Adjacent to New York but worlds away, Long Island is a pastoral escape set on a 118-mile-by-20-mile wisp of green and blue. There are more than 1,180 miles of coastline, and no matter where you are, you’re never far from a beach.

Long Island is just a half-hour drive east of the Big Apple—New York. And your vacation escape is made easy by a choice of bridge or tunnel. Plus, New York’s metropolitan airports, John F. Kennedy International and La Guardia, are easily accessible to Long Island, while Long Island Islip MacArthur Airport is located centrally on Long Island. And the Long Island Railroad, the country’s largest commuter rail system, gives you quick, car-free access to your island getaway.

Life’s a Beach
Like at any island paradise, sand and surf go hand in hand on Long Island. Its status as a seaside vacation spot took shape when the rich began to come and play on the famous Gold Coast in the late 1800s. Today, the celebrated Hamptons—where many of today’s captains of industry maintain palatial estates—are its contemporary equivalent. However, those without a “lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous” abode on the island need not despair. Weekly rentals, bed-and-breakfasts, hotels and even state-park campgrounds abound. That’s the appeal of Long Island: It’s for everyone.

Long Island’s strands are long and white, and they’re among the best in America.
Dr. Beach honored two in 2007 as part of his annual top 10 beaches list. Coopers Beach
in Southampton was No. 3, and Main Beach in East Hampton came in at No. 7. Both are open to the public and are two of many perfect spots to sit down for a good read, have a picnic or play in the surf.

Even without the accolades, the beaches are breathtaking. At Fire Island National Seashore, beachgoers find sand and water interspersed with boardwalks and dotted with rolling sand dunes. Fire Island is connected to the main island via two bridges, while Fire Island ferries shuttle visitors to and from the island. Fire Island allows no cars, ensuring that life slows down to walking pace. While on Fire Island, don’t miss the historic Fire Island Lighthouse—one of the area’s oldest—which first began blinking at seafaring vessels in 1826. Today it is a national landmark and museum.

To the west, JFK Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary, Gilgo Beach State Park and renowned Jones Beach State Park offer myriad things to do. Strolling along Jones Beach’s
two-mile-long boardwalk, one can partake of shuffleboard, miniature golf, paddle sports, and even nightly dancing at the band shell. And concessions are right there to pick up an ice cream cone or hot dog. A fun pitch-and-putt golf course is also open during daylight hours. Farther to the west, Long Beach beckons with its own two-mile boardwalk leading visitors along the shore. Lido Beach and Point Lookout on the barrier island boast a lively nightlife and upscale shops and restaurants.

The eastern tip of Long Island is home to the Montauk Lighthouse. First lighted in 1797, it’s the island’s oldest light. Occupying the easternmost point of New York State, the lighthouse’s state park and museum are a great stop for kids. Seals make a pit stop near the lighthouse from December to April every year. Visitors can also go on fishing and whale- and bird-watching excursions on the Atlantic. Casting a line into the sea doesn’t require leaving land, though, because visitors can fish without a permit from any of the docks or from the beach.

The Manor Life
The joys of the outdoors aren’t the only appeal Long Island holds. It also offers the former abodes of the famously wealthy—the closest U.S. citizens will get to the castles of Europe. This is Long Island’s Gold Coast, immortalized by F. Scott Fitzgerald in his classic The Great Gatsby, and the country playground of such dignitaries as the Guggenheims, Chryslers, Roosevelts and Vanderbilts.

More than 40 estates dot the area along Long Island’s North Shore from Great Neck to Huntington. Of the 13 mansions open to the public, Old Westbury Gardens is a favorite. The manse has been featured in such films as North by Northwest, Love Story, Age of Innocence and Cruel Intentions and boasts beautifully manicured English gardens.

Hempstead House and Falaise, two other impressive public manors, were both built by Guggenheims. Hempstead House resembles a Scottish castle, while Falaise is a Tudor-Revival edifice overlooking the sea. (Film buffs may recognize Falaise from the infamous horse scene in The Godfather.)

Several of the homes have been converted into impressive museums, allowing visitors a glimpse into the affluence of the past. One of the Vanderbilt’s former residences, for instance, is now the Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium, dedicated to natural history and science.

The Clayton Childs Frick Estate is now the Nassau County Art Museum, which hosts a variety of 19th- and 20th-century art, including works by Roy Lichtenstein, Auguste Rodin and Georges Braque, among other notables. The museum also brings in outstanding traveling exhibitions, ensuring that a return trip will present something novel. A stroll on the museum grounds reveals lovely gardens complemented by sculptures created by renowned artists. Every nook of the North Shore seems to have some elegant history—plenty for visitors to discover their own personal gems.

