Editing Great River, New York (section)

===Heckscher State Park===
[[Heckscher State Park]] ({{convert|1469|acre|km2}}), known as the "Home of the [[White-tailed Deer]]", is on the shore of the [[Great South Bay]]. Islip's founder, William Nicoll, originally built his Islip Grange estate on this property.

Heckscher Park was once the 19th century estate of J. Neal Plum and then George Campbell Taylor. The park was purchased by the [[State of New York]] using a donation by the affluent [[August Heckscher]] in 1929.

The park offers a beach, a boat launch, pavilions with picnic tables, a playground, playing fields, recreation programs, hiking, biking, fishing, and cross-country skiing.  Unfortunately, a campground with tent and trailer sites, an olympic-sized swimming pool and a food concession are all closed due to NYS funding cuts (2015.)

The park is accessible by the [[Heckscher State Parkway]] (end of the [[Southern State Parkway]]) at the last exit, No. 46.

The [[Long Island Philharmonic]] plays a concert in the park every July.

Suffolk County Marathon To Support Our Veterans, initiated in 2015, starts and ends in Heckscher State Park during mid September.  "Taste of Long Island" food festival begins in the park after the Marathon.