A Long Weekend in Long Island By T. Ravlin Lyte

When most people think of Long Island, two things come to mind: that tall, deceptive drink that is much more than just iced tea, and the entity known as “The Hamptons” where the rich and famous live and frolic.  Over a long weekend, I found out that Long Island is much more than its namesake drink and exclusive area.

I set out to hit as many of the high points of Long Island as I could. This is relatively easy given that the island is very narrow and just 118-miles-long. The island is divided into regions and splits at its eastern-most end into a sideways “V”, forming the North Fork and the South Fork, home of the Hamptons.

I started on the North Shore, best-known for the Gold Coast region, where hundreds of mansions were built at the beginning of the

20^th century to resemble the estates of European royalty. Families such as the DuPonts, Woolworths and Vanderbilts were responsible for creating these estates as well as developing the area.  Although the Gold Coast is beautiful, lush greenery and long, private driveways make mansion-gazing a bit difficult.

The best bet for seeing mansions up close and personal is to tour one specifically available for that purpose. The 65-room Coe family mansion, for instance, sits amidst the 400-acre estate known as the Planting Fields Arboretum. The grounds include beautiful gardens, greenhouses, sculptures and walking paths.

As lovely as Planting Fields was, Old Westbury Gardens was the epitome of a magnificent estate and grounds. A long, tree-lined path provides the first glimpse of the stunning property and the Westbury House Mansion, former home of John and Margarita Phipps and their children. The well-manicured, 160-acre grounds are used for tours, concerts, garden-education, highland games and magazine photo shoots. The mansion tour offers interesting tidbits such as the absence of closets due to their status as a taxable room. Armoires and hidden wall panels offered storage instead.

Sands Point Preserveoffers cliff-side mansion-viewing with dramatic ocean views. The former home of the Guggenheim family, Hempstead House, and the castle-like stable and carriage house are surrounded by meadows, woodlands, cliff and shoreline. I could easily imagine family members standing at open windows, bracing themselves against the brisk, briny ocean air. Perhaps visiting three mansions in one day was bringing out the Jane Austin in me.

I had one more mansion in store. I stayed the night at the Glen Cove Mansion, Hotel and Conference Center, formerly owned by the Pratt family.  Renovated to its historical prime, the mansion houses meeting rooms, an elegant dining room and a casual pub. Comfortable guest rooms and extensive fitness and recreation facilities are located in the modern wings behind the mansion. Bicycles can even be rented for touring the grounds.

Refreshed after my day of mansion-hopping, I headed east toward North Fork through Central Suffolk. If I’d had more time (and my children with me), I would have stayed the day to visit the popular Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center, Splish Splash Waterpark or Long Island Children’s Museum. I did make time to drive around bustling Port Jefferson, named after Thomas Jefferson, with ferries to and from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Restaurants and stores offer diversion while waiting for the ferry. Perched above the port is the charming Belle Terre neighborhood with homes dating to the 1600’s.

Oceanside farming has created an interesting history and setting for North Fork. Narrowing to scenic Orient Point, North Fork was potato-farming land for generations. Within the last 30 years, winemakers have discovered that the rich soil and varied climate are conducive to growing grapes. Vineyards and wineries have since popped up throughout North Fork, developing the reputation as the “Napa Valley of the East”.  I spent a very pleasant afternoon enjoying samples at several wineries, all with beautiful rows of grapevines in view. I stopped at several antique stores and bought some fruit and lemonade at a road-side fruit stand. Throughout my afternoon on the North Fork, I was wonderfully aware that the ocean was always just minutes away.

The high point of my day was my stay at the historic Jedediah Hawkins Inn. The Inn offers beautiful, pastoral views of the grounds and

farmland, elegant and pampering guest rooms including a fabulous family suite and two inventive restaurants.  Jedediah’s is run by well-respected chef Keith Luce who sources local farmers and wineries for their fresh, seasonal ingredients, making breakfast, lunch and dinner a real taste of Long Island.

Shelter Island lies between the North and South Forks, accessible by ferry. With time waning, I opted to skip Shelter Island this time and explore Fire Island instead. Running along the southern side of Long Island, Fire Island can be reached by ferry or bridge, depending on the area. A short ferry led to The Pines and Cherry Grove, two predominantly wealthy, gay communities. Residents and visitors come and go via the ferry. All deliveries of groceries and other goods are put on waiting carts and pushed down the boardwalk streets to quaint homes and businesses.  A short walk to the beach leads to seemingly endless, fine, white sands and beautiful ocean.

The southern part of Fire Island is a nature preserve, accessible via the impressive Robert Moses Bridge.  A lighthouse serves as a dramatic marker for the clean, public beach where seagulls sit, sunning themselves right along with the humans.

I left Long Island exhausted yet exhilarated. I saw so much on my whirlwind tour and had so much fun. I will return since there is still so much more to see. Next time, maybe I’ll check out the tony Hamptons just to say I’ve been there. From behind dark glasses, I’ll subtly search for celebrities while I sit in some cute café. Maybe I’ll order one of those iced teas too.

Note: Adapted from an article that originally appeared in Colorado Expression magazine by CDM Communications.