July is Park and Recreation Month!

Since 1985, July has been celebrated as the nation's official Park and Recreation Month to encourage communities to go out and visit their local parks. This year, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is encouraging communities to get out and GET WILD about parks and recreation: "You just can’t help but have fun this July, all while expressing the many valuable benefits of parks and recreation!"
Celebrate Park and Recreation Month by visiting and having fun with us! Here are some ways to enjoy our parks this July (click the event/location link for additional information, dates and times):

• Take a short nature walk with our Roving Park System Naturalist on July 1, July 13 & July 21. Free!
• Discover what lives in the waters of Sandy Hook Bay with your family during one of our Summer Seining Drop-In programs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11am-12pm at Bayshore Waterfront Park, Port Monmouth. Free!
• Get out on the water with an Eco-Kayak Drop-In Tour on the Navesink, July 3, 10 & 12, where a Park System Naturalist will guide you down the river for a leisurely paddle. Fee: $20.00 per person (cash or check only).
• Move past your fears during our Drop-In Zip Line on July 7 at the Old Orchard Parking Lot, Thompson Park, Lincroft. Ages 12 and up. Fee: $10.00 per person (cash or check only).
• Enjoy a leisurely paddle on Marlu Lake in Thompson Park, Lincroft, by renting a canoe on July 7, 8, 14 & 15. Fee: $15.00 per boat for 1-3 people for 2 hours (cash or check only).
• Learn about Bald eagles, local animals, and insects with free weekend drop-in programs all month long at the Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center, Howell.
• Take a step back in history! Head to one of our historic sites for some terrific free drop-in activities this July. For more information, click on Historic Longstreet Farm or Historic Walnford.
• Try your hands at archery during Open Shoot Archery at the Thompson Park Activity Barn, Lincroft on July 8 & 17. Fee: $5.00 per person (cash or check only).
• Tee off with us! Enjoy one of our many golf courses! Even compete in one of our tournaments!
• Take the kids to any of our wonderful playgrounds to release some energy and have some fun!
• Really get wild during this year's Monmouth County Fair with rides, games, food, and SO MUCH MORE from Wednesday-Sunday, July 25-29.
• Kids love the Park System's fun and exciting summer camps. Give your children a summer they'll never forget!

These are just some of the things that the Monmouth County Park System parks have to offer this July! Visit our website to view all of the wonderful facilities the Park System has to offer...from trails to fishing to boating and more. So get wild in the parks with us and celebrate National Park and Recreation month.