One of the best ways to correctly tour the pure great thing about Suffolk County’s North Shore is with a automobile journey on Route 25A, an absolute gem of a Lengthy Island journey hall.
This principally four-lane street runs from Chilly Spring Harbor, on the Nassau border, to Wading River within the east, and you’ll catch breathtaking views of the Lengthy island Sound and Connecticut. It additionally takes vacationers immediately into a few of Lengthy Island’s most picturesque and historic downtowns.
Alongside 25A, you’ll see all the things from harbors, to farms, to seventeenth and 18th century houses.
And loads of CVS’s — as that is the twenty first century.
However the place is steeped in historical past — most notably in and round Seatauket, the house base of operations for George Washington’s Culper Spy Ring, which helped america defeat the British within the Revolutionary Conflict. (This historical past is rigorously preserved.)
Nevertheless, should you’re seeking to transfer or go to right here, an enormous situation with a lot of Suffolk’s higher North Shore, closest to the water, is that you might be a great 20- to 30-minute drive away from any main freeway — however that’s what number of right here prefer it.
Visitors additionally slows to a crawl throughout sure hours on 25A and different east-west roadways. So get snug. Seize a chunk at some famend eating places. Take a hike. Take a dip.
There are many lodging choices, too, for a comfortable stayover.
The downtowns
Those that is likely to be passing via Lengthy Island from New York on their strategy to the Hamptons or a ferry miss all the things. The appeal lies in our downtowns, and the North Shore boasts a number of the prettiest ones. So let’s tour the extra notable and visitor-friendly downtowns (W-E).
Chilly Spring Harbor
When you’re additionally seeking to transfer someplace, Chilly Spring Harbor, with a inhabitants of simply 3,000, ranked 2nd in a 2023 survey of the most effective locations to stay in Suffolk County. Area of interest, the rating outlet, gave the group an total grade of A+, with excessive marks for public faculties, outside actions, well being and health, and nightlife. For us, the business strip alongside 25A in Chilly Spring Harbor is charming in any season, however particularly summer season, with some nice eating choices and views of the harbor.
Huntington
Downtown Huntington is a restaurant mecca that’s at all times felt extra like the middle of downtown in a medium-sized metropolis. Our recommendation is to not make eating reservations, however stroll the sidewalks and have a look at the menus posted exterior. There are dozens upon dozens of choices, probably the most on the North Shore, in both Nassau or Suffolk. There’s loads of eclectic buying choices, too, together with what’s extensively thought-about the county’s premier downtown live performance corridor: The Paramount.
What’s even higher is a Hampton Inn & Suites opened in 2022 proper within the downtown, in what was Huntington’s previous City Corridor. So now you’ll be able to merely stroll again to a room as an alternative of calling an Uber. And should you’re seeking to take a stroll, Heckscher Park is the crown jewel of Huntington City’s park system.
Northport
This waterside village boasts a New England-style appeal that attracted author Jack Kerouac, a Massachusetts native, to the world towards the tip of his life within the Nineteen Sixties. Historic photographs of the village’s Major Avenue — and you may nonetheless see the trolley tracks — don’t look that a lot totally different than what you’ll discover there immediately. That’s as a result of the village’s historical past is rigorously doted on and guarded.
When you’re going to go to Northport, a stroll via Cow Harbor Park is a should — and that stroll should embrace a stroll alongside the dock to the village gazebo that’s perched proper within the harbor. Or possibly play some frisbee or chess within the shade. The village can be a terrific place for dinner, ice cream or custard. Sundown in Northport is an absolute delight. The village additionally now boasts a brand-new lodge.
Port Jefferson
Right here’s one other large downtown on the Sound, surpassed in dimension solely by Huntington, additionally with a historic lodge, Danford’s. The ferries run forwards and backwards between Port Jefferson and Bridgeport, Conn. So that you get quite a lot of day-trippers, particularly in the summertime. And it’s most likely the island’s capital for grabbing ice cream. Eating choices are plentiful, from Italian to Japanese, Indian to American. When you’re round in December, a must-attend occasion is Port Jeff’s celebrated, two-day Dickens Pageant. There’s additionally the large Harborfront Park, with ice skating supplied many of the winter.
