Long Island On My Mind

Even though Long Island is not one of the five boroughs, it is very much a place to explore when visiting New York City. It is a primarily urbanized and densely populated island and part of the New York metropolitan area. Long Island begins at New York Harbor east of Manhattan Island and extends eastward into the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of four counties – Kings (the New York borough of Brooklyn) and the borough of Queens, Nassau County, and Suffolk County. New Yorkers use the term Long Island to refer to Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

The Atlantic Ocean flanks Long Island on the south and the Long Island Sound on the north. It is the tenth largest island in the country, with wide-open spaces, historic mansions, and beaches. Celebrities that came from Long Island are Walt Whitman, Billy Joel, Jerry Seinfeld, LL Cool J, and Mariah Carey.

Montauk Point Lighthouse is located at the farthest point east on Long Island in the town of Montauk. The lighthouse was completed in 1797 and commissioned by George Washington. It is the oldest lighthouse in New York State. It became a strategic fire control station by the armed forces during WW II. This is a great place to get fantastic views of the Atlantic Ocean and seals that gather on the shores. There are walking trails around the buildings, leading to a rocky beach. For panoramic views, climb to the top of the lighthouse and visit the museum in the Keeper's House dating from 1860.

Jones Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches on Long Island. It is a popular place in the summertime. You can sunbathe, swim, walk, bike the boardwalk, play basketball, or miniature golf. Delicious snacks are available at the Boardwalk Cafe.

Enjoy Jones Beach State Park, which hosts the Memorial Day Bethpage Air Show, where the US Navy Blue Angels perform a fantastic show with planes over the water. The Northwell Health outdoor arena offers free concerts at the band shell, and you can get tickets to see big-name musical acts.

Within the park is the Nature Center, located on a barrier island. There are fun things for children to do, like the Discovery Bone Cove, where they can dig up whale bones, see a butterfly garden, and a shipwreck.

The Hamptons are a wonderful place to spend summer days away from the hot city. There are beautiful beaches, lovely hamlets, and towns with impressive mansions in the easternmost part of the South Fork of Long Island. Visit Southhampton and East Hampton with hamlets like Sag Harbor, Bridgehampton, Water Mill, and Amagansett.

This seaside resort destination has a choice of many sunny beaches, among them the world-famous Main Beach and Cooper's Beach.

The Atlantis-themed Long Island Aquarium has one of the largest living coral displays in the Western Hemisphere. There is a 20,000-gallon display tank, a massive shark tank, and indoor and outdoor marine and island wildlife exhibits.

Visitors enjoy the touch tanks and interactive features like meet-and-greet penguins and sea lions. It offers remote learning opportunities for students from Pre-K to 12th grade.

In the summertime, visitors can take an educational 90-minute Atlantis Explorer Boat down the Peconic River. The Lost City of Atlantis Shark exhibits let you do a shark dive in a cage. The aquarium hosts sleepovers next to the tanks.

Take a trip to Fire Island, with miles of lovely beaches and tiny villages from Robert Moses State Park. You will find a pristine wilderness with dunes, white-tailed deer, and a nature trail that will take you to the Fire Island Lighthouse and the Smith Point Visitor Center.

The best way to explore Fire Island is by staying overnight at a campground at Watch Hill or renting a beach house.

The Sunken Forest is the place for a peaceful walk on the elevated boardwalk under the canopy of a maritime holly forest.

Fire Island is car-free and is accessed by boat or ferry from Patchogue, Sayville, or Bay Shore.

Old Westbury Gardens will make you think you've stepped into "The Great Gatsby" pages. This Old Westbury estate was the property of John S. and Margarita Grace Phipps. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

You can see the lovely Westbury House, surrounded by lawns, rose gardens, water fountains, serene ponds, and lakes. You can get a tour of the mansion. During the summer, the gardens host concerts and special events on the main lawn. During the spring and autumn, the most popular event is Dog Day, when dog owners and lovers come to Old Westbury Gardens for an outing with hikes, themed-entertainment, and vendors.

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site is the former estate of the 26th US President Theodore Roosevelt. You can get a guided tour of the 23-room Victorian mansion.

Visit the Audubon Center here and walk the trail to the Cold Spring Harbor beach on Long Island Sound, where the president enjoyed walking with his dogs. Armchair explorers and educators can take virtual tours of the house.

Sagamore Hill is part of the US National Parks Service and on the National Historic Places registry. It hosts educational programs and annual events, among them a free Independence Day celebration featuring a visit from an actor dressed like the late president.

