Melo Villareal
Bucket List: 15 Best Places to Visit in Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon, the Jewel of Westchester, is a quiet suburban retreat from the urban city center. The city is situated on the Bronx and Hutchinson rivers, just north of the Bronx, New York. The city draws history buffs and outdoor enthusiasts to home to several historic sites and some of the oldest churches in New York. Mount Vernon also holds special events like the Ben Gordon Day in celebration of a local who made it to the NBA, the Summer Breeze concert series, and the Arts on Third Street Festival.
Downtown Mount Vernon
Downtown Mount Vernon is home to several unique shopping and dining destinations. The area has popular shops like the Mount Vernon Farmers’ Market, Forte Artisan Chocolates, Calico Creations, and Easton’s Books and Tattered Page Bookstore. Some of the best places to get wine and beer in the downtown area are Ristretto Coffee Lounge & Wine Bar and Valley Shine Distillery. For food lovers who enjoy international cuisine, visit Rachawadee Thai Café, and The Pacioni’s Italian Restaurant are the ideal place to indulge in. Mount Vernon is home to several historic sites, but the downtown area doesn’t miss out on what’s new.
Saint Paul’s Church National Historic Site
St. Paul’s Church is one of the oldest parishes in New York. It was used as a hospital in the Revolutionary War Battle at Pell’s Point in 1776 and has an adjoining cemetery that contains burials dating back from 1704. In an effort to revitalize the congregation and draw attention to the site’s historical significance, the church was restored to its original appearance in 1787.
Location: 897 South Columbus Avenue, Mt Vernon, NY 10550
Hartley Park
Hartley Park is a community park with a basketball court, a children’s playground, a paved walk path, benches around the park, and a small gazebo. The lively park has open green spaces where children can play around in. Dogs are allowed in the park but must be on a leash. The park is used as a baseball, softball, and football field in the summer.
Location: 144 North 5th Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 1055
Brush Park
Brush Park is a multi-purpose park with a regulation-size baseball and softball field. The park has a children’s playground and plenty of space for children to run around. Brush Park is great for enjoying a picnic under the sun and near the barbeque and grilling areas. During the football season, community schools use the park as the training ground for student-athletes.
Location: 555 S 3rd Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10550
Willson’s Woods Park
Willson’s Woods Park is one of the oldest parks in the county, named after the former owner of the land, Charles Hill Willson of the Willson & Adams Lumber Co. The park is operated by the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation Center of Westchester County. The 23-acre park offers various outdoor activities like hiking, ice skating, fishing, swimming, and picnicking. The park is known for its two-story bathhouse designed in an English Tudor revival style and swimming pool with a wave pool, water slides, spray deck, and water playground.
Location: East Lincoln Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10553
Willson’s Waves
Willson’s Waves is a waterpark located within Willson’s Woods Park. The waterpark has a wave pool that guests can body surf and splash downward on a 5.5-meter-high water slide. There is also an aquatic playground with a spray deck, water slides, a splash pad, a small pool, and a play area for young children. To enter the park, visitors must acquire a Park Pass, which can be purchased from Willson’s Woods Park.
Location: East Lincoln Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10553
Pelham Lake
Pelham Lake is a reservoir for the Hutchinson River in Westchester County, situated near Willson’s Woods Park. Fishing is required on the reservoir, given that a fishing license, lead-free fishing sinkers, and barbless hooks are brought and used.
Hunt’s Woods
Hunt’s Woods is around 58 acres of forest with a large network of trails winding through wildlife habitat. Most hiking trails’ main entrance and starting point have a picnic shelter and public restroom. Aside from hiking trails, Hunt’s Woods is known for Porter Cemetery, a 1-acre cemetery with headstones from the 1800s. Owners can bring their dogs on a hike but must be on a leash. The park also allows public hunting due to its small size and proximity to residential properties. The park is a timber and woodland management demonstration area that provides landowners with how to manage their property in an environmentally responsible manner. Regular timber management practices have been done in the park, like timber stand improvement, prescribed burning, and planting of thousands of seedlings.
