The Randall’s Island Park Alliance and USA Track & Field New York will host the Strides for Sandy 5K on Sunday, November 18. All proceeds will go directly to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC and the Daily News Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.

The chip-timed, USA Track & Field-sanctioned race will be plotted along a certified 5K course through the beautiful waterfront pathways of Randall’s Island Park.

The race will begin at approximately 10:15 a.m., following a 30-minute Zumba warm up with live DJ.

If you do not want to race, we will be accepting donations of cash and used running shoes at the door. There are also a number of volunteer opportunities available.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time: 12:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Icahn Stadium (in Randall's Island Park),Waterfront Pathways along Ward's Island (in Randall's Island Park)

Bring the kids and visit one of New York City’s richest bird habitats with New York City Audubon guides. Learn how to spot and identify our feathered neighbors in their natural surroundings on a tour through the North Woods.

Bring you own binoculars, if you have; binoculars are also available to borrow in a limited number at the visitor center. Space is limited; please arrive early to sign in. Ages 5+.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 11:00 am

Contact phone: 212-860-1370

Location: Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (in Central Park)

Visit The Wild Garden: Discovering Central Park Woodlands exhibit and start exploring the North Woods on your own by borrowing a North Woods Discovery Kit stocked with binoculars, a hand lens, and flora/fauna guides. Accompanying adult with valid ID required. Purchase an optional Discovery Journal for $2 for a one-of-a-kind woodland adventure. Recommended for ages 8 – 12.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 860-1370

Location: Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (in Central Park)

The enchanting setting of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory showcases more than 140 scaled iconic buildings and structures under thousands of twinkling lights. Artistically crafted by Paul Busse's team at Applie Imagination, the landmarks are made of natural materials such as bark, twigs, stems, fruits, seeds, and pine cones and include the original Penn Station and Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, The New York Public Library on 42nd Street, and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 817-8700

Location: The New York Botanical Garden

Volunteer to help clean and restore parks most affected by Hurricane Sandy. Join us as we clear trails of mud and storm debris.

Registration is required for this event. Please register with NYC Service to join us.

Please dress appropriately. Remember to wear closed-toe shoes and clothes that can get dirty. Bring a water bottle and snacks (water refills and restrooms will be available).

If you are able to, please bring work gloves and heavy duty trashbags. Additional materials that would be useful to the clean up effort include: fan rakes, snow shovels, wheelbarrows, large push brooms. These supplies are not required to participate. Gloves and supplies wil be provided for volunteers who cannot provide their own.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 1:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Payson Park House (in Inwood Hill Park)

Use this hands-on exhibit to illuminate the history, ecology, and management of the woodlands and learn why these landscapes are so essential to the purpose of Central Park. The exhibit includes a digital interactive app highlighting historic photos and revealing hidden features. Exhibit introductions are available by appointment for groups of 10 or more; call (212) 860-1370 for more information.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 860-1370

Location: Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (in Central Park)

Volunteer to help clean and restore parks most affected by Hurricane Sandy. Join us as we compost and clean and replace sand washed out of Imagination Playground.

Registration is required for this event. Please register with NYC Service to join us.

Please dress appropriately. Remember to wear closed-toe shoes and clothes that can get dirty. Bring a water bottle and snacks (water refills and restrooms will be available).

If you are able to, please bring work gloves and heavy duty trashbags. Additional materials that would be useful to the clean up effort include: fan rakes, snow shovels, wheelbarrows, large push brooms. These supplies are not required to participate. Gloves and supplies wil be provided for volunteers who cannot provide their own.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 1:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Imagination Playground

Volunteer to help clean and restore parks most affected by Hurricane Sandy. Join us as we rake sand and mud, remove debris, and clear out a comfort station.

Registration is required for this event. Please register with NYC Service to join us.

Please dress appropriately. Remember to wear closed-toe shoes and clothes that can get dirty. Bring a water bottle and snacks (water refills and restrooms will be available).

