If you don’t have a big travel budget or a lot of vacation time, these 10 easy day trips from NYC are for you.
Wave Hill
The Tip: Arrive on a Saturday before noon, when admission is always waived. Bring a picnic or have a locavore lunch and a glass of wine on the terrace at the Wave Hill Café. The Time: 30 minute trip The Ticket: $2.50/subway ride each way. Take the 1 train to 242nd Street, where a free Wave Hill shuttle will be waiting on the west side of Broadway in front of Burger King at 10 minutes past the hour, from 9:10am to 3:10pm. The shuttle drops visitors back at the station on the hour from 12pm-5pm.
Oyster Bay
The Tip: Join a Waterfront Center kayak outing, visit the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park, and have lunch at Bonanza’s. The Time: 1 hour 21 minute trip. The Ticket: $16.50/LIRR roundtrip off-peak. Bring your bike (lifetime pass/$5) and begin touring the area from the station.
Greenwich
The Tip: Highlights of this excursion include a Cruise to Nowhere, Art to the Avenue, crêpes, and more. The Time: 42 minute trip. The Ticket: $18.06/Metro North, roundtrip off-peak
Yonkers
The Tip: Bring a picnic to Untermyer Gardens and bare witness to the season’s reawakening throughout this classic Persian garden and hidden gem just north of Manhattan. Guided tours are offered on weekends beginning in April. There is a $10 suggested donation. The Time: 26 minute trip. The Ticket: $15/Metro North, roundtrip off-peak
Staten Island
The Tip: There is more to Staten Island than the views from its free ferry. The Italian flavors and entertaining nonna chefs at Enoteca Maria are worth the trip. The Time: 25 minute ferry ride, and a five minute walk to the restaurant. The Ticket: Free. From the Whitehall Street-South Ferry terminal, hop aboard the free Staten Island Ferry. Once you’ve docked, cross Bay Street and walk up the steps of Borough Hall onto Hyatt Street. Enoteca Maria is next to the St. George Theatre.
Governors Island
The Tip: Head to Hammock’s Grove in the new 30-acre park on Governors Island, indulge at the gourmet food trucks and revel in spring and summer at the Colonels Row Festival Grounds and Nolan Park when it all reopens on May 23, 2015. The Time: 15 minutes trip. The Ticket: Free. Take the Governors Island Ferry from Slip 7 at the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan.
Jamaica Bay
The Tip: Explore the peaceful 3.2-mile East Pond trail and 1.5-mile West Pond trail. Consider circumnavigating Jamaica Bay by bike. Pedal over to Rockaway Taco to reward yourself for going way outside your neighborhood. The Time: 1 hour and 30 minute trip. The Ticket: $2.50/subway ride each way. From the A train, you’ll ride the IND Rockaway Line to Broad Channel. Exit the station to the right and walk along Noel Road through two lights to Cross Bay Boulevard. Cross over to the far side of Cross Bay Boulevard and turn right. You’ll find the trails about a mile up the road on the left and right.
Nyack
The Tip: Bike across the George Washington Bridge en route to Gypsy Donut for a salted caramel donut and coffee. For full details about this classic 50-mile ride, check out our report over at bicycling.com. If you’d rather not bike, Metro North offers an all-inclusive package for $22.50 to the Edward Hopper House Art Center in Nyack. The Time: Roughly two hour two-wheeled trip. The Ticket: Bring your bike or rent one for $18.99 for the day at Broadway Bicycle.
Dobbs Ferry
The Tip: Get a hot dog from Dobbs Dawg House, hike along the Croton Aqueduct trail, wander through the village, enjoy live jazz at Waterfront Park, and dine at The Cookery before going home. The Time: 38 minute trip. The Ticket: $17/Metro North, roundtrip off-peak
Tarrytown
The Tip: Pick up picnic fixings at Mint Premium Foods on Main Street or bring your own bites to the Riverfront Park. (For a spontaneous romantic overnight, book a room at the Tarrytown House Estate, offering special off season rates from $159 with a full breakfast over April weekends.) The Time: 34 minute trip. The Ticket: $19.50/Metro North, roundtrip off-peak Photo: frogma
For more great day trips near NYC, check out Port Jefferson, Gowanus, South Norwalk, and Long Island City
Photo: Joseph
The co-founder and editor-at-large at offMetro, Lauren is a sustainable travel specialist and freelance journalist with frequent bylines in National Geographic, Bicycling Magazine and Shape. Follow Lauren’s adventures at @laurenmati.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram