the park offer hiking trails, bike paths and bridle paths through wetlands, salt marshes and grassy meadows. Vast portions are a protected wildlife sanctuary.

In the northeast section of the park is Orchard Beach, a two kilometre man-made beach known locally as "The Riviera". Catering to sunbather's and beach sports enthusiasts, the beachfront pavilion has concessions, showering and changing facilities, beach volleyball courts and guarded bathing areas.

Other attractions in this area of New York include the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden.