Car Rental New York City and Marine Park

Marine Park is a public park in Brooklyn of 798 acres on the westernmost inlet of Jamaica Bay. Much of this land was donated to the city by the Whitney family in 1920, as well as Frederick B. Pratt and Alfred T. White. The area was originally a fishing and hunting ground for Native Americans. Archeological sites from 800 to 1400 AD have been found in the area. In the 17th century, Dutch settlers settled here because of the similar marshlands and costal plains of their native Netherlands. The park is a great retreat for nature lovers to go to with their Brooklyn car rental.

The park was originally part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. This is a 25,607 acre park owned by the federal government in the metropolitan New York area. There are four separate areas of this park. The Jamaica Bay Unit is the area near where Marine Park is found. This whole area is a wildlife refuge, the only one in the National Park System. There is an extensive trail system here, connected to car and subway routes. The Jamaica Bay area of the park is the only unit that does not have beaches. Fishing, nature-viewing, photography, boating, cycling, and sailing are the most popular activities within this unit. Beaches are nearby with a car rental in Brooklyn.

There is also a residential neighborhood called Marine Park, which contains the Salt Marsh Nature Center. Here you can learn about myrtle warblers, grasshopper sparrows, cotton-tailed rabbits, ring-necked pheasants, horseshoe crabs, and oyster toad fish. This is an interesting place for nature lovers to visit with your Brooklyn car rental.

A Nature-Lover’s Retreat

The bay here is one of several formed during the last 5000 years as ocean currents deposited sand in a series of long strips off the south shore of Long Island. These strips of beach form a barrier against the surf and allow salt marshes to grow in the calm water on their protected bay side. After plans to make the area a port during the industrial era failed, land was donated to make parkland. Over the past sixty years, portions of Marine Park have been improved with recreational facilities, while other areas have been conserved to protect wildlife and plant life. There is also a 210-acre golf course here.

Big City with Small City Charm

As part of Brooklyn, there are many great places to visit here. The Brooklyn Bridge is a marvel of design, opened in 1883 to allow passage between Brooklyn and Manhattan. From here you can see spectacular views of the city’s skyline. Or, you can drive the short distance Manhattan in your Brooklyn car rental to see the sights. For art-lovers, the Brooklyn Museum of Art of the second-largest art museum in New York with a great collection of art from ancient Egypt. There is art from almost every culture from past and present, and a must-see for art lovers. Parking is available here for your Brooklyn car rental. Finally there is Prospect Park, a huge park in Brooklyn that even has a zoo! Other notable attractions (although they may not be for everybody) include Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden and the Historic Green-Wood Cemetery.

Marine Park is just a short drive from Manhattan in your Brooklyn car rental. From here it is also about an hour to East Hampton and other summer hot-spots.