If you are able to, please bring work gloves and heavy duty trashbags. Additional materials that would be useful to the clean up effort include: fan rakes, snow shovels, wheelbarrows, large push brooms. These supplies are not required to participate. Gloves and supplies will be provided for volunteers who cannot provide their own.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 1:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Turtle Circle (in Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk and Beach)

Come play ping pong at Bryant Park!

Paddles and balls will be provided free of charge to all skill levels.

Visit the park and sign up with an attendant, who can arrange a friendly game.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 6:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Ping Pong Court (in Bryant Park)

Please note: this event has been cancelled.

We offer birding programs throughout the year and our Exploration series focuses on unique wildlife viewing opportunities during particular seasons. Birding programs are appropriate for all skill levels and beginners are welcome. To enhance your experience we encourage you to bring binoculars and field guides, or ask a Ranger to borrow a pair.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 846-2731

Location: Boardwalk and Beach 67th Street (in Rockaway Beach Boardwalk)

For more than ten years, the Corinne May Botz searched for ghost stories in buildings across the United States. She ventured into these haunted places with both camera and tape recorder in hand; her photographs, accompanied by first-person narratives, reveal a rare glimpse into American interiors, both physical and psychological.

She says, “The first thing that inspired the project were writers like Edith Wharton, Charlotte Bronte and even Toni Morrison. Often these ghost stories were written by women as a means of articulating domestic discontents. I was interested in the idea of a woman being trapped in the home or by domestic space and how this was expressed in history."

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Alice Austen House Museum (in Alice Austen Park)

This year's exhibition features quilts that draw inspiration from the word cool––whether it's a cold, wintery scene, a quilt of cool colors like greens and blues, or another interpretation of the word cool, this year the quilt show faces the cold of fall and winter head-on.

Start time: 12:00 pm

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Lefferts Historic House (in Prospect Park)

In commemoration of the 236th anniversary of the Revolutionary War's Battle of Fort Washington, members of the Brigade of the American Revolution will set up camp on Fort Tryon Park's Cafe Lawn. Visitors will travel back in time and see demonstrations of how the Continental Army functioned during America's War for Independence.

In addition, a blacksmith will demonstrate his craft, historian Barnet Schecter, author of The Battle for New York, will speak, and local historian James Renner will display historic photographs and maps. Bagpiper Jerry Dixon will also perform.

There will be arts and crafts for kids compliments of the Fort Tryon Park Trust and the Morris Jumel Mansion. Representatives from Dyckman Farmhouse Museum will exhibit photographs from archaeological digs of the area that took place during the early 20th century. Revolutionary War Heroine Margaret Corbin will be giving tours of the battle area.

Come and reconnect to Fort Tryon Park's revolutionary war history.

Start time: 12:00 pm

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: 212-795-1388x300

Location: Cafe Lawn (in Fort Tryon Park)

Walk from the Dairy to Belvedere Castle and learn about the intricate design of Central Park's web of pastoral landscapes and formal romantic vistas.

Groups of seven or more people should call (212) 360-2726 or email tours@centralparknyc.org to schedule a custom tour.

Accessibility level: Hilly, stairs, and a few Park-related obstacles to negotiate - not recommended for people with disabilities.

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 2:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 794-4064

Location: Outside the Dairy Gift Shop (in Central Park)

Play animal charades, pretend to be a bat trying to catch a moth, or join many other fun and active nature games. A Naturalist will lead children and families to areas near the Audubon Center, where you can be active and learn about the nature that is all around us!

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 2:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 287-3400

Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park)

Free tours of the Conference House on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 1p.m. to 4 p.m. There is a charge for group tours which are booked separately. Please visit www.conferencehouse.org or call 718-984-6046 for more information.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: 718-984-6046

Location: Conference House Museum (in Conference House Park)

View significant artifacts from 19th-century family life and walk into a fully furnished 1820s bedroom. There will be tours every half hour.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 3:30 pm

Contact phone: (718) 789-2822

Location: Lefferts Historic House (in Prospect Park)

Please note: this event has been cancelled.