Perched on the highest point of the town of Huntington, Oheka Castle will take you back to the Gilded Age. This is a French chateau-inspired building surrounded by manicured lawns and gardens. Financier and philanthropist Otto Herman Kahn built it in 1919. It has become a luxury hotel and Historic Hotels of America member. Tennis courts, an 18-hole golf course, a greenhouse complex, and a French Formal Garden are on the grounds. There is an events space and conference center. Visitors can get tours of the mansion,

Long Beach offers a beautiful beach where you can walk or bike along the boardwalk. You can enjoy a snack at the Five Ocean Bar and Grill or have frozen yogurt at Tutti Frutti. Visitors can enjoy free concerts in the summer. At Skudin Surf Long Beach, you can learn how to surf or paddleboard. Surf2Live has weekly summer surf camps and private lessons for adults and children.

Coe Hall is the former estate of Standard Oil heiress Mai Rogers Coe and her husband, insurance magnate William Robertson Coe. The Tudor Revival mansion has priceless antiques, handcrafted details, artwork, and original furnishings. You can get a guided tour.

The estate grounds are known as Planting Fields and are on the National Register of Historic Places. There are flowers, rolling lawns, greenhouses, and formal gardens. On Friday evenings, Planting Fields hosts “Music In the Garden” outdoor concerts featuring blues, jazz, and swing music in the summer.

Sands Point Preserve overlooks Long Island Sound. This park features three castle-like mansions on the original Guggenheim Estate. You can enjoy seeing the stately Hampstead House, Castle Gould, and Falaise. There are several dog-friendly, wooded hiking trails.

Harry S. Guggenheim built Falaise. There are Renaissance paintings and antiques dating back to the 16th century.

Hampstead House is a Tudor-style mansion with 40 rooms. Outside is a rose garden and terrace offering fantastic views of the Long Island Sound.

Sand Point Preserve features events like mansion tours, yoga classes, and a Halloween Ball. Dogs enjoy splashing in the cool waters of Long Island Sound, and you can picnic on the grounds.

Caumsett State Historic Park sits on a lovely peninsula jutting into Long Island Sound. The park has miles of walking and running trails. You can enjoy hiking, horseback riding, and in the winter, cross-country skiing.

The park has a diverse landscape of marshland and woods. Before it became a park, it was part of the Marshall Field III estate built in the 1920s. The estate was a combination of a hunting preserve, country club, and home. Visitors can see many historic buildings like polo barns and the Lloyd Harbor Historical Society. On the grounds, you can find a variety of plants and animals, meadows, and forests.

The town of Freeport was settled in the mid-17th century as a fishing village. The best way to get to know about its history and culture is along the Nautical Mile. Waterfront Main Street runs along the Woodcleft Canal. You can see the boats that line the canal. Local cruise companies offer cruises and sunset sails. Along the mile are attractions like the Crow's Nest Mini Golf course, the Sea Breeze Waterfront Park, and Marina. There are many seafood restaurants.

Museums

Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium is located on the North Shore. It was the former estate of William K. Vanderbilt and includes the Spanish-Revival-style mansion Eagle's Nest, which is now a museum and planetarium. The museum has wildlife specimens that Vanderbilt collected during his overseas expeditions. A boathouse, seaplane hangar, and a curator's cottage are on the grounds, surrounded by lovely gardens.

Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium offers full-dome films, laser shows, live star talks, and concerts. You can view the night sky through a 16-inch Meade reflecting telescope with the guidance of an expert in astronomy. The rooftop observatory is open to the public on Friday nights.

Nassau County Museum of Art is located on the former estate of Henry Clay Frick. This Georgian mansion, now a museum, has permanent and rotating exhibits with artwork by artists such as Pierre Bonnard, Auguste Rodin, Roy, Lichtenstein, and others. The museum hosts fun activities for children, art classes, and workshops. There is an enjoyable outdoor sculpture garden with walking trails.

The world-class Cradle of Aviation Museum is home to the Donald Everett Axinn Air & Space Museum Hall, with permanent and changing exhibits that chronicle aviation history. On display are aircraft and spacecraft, and there are hands-on exhibits. The museum has an IMAX Dome surround theater.

Next door on Museum Row, you'll find the historic Nunley's Carousel from 1912, which has been restored and is ready to give you a ride.

Things to do and see in Manhattan

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Things to do and see in The Bronx

Things to do and see in Queens

Things to do and see on Staten Island