solitaire11

Okay I just booked us for the labor day weekend on Shelter Island. The original plan was to go to Block Island .. but everything was full up ..and the places that weren't had a 4 nite minimum!! That's like blackmail!

Anyways, booked the shelter island weekend on a impulse ..not knowing much. In fact, although we live in Westchester ..never visited Long Island.

So any info on activities, things to do would be much appreciated! We love to bike and hike ..and I love quaint antiue places etc. Suggestions would be more than welcome.

Thank U!

nytraveler

Well - Shelter Island isn;t Long Island. It's a fairly small Island in the bays between the north and south forks of Long Island accessible only by ferry from either one - either Greenport or North Haven.

It's good you like biking and hiking because there's not much else to do there - except sit on the beach, swim or boat. It's very quiet - nothing like the Hamptons.

If you're looking for more shopping, restaurants, nightlife, museums, wineries etc you will have to head for either the North or South fork.

ekscrunchy

There are very good wallking trails on the island and some good restaurants (Vine Street Cafe is one) and antique shops. A fun day is to have lunch at Sunset Beach..reminds me a little of a French Caribbean outdoor place..and hang out on their great beach with calm water. The ferry to Greenport takes only a few minutes and you can then walk to lots of restaurants and shops in this seaport town.

ronkala

You will find antique shops in South Hampton, East Hampton, Amagansett and Sag Harbor.

amaclise

So glad you asked! The Nature Conservancy has a wonderful property on Shelter Island. It is an old hunting lodge (mansion really) they inherited from somebody.

The property is called Mashomack and it takes up about a third of the island.

Great hiking trails and 10 miles of pristine beaches.

Hope this link works.

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/no.../art10992.html

ekscrunchy

Yes, thank you for mentioning the name of the Mashomack preserve on SI. also, Greenport has some really cool galleries and shops and the advantage is that you do not need a car to get to them from Si..you can leave your car on SI, take the North Ferry, and then walk everyplace in Greeport from the ferry dock. If you go to Sag Harbor and other parts of the south Fork, you will need to take your car onto the ferry and drive in order to reach anything.

ekscrunchy

Sorry I could not edit the typos in my last post. Anyway, Shelter Island is great..very different from anything in Westchester....I spend lots of time on the North Fork and will be happy to help with suggestions in the Greenport/Orient area if you decide to come north for a day.

Gekko

Hang out at the beautiful Sunset Beach and eat dinner at the restaurant.

corwin

i collected toenail shells on the beach. i've never seen them anywhere else! they are a beautiful oddity. we used our down time to drink as many wines that we were unfamilar with as humany possible because we found a great wine store -- wish i could remember where it was!
i think you'll love it there because there are literally NO distractions.

solitaire11

Thanks so much for all this info!! I am really looking forward to this getaway! Work has been unbelievably stressful the past few weeks and by the looks of it, is going to remain that way till end of next month!! So this is going to be a great way to unwind!

ekscrunchy, I would definitely appreciate any advice on the Greenport/Orient area ..sounds like a good day trip for one of the days.

Thanks again for all the great tips!

Gekko

In the Times today, there are photos of the rich & beautiful hanging out at Sunset Beach.