Lottery For Free Fort Totten Camping, Historic Tour Ends Saturday

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — The chance to sign up for free, upcoming events in a historic Bayside park is coming to a close this weekend.

The city's Urban Park Rangers, a group of guides who host events throughout the five boroughs, are organizing two events in Bayside's Fort Totten Park next weekend, including a historical tour and family camping trip.

Attending both programs is free, but registration is required — and the chance to sign up ends this Saturday, Aug. 14. Since there are limited spots, participants are chosen by lottery.

The family camping trip, which kicks off at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 20, is one of the limited opportunities to camp out in a city park.

For twelve hours, through 7:00 a.m. the following Saturday morning, chosen families will have a chance to set up camp among Fort Totten's historic buildings — some of which date back to the 1800's — with a view of the Throgs Neck Bridge.

The hour-long historic tour of Fort Totten, which starts at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 22, is a chance to learn more about the sites within the park's preserved Civil War fortress.

Anyone can sign up for the events, but the Park's Department requires unvaccinated participants to wear a mask during programming. Regardless of vaccination status, everyone will be expected to socially distance or wear a mask during programming, the Parks Department says.

Register for the family camping lottery here, and the historic tour lottery here.