AMAGANSETT
Just 12 miles west on Montauk Highway. The Town Marine Museum on Bluff Road is dedicated to documenting and preserving East Hampton Town’s maritime history and the history of whaling and fishing industries. An outdoor display occupies the children. Open Memorial Day to Columbus Day, Saturdays and Sundays. Miss Amelia’s Cottage, built in 1725 and located on Main Street, has a museum with colonial furnishings. The Roy K. Lester Carriage Museum is at the rear of the property. Listen to live music at Stephen Talkhouse (631-267-3117) or go shopping in Amagansett Square.
EAST HAMPTON
East Hampton was settled in 1648. Take a self-guided tour of East Hampton’s Village Historic District, which extends from the south end of Main Street and runs 3/4 mile north where it ends at the beginning of the commercial zone. Town Pond and the South End Cemetery, forms its southern end. Visit Home Sweet Home Museum and Mulford Farm (an intact 18th-century English colonial farmstead). The historical district contains 31 buildings erected before 1850, including two windmills.
Guild Hall houses three art galleries and the museum’s art collections, along with the John Drew Theatre presenting professional theater, music, and film programs throughout the year. (guildhall.org, 631-324-0806)
Just north of the village is The Springs. Tour Jackson Pollock’s house and studio at the Pollock-Krasner House; open May – October, Thursday – Saturday (631-324-4929). Two Public Gardens will delight everyone. LongHouse Reserve (631-329-3568), a private home on 16 acres, opens to the public seasonally. A 13,000 square foot home surrounded by gardens portray landscape as art. Call for schedule (631-604-5330). Madoo, the world famous gardens of artist Robert Dash, are located just west of East Hampton and are open Fridays and Saturdays, beginning May 8 from noon–4 pm. (madoo.org, 631-537-8200). “
SAG HARBOR
Just 30 minutes west of Montauk by car lies the historic Village of Sag Harbor. A former U.S. port of entry, trading, and whaling port, Sag Harbor is now a sailing port and summer destination known for its charming houses in the Greek Revival style. Go to the Bay Street Theater, presenting live theater, children’s activities and other events year-round (baystreet.org). The Masonic Temple, an 1845 Greek Revival mansion, houses the Whaling Museum displaying nautical artifacts and period pieces from the whaling days (sagharborwhalingmuseum.org, 631-725-0770). Visit Sag Harbor’s past at the Old Custom House, a National Landmark at 174 Main Street, open Memorial Day–Columbus Day, portraying daily life in colonial Sag Harbor. splia.org/custom-house
GREENPORT add wine list
From Sag Harbor continue north on Rte 114 to the South Ferry that takes you to Shelter Island. Route 114 goes through Shelter Island to the North Ferry. This takes you to the historic town of Greenport on the North Fork of Long Island. This seafaring town offers museums, shops, galleries, and hosts many events throughout the year, including the famous Maritime Festival in September. Visit Mitchell Park with its antique carousel and working blacksmith shop. The North Fork is known for its many farms. A must stop on Route 25 Main Road, two miles east of Greenport is Lavender By The Bay, the East Coast’s largest pick-your-own lavender farm and retail shop. (There is a fee to go into the fields during blooming season). lavenderbythebay.com. Greenportonline.com has more Greenport information.
Tour the Wineries
With over 40 vineyards on the North Fork, and three on the South Fork, combine sightseeing with full-day or half-day wine tours. Close by in Southampton is Duck Walk Vineyards, with its magnificent building. Open seven days a week from 11 am-6 pm, it has complimentary tours and a tasting room. Come for live music on the patio 1:00-5:00 pm Memorial Day weekend thru October, weather permitting. While there visit the Parish Art Museum next door to Duck Walk. The new Parrish has seven sky-lit galleries devoted to their permanent collection showcasing the influential artists’ colony of Eastern Long Island.”
BLOCK ISLAND
Viking Fleet’s high-speed ferry takes just one hour to travel 12 miles to Block Island (vikingfleet.com, 631-668-5700). Weekend ferry service begins May 22, and daily service begins on June 12. The ferry docks at the Viking Fleet dock in Montauk Harbor and at Champlin’s Marina on Block, a full-service marina in New Harbor where you will find bicycle and car rentals, and guided tours through the taxi services. Rent a bicycle or moped, or bring a bike with you on the ferry to see beautiful farms, stone fences, and high bluffs over the Atlantic Ocean. While in Block Island be sure to visit the Inn at Old Harbor; innatoldharbor.com.
CONNECTICUT
The Viking Fleet has one-hour high-speed passenger-only ferry service to New London, CT, from May 22 – October 12, at 6:30 pm with a return at 8:00 pm. In July and August the ferry sails on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, other months on Fridays and Sundays only. Go to vikingfleet.com for a complete schedule. The ferry docks at the Viking Fleet dock in Montauk Harbor and at the Cross Sound Ferry Dock in New London.