Need help for my fellow Ny ccers

[Illinoisgal]

Hi We are coming to Ny via Isp June 9th and leaving on the Victory the 12th at 5. We have no desire to do the "mainsteam" tourist things is Manhatten etc. We will have a rental car and are looking for a place inland or North to see some of natures great attractions. Any advice on where to go and where to stay? Would like to keep it about 2.5 or so hours away from the port. Thanks

[smeyer418]

Hi We are coming to Ny via Isp June 9th and leaving on the Victory the 12th at 5. We have no desire to do the "mainsteam" tourist things is Manhatten etc. We will have a rental car and are looking for a place inland or North to see some of natures great attractions. Any advice on where to go and where to stay? Would like to keep it about 2.5 or so hours away from the port. Thanks

 

 

I would recommend Tarrytown and the sleepy hollow area. Irvington s there as are other estates including Kerkuit the rockerfeller one as well(you need to make reservations for this) There are a couple of nice hotel in the sleepinghollow/Tarrytown area. You are not that far from west point if that interests you. great walking trials and nice country area.

[Dave Mck]

You are flying into Islip which is about 15 minutes from where I live. Are you looking to stay on Long Island or go upstate? If you are going to stay on Long Island there is a nice hotel in Wading River called The East Wind Inn http://eastwindlongisland.com/index2.html. It is a very nice place and it could be a little pricey. It is in an area I think you would want to be. Anything west of there is more commercialized. I always say that this area is where the real "Long Island" starts, anything west of there just isn't "Long Island". From there you are under a 2 hour drive to the port. From this hotel you are in a good spot to travel to the Hamptons and Montauk. If possible I would suggest a trip out to Montauk. It is a real nice trip. The beaches will be nice to visit but the water will still be pretty cold. There is a nice beach in Mastic called Smiths Point. Mastic is not that nice of an area but the beach is nice. If you want to travel futher out east I would suggest Heather Hills State Park. The beach there is real nice. I would stay away from the north shore beaches. They are very rocky and the water is merky. There is a water park called Splish Splash in Riverhead about 10 minutes from Wading River. You also have an outlet center in Riverhead. A nice place to go for dinner would be Port Jefferson Harbor. There are a ton of little shops to brouse around in and several restaurants and bars to go to. It is a real nice place to walk around and take in the sights.

[Illinoisgal]

Our plan was to stya somewhere near the airport (within 1 hour or so ) the arrival day , then head out for the following 2 days. We love outdoor nature stuff as well as shopping and beaches. I forgot to mention we will have our 8 year old with us, so anywhere that can help entertain him will be a plus.

[MaryZ]

any place near islip airport is a crappy area. You want nice open woodsy on long island, you need to go east of william floyd parkway.

orient point, montauk and my area, the hamptons.

On weekends out here it gets crowded, but you really are after the memorial day crowd and before the summer starts.

Personally, I'd take my kid to the city to see it. I'd totally skip upstate.

If you want beach, you want the south shore. The north shore beaches are rocky. As far as entertaining a young child, there are tons of entertainment places all over long island.

do a google search and you'll find plenty of things to do.

If you haven't been here, nyc is a great place to visit. The island is similar to any other suburban area other than the hamptons.

There is an aquarium in riverhead. little kids seem to like that. Not too far from there is the water park - a little too cold in early june tho usually for that. Vineyards out east. Plenty of farm stands. The lighthouse at montauk.

In nassau county there is jones beach. Plenty of parks all over long island.

If you want the best zoo in the country (I've been to all the big ones with my kids in this country) go to the bronx zoo.

Fire island, take the ferry over to sunken forest. It's a great place for kids.

have a nice cruise and nice visit.

mary

[Genessa]

Our plan was to stya somewhere near the airport (within 1 hour or so ) the arrival day , then head out for the following 2 days. We love outdoor nature stuff as well as shopping and beaches. I forgot to mention we will have our 8 year old with us, so anywhere that can help entertain him will be a plus.

 

 

We've been to one of the big hotels not too far from Islip - one of the Marriott's. They have a huge beautiful indoor pool, not sure about their rates.

 

Splish Splash that was recommended in Riverhead is a great water park for kids if it's warm enough. It sometimes is in early June. And we sometimes drive out from Brooklyn to the Tanger Outlet that Dave mentioned.

 

There used to be a couple of great places to go strawberry picking between Islip and Riverhead - not sure if they are still there - one was Lewin Farms and the time should be right.

 

There is a state park right near Wading River - Wildwood State Park which sits on the Long Island Sound. The water is very cold in June, but fun to wade in ;). The beach is very rocky, not sandy.

 

We love to drive "out" the Island to go walking on the beaches - we walked on the beach at Fire Island two week-ends ago and walked the beach near Wildwood State Park before Christmas.

 

Montauk and the lighthouse are interesting to adults, my kids were never thrilled by it.

 

If you come into the city, at all, the New York Aquarium at Coney Island in Brooklyn is great, (my kids used to love the "petting pond" - they had a fluke and a horseshoe crab there the last time I was there - many moons ago) right on the beach, with a boardwalk that you can walk on to the Cyclone and Parachute Jump. It would take you around an hour to get to Coney Island from the Islip area.

 

Along the Belt Parkway, not far from Coney Island, is a horseback riding place. They have an age limit (I can try to get you more details if you are interested) for riding out of the "corral", but if your son is old enough, you can take a beach front (Jamaica Bay) horseback ride.

 

Also near is part of Gateway National Recreation Center. They have limited scheduled activities, but there are several different places where you can go birdwatching in salt water marshes.

[Illinoisgal]

thansk everyone you are all so awesome. I think we are leaning towards the Sleepy hollow Westchester idea, we love historic homes and such. I will keep researcing all of the good ideas from you all.

What is a "good rate" for accomadations in this area?

[willysgrandma]

If you want beaches, LI has some great ones.

[smeyer418]

thansk everyone you are all so awesome. I think we are leaning towards the Sleepy hollow Westchester idea, we love historic homes and such. I will keep researcing all of the good ideas from you all.

What is a "good rate" for accomadations in this area?

 

 

try the Tarrytown Hilton anything under $150.00 isn't bad....I am sure others who live up that way will have better ideas.