Location: Mount Vernon, NY 10552
Bronx Zoo
Bronx Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the U.S., spanning more than 256 acres of land. The zoo has several animal exhibits like the Congo Gorilla Forest, Butterfly Garden, Jungle World, and Tiger Mountain. Some of the star attractions in the zoo are the Bug Carousel, Treetop Adventures, Penguin Feedings, Sea Lion Feedings, and a Zoo Shuttle that takes guests from one end of the park to the other.
Location: 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx, New York 10460
Highbrook Avenue Bridge
The Highbrook Avenue Bridge is a landmark of architectural, engineering, and local history and is a surviving part of the New York Westchester and Boston Railway, a modern railroad completed in 1912. Distinguished figures J. P. Morgan, William Rockefeller, and Charles S. Mellen helped provide the highest standards of engineering requirements and large amounts of money to operate the line. The bridge was designed by notable architects Charles Reed, Allen Stem, and Alfred Fellheimer.
Pioneer Shooting Center
Pioneer Shooting Center is a private shooting range established in 1935, making it the oldest operating range in Westchester County. After decades of operation, the range has developed into a full-service shooting range that provides the shooting community with classes, courses, and workshops on firearms and firearm safety. The range is also the only operating shooting range to offer reality-based force-on-force scenario training.
Location: 2 S 6th Ave, Mount Vernon, NY 10550
Ice Hutch
The Ice Hutch is a domed sports complex with batting cages, golf courses, tennis courts, and an indoor skating rink. During the winter, little league teams use the sports complex for hockey camps and competitions. The Ice Hutch also has a skating school and is a member of the US Figure Skating Basic Skills Program. The program aims to provide a structured program to enable participants to achieve the skills necessary to either skate for fun or move into the U.S. Figure Skating advanced test.
Location: 655 Garden Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10550
Joe’s Fleetwood Pizzeria
Joe’s Fleetwood Pizzeria is a popular pizzeria and Italian restaurant that has been serving Neapolitan and Sicilian-style pizza since 1972. The family-owned restaurant has since expanded from 4 tables and a jukebox into a full-size restaurant that can accommodate up to 75 people. Some of the restaurant’s classic dishes are Hot and Cold Antipasto, Veal Cacciatore, Homemade Manicotti, and Neapolitan and Sicilian-style Pizza.
Location: 9 Broad Street W, Mt Vernon, NY 10552
Maggie Spillane’s Ale House and Rooftop
Maggie Spillane’s is an Irish American restaurant and the only rooftop garden in the city. The rooftop has two bars and a large TV screen where patrons can watch live sporting events. The restaurant regularly hosts fundraising events, like the Annual Golf Outing, Movember, and St. Baldrick’s Foundation, all of which have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Location: 571 Gramatan Avenue, Mt Vernon, NY 10552
Flaming Grill
Flaming Grill is a buffet restaurant where most New Yorkers hold special events like birthdays, reunions, and corporate outings. The buffet restaurant is the largest in Mount Vernon and serves one of the largest selections of American, Mexican, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese cuisines. Every day, families, couples, and business professionals choose and dine at the restaurant because of its affordability and wide array of dishes.
Location: 440 E Sandford Boulevard, Mt Vernon, NY 10550
How to get there
Mount Vernon can be accessed by car, bus, and train. Private vehicles can take Bronx River Parkway, the Hutchinson River Parkway, and the Cross-County Parkway to access Saw Mill River Parkway and the New York State Thruway. Westchester County Bee-Line Bus has routes to Mount Vernon. The Harlem Line of Metro-North Railroad connects Fleetwood to Mount Vernon West, while the New Haven Line connects the Grand Central Terminal to Mount Vernon East.
Our Top Hotel Picks for Mount Vernon NY
Mount Vernon NY Travel and Tour Packages
Searching for the best hotels, resorts, and affordable flights in the nearby Cities? Check out our list of cheap Mount Vernon, NY hotels and resorts via Agoda, Booking, or you may also see available Airbnb properties in the city.
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