Ever find yourself wondering what the heck there is to do on Long Island? Sick of going to the beach every day in the summer, or being stuck inside every day in the winter? Don’t feel like making another Roosevelt Field run? Or, just looking for something new to do with your friend group or significant other? Believe it or not, there is actually a lot to do on Long Island if you are willing to be creative and maybe go out of your way a bit! Here are five places you might not have known existed. Links to the various places listed are in the pictures!
1) Teddy Roosevelt’s Long Island Home, Sagamore Hill, Oyster Bay
Up high on a hill in Oyster Bay stands Theodore Roosevelt’s Long Island home. It’s not too big, but the grounds of the home, museum, and nature trail make for a nice day trip that is nearby. There is no fee to enter the grounds or museum, and that might be all you need to fill your day! The museum features tons of artifacts that Teddy Roosevelt and his children kept on their property, and provides an interesting narrative about the aspects of the 26th president’s life that you did not know about. It is a small museum, so there is no chance or getting bored or overwhelmed, and right behind the museum is a .7 mile nature trail that leads down to some beautiful marshland, which is perfect for some great landscape photos. There is a $10 fee to take a tour of the main house at Sagamore Hill, which is full of period furniture and some of Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting prizes. While the house itself is interesting, a visit there is not necessary for this to be a great and unique day trip! A couple miles up the road from Sagamore Hill is Young’s Cemetery, where the president is buried, as well as another small nature preserve, the first of its kind in the United States.
2) Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Site, Oyster Bay
Here is a perfect day trip for overcast days that you do not want to spend completely outside, but also do not want to spend completely inside. The Planting Fields Arboretum is home to two huge greenhouses full of pretty much every flower you can imagine! The best part is that they are in bloom even now while it is cold outside! Right now, camellias in beautiful pinks and reds are blossoming, and there are loads of tropical plants, daffodils, and cacti that are also in bloom and picture-perfect. In addition, there are a couple of little nature trails on the property, as well as Coe Hall, which is a beautiful mansion that looks like it is straight out of Europe. There will be no parking fee at the state historic site until Memorial Day, so right now, it’s totally free and open every day. There is also Bayard Cutting Arboretum for all you folks out in Suffolk County!
3) Cradle of Aviation Museum, Garden City
The Cradle of Aviation is home to more than just the Chocolate Expo every spring! It is also a huge storehouse for countless planes and other aircraft from pretty much every era of American history. There is also a Mars-simulation ride, and an IMAX theatre, planetarium, and outerspace themed cafeteria.
4) Gold Coast Mansions, various locations
Having a Gatsby moment? Well, you are definitely in the right place for one! There are still a few Gold Coast mansions that you can visit on Long Island to get a taste of the opulent lifestyles that the rich and famous Long Islanders of the early twentieth century led. There is Oheka Castle, the Caumsett Estate, the castle at Sands Point Preserve, Falaise, King Zog’s Castle ruins at the Muttontown Preserve, and the Phipps Mansion at Old Westbury Gardens, although you can access more information and see if I missed any by using the Gold Coast Mansions Website here.
5) Kings Park Psych Center, Kings Park
Do you love shows like “Ghost Adventures?” There are haunted places on Long Island too! Check out the abandoned Kings Park Psych Center, where the Long Island Sound and Nissequogue River are the backdrop to empty, eerie, very creepy buildings that once made up an extremely busy psychiatric facility. This one is not for the faint of heart – the abandoned buildings are just oozing creepy vibes, and you should not go walking around inside the buildings – trust me, they are creepy enough and will give all you adrenaline junkies a good scare without having to even set foot within their walls (plus, it is illegal to trespass and the Suffolk County Police always have some sort of presence there). This is a good place to go biking on the roads that link all the buildings together, and there are always people picnicking on the big fields between the buildings.