Hoyt Farm Park Preserve
New Hwy, Long Island History Lab and Museum, Commack, NY
133-acres

Includes a 1770 farmhouse that is now a museum, nature trails, recreational facilities, playgrounds, and a wildlife sanctuary. It is owned by the Town of Smithtown.

History:

late 1700s -- a family named Wicks acquired land in Commack that became known as Crooked Hill Farm.

1910 -- New York City attorney Edwin Hoyt and his wife, Maria, purchased three hundred acres from the Wicks' and developed a peach and apple farm.

1954 -- Edwin dies and Maria begins deeding portions of the land jointly to the Boy Scouts of America and the Nature Conservancy. After she died, the Town of Smithtown acquired 133 acres.

1966 -- Hoyt Farm Park opened on New Highway, offering nature trails and recreational areas.

(Cynthia Blair, Newsday Names of Long Island; http://www.newsday.com/features/custom/names)

Facilities:

The Nature Center is open Memorial Day-Labor Day. There are guided programs year-round, upon request. The grounds are open all year, 8 a.m. til dusk.  $5 parking for non-residents of Smithtown during Memorial Day-Labor Day season.