New York State sees 2.8M visitors in state parks following the launch new campaign

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — On Wednesday, July 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the New York State Park pool attendance had increased by over 65 percent between July 4 through July 7.

Overall park attendance throughout the state increased 30 percent over the holiday weekend, from 2,200,000 visitors in 2023 to 2,800,000 this year.

The state launched the “Get Offline, Get Outside” initiative to promote physical and mental health by helping New York’s kids and families put down their phones and computers, take a break from social media, and enjoy recreation and outdoor social gatherings.

83,741 people visited State Park pools – a 33,219 increase from 2023.

The governor says she is excited to see how many people got outside over the 4 of July weekend and that she hopes to see more and more people outside this summer.

“This Fourth of July weekend, New York kids and families put down their phones, got outside, and took advantage of free pool access at our beautiful State Parks,” Governor Hochul said. “It’s wonderful news to see that millions of people spent their time outdoors this past holiday, and I’m encouraging New Yorkers to continue to stay active and beat the heat this summer.”

The state’s initiative is to help young people avoid unhealthy habits and support their mental health, making it easier for kids to get physically active and spend time outdoors with friends and family.

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