King's Park Psychiatric Center

Jinx Thinks: 

This was a totally new type of walk for me. Instead of exploring woods, beaches, etc. we explored around old buildings! There were also plenty of fields to roll and run in. There was hardly anyone here so I got to go on the long leash. I could have walked around here all day, there was so much to see, I feel like we didn’t even scratch the surface!

Our Thoughts:

King’s Park Psych is definitely a huge part of local lore here on Long Island, but to be honest, we didn’t realize that you could walk around the grounds, but it is park of the King’s Park hike and bike trail! On our way to Sunken Meadow & the King’s Park Bluff, we had seen a few cars parked along the fence and some people unloading dogs, so we figured if we weren’t exhausted and had time on the way home, we would check it out. We’re so glad we did, because we discovered big fields for Jinx to run in, plenty of long leash spots, and aside from one off-leash dog and two skateboarders, we didn’t really see anyone. Near the buildings you do have to be careful as there are spots with broken glass, but the grassy areas do seem safe.  There’s a ton of exploring to be done here, you could go for a quick walk or spend hours, it’s totally up to you, and we love that! 

Fun Facts & Sights to See:

• The psychiatric center was in operation from 1885-1996
• Things To See:
  •  Building 93: 13 story tall, neoclassical building which was used for patient housing before it closed entirely in 1992 
  • Building 15: (also known as Wisteria house) A U-Shaped Building near Building 93, was built in 1939 and housed violent patients 
  • Building 41, 42, 43 (also known as The Quad), the x-shaped building  located across the street which was used for housing geriatric patients. 
• A former patient, Lucy Winer, made a documentary about the facility, which was released in 2013: King’s Park: Stories from an American Mental Institution 
• KPPC is thought to be an extremely haunted place, visitors have reported seeing apparitions, hearing screams, etc. A simple google search will bring up a ton of stories about ghost sightings and investigations.