You will have the afternoon of leisure on Thursday, November 10, from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm prior to the AAC’22 Banquet. Below are some attractions you may want to consider when planning your afternoon.

Long Island Aquarium – 35 minutes
431 East Main Street, Riverhead, NY 11901

This FINtastic destination features one of the largest all-living coral reef displays in this hemisphere, a 120,000-gallon shark tank, year-round sea lion shows, African Penguins, Marmosets, numerous touch tanks and more than 100 exhibits including the lavish indoor gardens of our Butterflies, Bugs & Birds Exhibit! You can try one of our JAWsome Aquatic Adventures, like the Shark Dive where you’ll get in the cage and down into our amazing Lost City of Atlantis Shark Exhibit. Or the Penguin Encounter where you’ll get up close and personal with our cutest feathered friends. You can even snorkel with tropical fish from around the world with our Pirate Snorkel Adventure (seasonal). Celebrate your birthday at the Aquarium! Get FREE Aquarium admission within 7 days of your birthday (simply present valid ID)!

Themed around the Lost City of Atlantis, Long Island Aquarium blends science and nature with myth to create an informative and entertaining environment for visitors of all ages. We offer a rich variety of experiences, from fascinating marine life exhibits to Aquatic Adventures and educational programs.

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Open weekdays 10:00 am – 4:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

ADMISSION TICKETS:
Children (3-12) $29.99 / per person
Adults (13-61) $42.99 / per person
Seniors (62+) $31.99 / per person
Children 2 & Under FREE


Robert Moses State Park – 25 minutes
600 Robert Moses State Parkway, Babylon, NY 11702

Robert Moses State Park is an ocean beachfront facility that attracts nearly 3.8 million visitors annually and boasts a shoreline of nearly five miles. As the most western point of Fire Island, the park is conveniently located at the southern end of the Robert Moses Causeway and is easily accessible by car or from the Babylon train station with a bus connection. Visitors are welcome to swim and boogie-board at any of our four lifeguard-staffed fields. Surfing and surf-fishing are popular activities that are enjoyed by many beach-goers as well. Each location is equipped with concessions, beach shops, first aid offices, comfort stations, and private outdoor showers. Scenic picnic areas complete with park grills and tables for any group size are located at fields 2, 3, and 4.

An 18-hole Pitch & Putt Golf Course is available at Field 2 for public use from early April through mid-November. Field 2 is also home to an expansive volleyball court area which can accommodate up to 21 games at a time. It sits just east of Democrat Point, a local favorite with surfers and fishermen alike for its 4×4 drive-on access and shorefronts which face both the Atlantic Ocean and the Fire Island Inlet.

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Park open sunrise-sunset


Bayard Cutting Arboretum – 18 minutes
440 Montauk Hwy, Great River, NY 11739


Bayard Cutting Arboretum was donated to the Long Island State Park Region by Mrs. William Bayard Cutting and her daughter, Mrs. Olivia James, in memory of her husband, William Bayard Cutting. The intent of the donation was “to provide an oasis of beauty and quiet for the pleasure, rest and refreshment of those who delight in outdoor beauty; and to bring about a greater appreciation and understanding of the value and importance of informal planting.”

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Open Tuesday – Sunday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm; Closed Monday and all winter holidays (Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s)

VEHICLE USE FEE:
Vehicle Use Fee is $8 per vehicle is collected from April through the end of November using the automated-pay meters. Seniors (62+) placard and access passes can now be obtained at any of our parking kiosks! Just press any button on the keypad and scan your license at the pay station. The parking pass is valid for use Tuesday – Friday.


Blue Point Brewery – 22 minutes
225 West Main Street, Patchogue, NY 11772

Come have a beer with us! Attached to our brewery on Long Island’s South Shore is our brewpub where we offer our classic portfolio, seasonal beers, and exclusive brews from our innovation room that are only available to drink at our pub.

Our kitchen offers freshly shucked oysters from the Great South Bay, a dangerously tasty menu that includes our take on classic bar food, vegan and vegetarian-friendly options, and monthly specials designed to pair perfectly with our beers currently on tap. In the beer garden, our taco truck cooks up meat-lover tacos and plant-based options.

Not sure what you want or new to the craft beer scene? Our pub crew is here to help you. Just ask for help and we’ll find a pint of beer perfectly brewed for your taste. If they’re not pouring the perfect pint, challenge our pub crew to a game of foosball, JENGA, air hockey, or shuffleboard. They consider themselves quite the experts.

Don’t drink beer but still want to come to hang? No problem! We offer The Subtle Tea products for crushing.

Dog and family-friendly.

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Sunday12:00 pm – 8:00 pm; Closed Monday & Tuesday; Wednesday & Thursday 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm; Friday & Saturday 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm


Connetquot River State Park Preserve – 19 minutes
4090 Sunrise Hwy, Oakdale, NY 11769

Connetquot River State Park Preserve maintains 3,473 acres of land and water for the protection and propagation of game birds, fish and animals. Deer and waterfowl are numerous, rare nesting birds, including the osprey, are present and there are numerous rare plants, and other interesting flora, such as trailing arbutus and pink lady’s slipper in their natural habitats. The preserve also has 50 miles of hiking, bridle, cross-country ski and nature trails, as well as freshwater fly fishing (by permit only) on the Connetquot River.