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Parks & Seashores
On this a part of Lengthy Island, each seashore is a park, however not each park has a seashore. And the North Shore of Suffolk County has some great federal, state, county and city parks and amenities for mountaineering, jogging, tenting, snow-shoeing, fishing, cross-country snowboarding, swimming, boating, horseback driving or simply gathering with associates and family. Under are our favorites. Faucet the hyperlinks to be taught extra.
Museums & Historical past
You would put aside a complete weekend visiting museums and historic websites on the North Shore and solely see a fraction of them. However whether or not it’s a month or a weekend, listed below are some can’t-miss spots:
Museums
Historic Websites
Theatre
There’s a spread of stay theatre and efficiency venues within the area, from these providing skilled reveals to actually nice group theaters and artwork facilities. One in every of Lengthy Island’s three skilled theaters is situated on the North Shore, the Engeman Theater in Northport, and Suffolk’s largest performing arts middle, The Staller Heart, is situated on the Stony Brook College campus. The Staller Heart additionally hosts one of many greatest movie festivals within the Northeast every summer season, the Stony Brook Movie Pageant.
Downtown Port Jefferson is dwelling to what’s turn into a high group theater on Lengthy Island in Theatre Three. We extremely suggest its annual efficiency of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. However there’s additionally the Group Playhouse of Northport and the Smithtown Performing Arts Heart.
It’s dependable, environment friendly, and you may take pleasure in a drink on the lounge space bar and watch time fly. Individuals argue it doesn’t save time versus driving via New York Metropolis, however that’s solely at 2 a.m. when there’s no visitors within the metropolis. The remainder of the time there’s tons of visitors and it’s simply getting worse and worse.
The ferry firm that runs between Port Jefferson and Connecticut additionally has a colourful historical past. One in every of its 1883 founders was the well-known circus producer Phineas Taylor Barnum, of what would later turn into Ringling Bro. and Barnum & Bailey circuses. He was already in his 70s on the time.
MacArthur Airport (ISP)
Buddies don’t let associates choose them up at JFK or LaGuardia airports in Queens, as a result of all the expertise is harrowing and nerve-wracking, as these are the one airports in america the place you pull up and instantly begin getting hollered and screamed at by cops and airport staff, merely for being there. To not point out the visitors getting again via Queens and Nassau and out to Suffolk County.
MacArthur Airport, situated simply south of Lengthy Island’s main freeway, the Lengthy Island Expressway, is kind of the alternative expertise, and the one strategy to fly to Lengthy Island should you’re seeking to keep away from main complications. You possibly can go away right here, hire a automobile and be in Smithtown inside a half hour. Airways: Southwest, Frontier or Breeze.
Word: We’d slightly switch twice to finish up at MacArthur, slightly than go to Queens.
Lengthy Island Rail Highway
The LIRR will take you from NYC all the best way to Greenport (via the North Fork). The native trains cease at each city on the North Shore so you might tour the area out of your window seat! (It’d take awhile.) However, fares simply went up. Anticipate to pay round $15 off-peak, a technique, and $20 for a peak-time ticket, a technique. That is the busiest commuter railroad in North America. You may assume all that quantity would make it one of many most cost-effective, but it surely’s fairly the alternative.
Vehicle
We favor Route 25A for site-seeing, however should you’re seeking to get out to the North Shore shortly from New York Metropolis and different factors west, take one of many main highways then work your approach up.
Lengthy Island Expressway (I-495) is an 8-lane main freeway well-known for its visitors, however issues do loosen up a bit after you’ve gotten via Nassau County, the place you’ll discover the island’s solely relaxation cease simply throughout the border within the type of the Lengthy Island Welcome Heart. The LIE, as Lengthy Islanders name it, is toll-free and can take you to the Sunken Meadow Parkway in Commack, the place you’ll be able to then zip comparatively shortly as much as the remainder of the North Shore and Route 25A for touring.
Northern State Parkway runs principally alongside the LIE however ends in Hauppague. From there there’s quite a lot of visitors lights as you merge with NYS Route 347 and head farther east via the North Shore. The Northern State was in-built phases beginning within the Nineteen Thirties, principally to deliver summer season folks out from the town to take pleasure in Lengthy Island’s state park system. Right now it’s a essential commuter roadway that doubles as a type of race monitor for nut-jobs at evening. Be cautious. The parkway is curvy and was constructed for pleasure, not velocity.
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