‘Twas the night before Christmas,

When all through the house

Not a creature was stirring,

Not even a mouse.

Clement Clarke Moore Park in Manhattan

Each Christmas season, families gather at a Tenth Avenue park in Manhattan to read the familiar poem that begins with these lines.  The park is named for Clement Clark Moore, who wrote A Visit from Saint Nicholas in 1822. For holiday visitors to New York City, this is a great location to get off the beaten path and away from crowds any time of the year, but still take in some local history with a holiday theme.

The park is located in an area that was once a farm purchased by Moore’s grandfather in 1750 and named Chelsea after the Royal Chelsea Hospital for veterans in London. Although the farm was long ago divided and sold, Chelsea is still the name of this area on Manhattan’s west side south of midtown and north of Greenwich Village. It’s easily reached by subway, by cab, or by foot in this city where locals are known for walking anywhere and everywhere.

In 1965, New York City purchased the site of the present park with plans to build a playground for area residents.  The playground opened in 1968, and was named for Clement Clarke Moore one year later.  Like so many other parks and playgrounds throughout New York City, improvements were made in the 1990s to the park fences, surfaces, landscaping, and play equipment. Although the park may be a regular destination for local residents, it’s open to any visitors daily from dawn to dusk and—despite stories of rude New Yorkers—most families are always welcoming to travelers looking to get away from more crowded tourist destinations.

Clement Clarke Moore Park is located on Tenth Avenue and West 22nd Street in Manhattan. The Clement Clarke Moore Homestead in Queens, another park named for Moore, was the site of an estate first acquired by Moore’s great-great-grandfather in 1652.

According to a recent AAA survey, New York City is the 2nd most costly destination for travelers, averaging $606 per night for meals and lodging for two adults. Another survey of popular free attractions across the U.S. shows Central Park as the only place in New York which makes the list. That got me thinking about all the summer fun things to do in New York, which can be done without having to flash a card. I mean, it kinda takes the fun out of a fun holiday if you have to pay for it. So unless you have a rich uncle who enjoys underwriting your holidays, you might be needing this list of upcoming attractions and summer holiday themed events in and around New York.

Museum Mile Festival, 5th Avenue: On June 3rd 2008, from 6-9 pm, Fifth Ave transforms into New York’s biggest block party for the 30th annual Museum Mile Festival. This festival is unique because nine of NYC’s best museums throw open their doors to the public and allow full and free access. Photo credit -Project for Public Spaces

The entire mile between the nine museums, 23 blocks on Fifth Ave between 82nd and 105th, is traffic free and filled with street performers, music shows and informal street art exhibitions. The museums taking part include the MET and the Guggenheim Museum. You can see the full list of participating museums and performances here.

Staten Island Ferry: It’s free, and takes you on a cruise between Battery Park and Staten Island, with spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and New York Harbor. More details here.

Free Walking Tours: Some of you may not consider walking to be a fun thing to do in summer, but how about if the walking tour takes you through the delights of Central Park or the magnificient Grand Central or the quaint food shops and heritage buildings in Greenwich Village, or a Times Square ‘expose’ (Fridays at noon. Meetup at Times Square Visitor Information Center: 7th Ave between 46th and 47th).

Gold Vault Tour of Federal Reserve Bank of New York: Now this is one tour that offers money for value. Or, to be precise, gold bars – Over 750,000 gold bars valued at more than $100 billion – More gold than you ever saw or will hope to see in one place. Photo credit – Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

A 10 ft passageway carved out of a 90 ton solid steel cylinder guards the entrance to the NY Fed’s gold vault, 5 floors and 80 feet below ground. The 60 minute tours are free, Mon-Fri. Reservations need to be made at least a month in advance. More details and contact info here.

Personally speaking, I prefer all this, and things like the 5th annual Loving Day celebrations at Solar One on June 8th 2008, which commemorates Loving vs. Virginia (1967), the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage in the United States. Free BBQ, free beer, free ice cream, games and prizes, with DJ Spooky to keep things happening. Photo credit – Loving Day

But if you prefer a complete ‘getaway vacation’, per se, and you want it free, then what you want to do is head for the Adirondack Mountains and Lake George with camping gear. There’s 6 million acres of park and forest area waiting for you with RV parks, white water rafting and kayaking, lake side BBQ’s and bonfires, log cabins and tent sites, nature trails, fishing and get togethers. More details here.

If you have no idea how to go about setting up a tent, you might want to consider the not-so-free, but still cheap Camping Village which takes care of all the messy stuff like cooking and bath-rooms and beds, leaving you free to play the intrepid nature explorer.