Though not a mansion, the Walt Whitman birthplace in Huntington welcomes visitors to his family home. The house is now a museum for the world famous poet. Several famous painters also called Long Island home, including Jackson Pollock and William Sidney Mount. Their former residences are open for tours as well.

Wine Country
Long Island’s North Fork is studded with more than 30 wineries and 50 vineyards.
Now a maturing wine region, its first vinifera varietals were planted in 1973 by Hargrave Winery, which planted cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir and sauvignon blanc grapes. Today more than 1.2 million visitors frequent the area’s cellars and tasting rooms, and the region’s vines produce more than 500,000 cases per year.

The area’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean makes it an ideal growing region, with moderating temperatures beneficial to the sometimes testy climate conditions needed to produce superb wines. As such, Long Island’s growing conditions are similar to noted wine-producing regions in the north of France, such as Bordeaux and the Loire Valley.

The region’s wines have consistently earned plaudits from some of the industry’s best known critics—Wine Spectator, The New York Times and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate to name a few. And with wineries too numerous to mention producing award-winning vintages, it’s easy to see why one glorious day is often not enough time to sample the region’s best chardonnay, merlot, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon. A perfect way to end any day is by watching the sun set over neat rows of green while sipping a glass of Long Island’s best. For a full listing and map, visit www.discoverlongisland.com.

Tee It Up!
Did you know that when the great game of golf sailed from Europe to America, it first came ashore on Long Island? In the decades since, it has spread from its roots in the Shinnecock Hills to every corner of the island.

Today Long Island is home to more than 55 public courses of every description, from rambling links courses along the shore to lush green fairways surrounded by rolling hills. Many clubs offer lessons from PGA and LPGA instructors. When you’ve had a chance to groove your swing and you’re ready to test your skills, maybe you’ll want to take on the first public golf course ever chosen to host the U.S. Open: the legendary Bethpage Black. But be warned. At the 2002 Open, when Tiger Woods won the tournament, he was the only player to break par.

In 2009, he and the rest of the world’s best will take it on once more. If “The Black” sounds a little intimidating, you can choose one of the five other 18-hole courses featuring varying degrees of difficulty at Bethpage State Park. For a complete listing of all Long Island’s courses, visit www.discoverlongisland.com. When you do, you’ll see why Long Island has always been a golfer’s dream destination.

Family Outings
When the kids are in tow, Long Island will make you glad you came. Of course, there are beaches and lighthouses, which will make the wee ones happy, but there is so much more.

Long Island is proud of its aviation history. At the American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, kids will delight in watching World War II aircraft take off or enjoy a ride in a vintage Army vehicle. Long Island’s rich aviation heritage is on full display at the Cradle of Aviation Museum. Located on Garden City’s Museum Row, “The Cradle” records 100 years of Long Island’s aviation history, including Grumman’s pivotal Lunar Excursion Module (LEM). Also not to be missed are The Long Island Children’s Museum and The Firefighter’s Museum, making Museum Row a one-stop shop for entertainment.

Long Island also boasts a number of notable art museums, including the Parrish Art Museum, Hillwood Art Museum, Islip Art Museum and the Long Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages.

The Big Duck in Suffolk County is a memorable landmark for all of Long Island. The giant duck was constructed in 1931 as an outlet for a local farmer to sell his ducks. It’s now a gift shop, information center and popular photo-op.

Long Island is home to several aquariums, zoos and farms. Atlantis Marine World boasts a 120,000-gallon shark tank and the largest live coral reef display in North America. The Long Island Game Farm and the Holtsville Ecology Site and Park both feature a variety of exotic land animals, such as mountain lions, bobcats, bald eagles and tigers. The Animal Farm Petting Zoo takes a more hands-on approach with a variety of farm animals and reptiles.

If you want to have an exciting time and cool off at the same time, visit the nationally known Splish Splash Water Park, the largest waterpark in New York State. Recognized as one of the top waterparks in America, Splish Splash is a 96-acre wonderland featuring a 300,000-gallon wave pool and 20 water slides.

The Island also embraces its farming past by promoting local produce. Harvest time is especially entertaining, with maize mazes, hayrides, harvest festivals and, of course, great food. Visitors can slow down, take a step back and enjoy picking apples, pumpkins and berries together. The North Fork, in particular, offers farm-fresh produce from local farm stands all along its country roads.

It may seem a long way from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Montauk Lighthouse, but the time will pass more quickly than you think. People have made Long Island their second home for more than 100 years. Come find out why.

For more information on visiting Long Island, go to www.discoverlongisland.com. To book a trip, visit www.AAA.com/travel.