The Long Island Environmental Interpretive Center is home to the Regional Environmental Education Team of environmental educators. Schools, youth organizations and special interest groups can make arrangements for interpretive programs and hikes at any of the State Parks on Long Island by calling this office. In addition to group hikes there are Fun for Kids Activities, Family Adventure Programs and Adult Ed-ventures for the general public run at several State Parks.

Designated as the first “State Park Preserve” in New York, Connetquot River encourages the long-term protection of our ecological, cultural and historic resources. Passive activities include: hiking, birding and nature study.

HOURS OF OPERATION:
10/15/22 – 11/20/22 Weekends only (8:00 am – 4:00 pm)

Long Island Environmental Interpretive Center: Programs conducted year-round, Wednesdays through Sundays.

VEHICLE USE FEE:
Vehicle Use Fee is $8 per vehicle.


Harmony Vineyards – 20 minutes
169 Harbor Rd, St. James, NY 11780

We produce outstanding wines and experiences in harmony with nature and humanity. Our Historic Waterfront Tasting Room (Circa 1690) introduces you to our award winning Bordeaux-Style Red Blends, Chablis-Style Chardonnays, Long Island Beers, and Gourmet Plates year round.

Harmony Vineyards is Sustainably Farmed by the exceptionally accomplished viticulturist, Stephen Mudd and its wines are crafted by the renowned winemaker, Eric Fry.

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Thursday by appointment; Friday 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm; Saturday 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm; Sunday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm


The Long Island Museum – 21 minutes
1200 NY-25A, Stony Brook NY, 11790

Toward the end of the Great Depression, Ward Melville, his wife Dorothy Bigelow Melville, prominent naturalist Robert Cushman Murphy, a well-regarded local doctor Winifred Curtis and insurance man O.C. Lempfert, created the Suffolk Museum located on Christian Avenue, in a building which still stands today.

Art and artifacts began to fill the rooms of the Suffolk Museum and its collection outgrew the space. In 1952 carriages were brought into the collection and a new site for the collections was found.

Although the History Museum/Visitor’s Center, is a relatively new part of the museum campus, it is one of the oldest work sites in the community of Stony Brook. This spot was the location of lumber mills dating back to 1874. The main building was rebuilt after a fire, and dates to 1931. The D.T. Bayles Lumber Mill operated there until 1955, when the building was purchased by Ward Melville. Signs of the old mill operation are still visible today.

Ward Melville always wanted Stony Brook to be a village similar to the ones found in New England. The Long Island Museum was inspired by this premise and museum grounds soon resembled a New England Village as local historic buildings were carefully trucked onto the grounds.

In 1974, the Art Museum opened and eventually, in 1987, the magnificent Carriage Museum was built on the site of the former Stony Brook Hotel to house the museum’s growing collection of carriages.

Since 1939, the museum has grown to become a leading cultural institution on Long Island and the only Smithsonian Affiliate in the region.

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Thursday – Sunday 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

ADMISSION PRICES:
Adults $10
Seniors (62 and older) $7
Students (6 – 17 and college students with I.D.) $5
Person with disability (personal care assistants admitted free) $3.50
Children under six FREE
Active and Retired Military FREE


Avalon Nature Preserve – 22 minutes
200 Harbor Road Stony Brook, NY 11790

Since its inception, Avalon Nature Preserve has sought to protect and restore the ecological heritage of this special landscape. With the purchase of 8 acres in 1997, Avalon’s evolution began; the preserve has flourished into a thriving 216 acres of fields, forests, and wetlands 140 of which are open to the public.

HOURS OF OPERATION:
7:00 am – 5:00 pm


Montauk Point State Park – 1 hr. 44 minutes
2000 Old Montauk Hwy, Montauk, NY 11954

On the eastern tip of the South Shore of Long Island, Montauk Point State, offers stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean where it meets the Block Island Sound. The view is unique, because, when the water is calm, visitors can clearly see the “race” of converging tides from the Atlantic and Block Island Sound. Visitors can also use the nature trails to hike or cross-country ski, or spend time watching the seals sun on the rocks offshore. Block Island can be seen off in the distance.

Parking is available for walks along the rocky shoreline, viewing of the Ocean from the restaurant and gift shop, or a visit to the neighboring Montauk Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in New York State, commissioned by President George Washington in 1792. 

Surf fishing at the Point is a popular activity, especially when striped bass are running in the area. Surfing is allowed from December 15th through March 31st. Other state parks nearby include Camp Hero, Montauk Downs, Hither Hills, Shadmoor, and Napeague.

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Park is open year-round, sunrise to sunset.


Shopping in the Area:

 

Smith Haven Mall – 12 minutes
313 Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove, NY 11755

HOURS OF OPERATION:
10:00 am – 9:00 pm

Tanger Outlets Deer Park – 18 minutes
152 The Arches Circle, Deer Park, NY 11729

HOURS OF OPERATION:
10:00 am – 9:00 pm

Tanger Outlets Riverhead – 29 minutes
1771 W Main Street, Riverhead, NY 11901

HOURS OF OPERATION:
10:00 am – 9:00 pm