We connect children with nature to encourage active exploration of the natural world. Children who spend time outdoors develop strong imaginations and learn to socialize better with others. Urban Park Rangers are role models who encourage children to let their imaginations run wild in a safe, supportive atmosphere.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 548-0912

Location: Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park)

Please note: this event has been cancelled.

Native Americans, Dutch traders, British Redcoats, and the Underground Railroad have all left their mark on New York City. Their stories can be found in the names of our streets, our architecture, and our parks. Urban Park Rangers specialize in interpretation of historic turning points, both natural and man-made, in our city’s long history.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 421-2021

Location: Salt Marsh Nature Center (in Marine Park)

Please note: this event has been cancelled.

It has been said that art takes nature as its model. The beauty of nature has inspired many great Americans to create artistic masterpieces. From the wildlife portraits of John James Audubon to the stunning black and white photography of Ansel Adams, nature has been a muse to artist for centuries. Our Urban Park Ranger Art and Photography programs allow you to interpret the natural would through artistic expression, while learning about nature and the environment.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 967-3542

Location: Blue Heron Nature Center (in Blue Heron Park)

Combining ordinary items can have some extraordinary results, creating things that are gooey, fizzy, colorful, or simply amazing. Under the guidance of our clever yet careful Greenbelt Educators, try your hand at following step-by-step sequences to transform common everyday household items into something more spectacular , then take your creation home to amaze your friends. This program will be held rain or shine and is suitable for ages 7 and up.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 2:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 351-3450

Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

Spend time outside enjoying nature while helping to keep Prospect Park clean. Families can take a tour of the Park and its waterways and help keep it clean along the way. Gloves, garbage bags and trash grabbers will be provided.

Start time: 2:00 pm

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 287-3400

Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park)

Join us for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights.
Photo credit: Wave Hill

Start time: 2:00 pm

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: 718-549-3200

Location: Perkins Visitors Center (in Wave Hill)

Seneca Village was Manhattan's first known community of African-American property owners, on land that would become Central Park. Learn about the history of the village, the property owners, and what New York City was like at the time.

Groups of seven or more people should call (212) 360-2726 or e-mail tours@centralparknyc.org to schedule a custom tour.

Accessibility level: Moderate inclines and stairs, paths clear and negotiable - only parts accessible to people with disabilities.

Start time: 2:30 pm

End time: 3:30 pm

Contact phone: (212) 772-0210

Location: 85th Street and Central Park West (in Central Park)

Imagine yourself in the past. Learn games, pastimes and tasks that were common 200 years ago. At Lefferts Historic House, you can try your hand at needlepoint, games, and more.

Start time: 2:30 pm

End time: 3:30 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Lefferts Historic House (in Prospect Park)

Talk a walk with one of our naturalists to watch for animals, and investigate little-known facts about the park and its animal residents.

Start time: 3:00 pm

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 287-3400

Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park)

Staten Island OutLOUD continues its series on the Vietnam experience with readings & conversation on Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, together with an exploration of the life and work of Dickey Chapelle.

Chapelle was a pioneering woman who distinguished herself as a combat photographer in World War II, Hungary, Lebanon, Cuba and Vietnam. Dickey Chapelle was killed in action in Vietnam in 1965 while on patrol with a Marine platoon. She was the first female reporter killed in combat, and the first American female to die in Vietnam. Dickey Chapelle was devoted to the Marines throughout her journalistic career, and the Marines gave her the unprecedented honor of a full Marine burial.

This event is best for ages 12 and up.

Details on OutLOUD's website: www.statenislandoutloud.org. Staten Island OutLOUD presents this event in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Arts/The Big Read.

Start time: 3:00 pm

End time: 4:15 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Alice Austen House Museum (in Alice Austen Park)

Please note: this event has been cancelled.

Night Sky programs highlight the history and folklore of the solar system, using the naked eye to locate stars and planets. Programs are best enjoyed on clear nights, so please call ahead if weather conditions are not clear.

Start time: 4:00 pm

End time:

Contact phone: (212) 304-2365

Location: Inwood Hill Nature Center (in Inwood Hill Park)