Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Description

Checklist

Surface of lot:  paved
Distance to venue:  close
Terrain:  flat but uneven
Places to rest:  some benches
Paths and walkways:  most of village is dirt and gravel.
Doors:  double doors
Steps and staircases:  **
Places to sit:  benches throughout, several picnic areas with tables and benches
Location of restrooms:  * see notes below
Type of restroom:  * see notes below
Available food services:  some
Friendliness of staff:  extremely helpful and friendly
Notes:  * There are three free standing restroom buildings throughout the village. Each has a handicapped accessible stall with a curtain.* The reception building has a multi-stall, handicapped accessible restroom as well.* Most of the historic buildings throughout the village have at least 2 steps to their entrance.

Read More

Although situated a short distance off modern Round Swamp Road, “Old Bethpage Village Restoration provides visitors a unique and wonderful opportunity to step back in time and experience life in a recreated, mid-19th century American village.” (website)

This is yet another venue that we had not visited since our children were young.  We decided to visit on this October day because the annual Long Island Fair was also in progress here (See our entry on “Long Island Fair” for further information).

After parking in the large, paved lot with many handicapped spaces in a designated portion of the lot, we noticed that a new Reception Center had been built since we were last here.  A ramp leads to the entrance.  The ticket booth is inside.  Above it is a list of the activities available on that day. Multi-stall, handicapped accessible restrooms, with baby-changing stations, are located on this level.  There is also a Discovery Center and places to sit.  Picnic tables are nicely placed in some of the outdoor areas.

Access to the Village is through the rear of the building.  There are paved ramps for a short distance, but most of the pathways traversing the 209 acres of the Village are dirt and gravel.

We made our way through the paths of the Village that “came into existence in 1963, when Nassau County acquired the Powell Property, a 165 acre farm.” (website) “Although Old Bethpage Village never existed as an historic entity, it represents a typical rural Long Island farm village of the mid-19th century.  Today there are five historic buildings, seven reconstructions and 209 acres.” (website)

We stopped at some of the buildings to listen to the stories told by the costumed, knowledgeable docents.  Some of the names on the houses were familiar because there are streets in Nassau County bearing their names.  The blacksmith shop was one we had remembered from before. This time we found a female blacksmith working and a lovely costumed woman who told us that, not only were there female blacksmiths, but milliners and silversmiths as well.  A visit to the schoolhouse was a requirement for a former teacher. A look into several of the houses gave us a good taste of life in earlier times.  Unfortunately, just about all of the buildings have at least three steps to the entrance and are quite small.  Remember when they were built!

We found three free-standing restroom buildings.  In each, the handicapped stall has only a curtain for privacy.  There is a small wooden incline to enter and exit the structures.

There are several picnic areas with tables and benches, plus other benches throughout the Village.

We found some food vendors at the Long Island Fair.  We are not sure what food is available at other times.

For several hours, we had a lovely time experiencing the bucolic past.

As always, we at Destination Accessible, advise you  to check a venue’s website, www.nassaucounty.gov, when planning a visit, to “know before you go.”

Location

Nearby