Long loved for white-sand beaches, opulent Gold Coast mansions and fabulous shopping, Long Island is now an acclaimed wine region. More than 40 wineries dot the North and South forks. Along with celebrated local wines, you’ll find great seafood and fresh local produce in abundance.

Called the ultimate summer playground by Condé Nast Traveler, the Hamptons offer pristine beaches. East Hampton’s Main Beach and Cooper’s Beach in Southampton consistently make Dr. Beach’s annual “America’s Top 10 Beaches” list. Besides swimming, sailing and occasional movie-star sightings, enjoy music festivals, seaside bike trails, and Main Street shops and galleries. Explore local history at Sag Harbor’s Whaling Museum or browse the Parrish Art Museum.

At the Island’s easternmost tip, Montauk Point boasts some of the world’s best surf fishing. Climb to the top of Montauk’s historic lighthouse or saddle-up for a ride on the beach at Deep Hollow, a 350-year-old working cattle ranch. Camp on the beach at Hither Hills State Park.

Closer to New York City, Jones Beach State Park has more than six miles of ocean beach, a nature center, and a theater that presents top performers. At Bethpage State Park, watch world-class polo or play a round of golf on the Black Course, site of the US Open in 2002 and 2009. Discover flying history at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. Near Queens, Belmont Park hosts Thoroughbred racing and the Belmont Stakes. Shopping options range from Tanger Outlets in Riverhead, to quaint villages like Cold Spring Harbor and Stony Brook, to Manhasset’s “Miracle Mile” of posh designers.

LONG ISLAND MUST-SEES

Outdoors
• Belmont Park Racetrack | Elmont
• Bethpage State Park (golf) | Farmingdale
• Deep Hollow Ranch | Montauk
• Deep sea fishing | Numerous locations
• Jones Beach, Robert Moses, Fire Island, Montauk Point, Hither Hills state parks and ocean beaches
| Various points of entry
• Old Westbury Gardens | Old Westbury
• Planting Fields Arboretum | Oyster Bay

Art+Culture
• Heckscher Museum of Art | Huntington
• Museum Row | Garden City
• Sands Point Preserve | Port Washington
• Parrish Art Museum | Southampton

History
• Cradle of Aviation Museum | Garden City
• Montauk Point Lighthouse | Montauk
• Old Bethpage Village | Old Bethpage
• Sag Harbor Whaling Museum | Sag Harbor
• Sagamore Hill National Historic Site | Oyster Bay

Families
• Splish Splash Water Park | Calverton
• Atlantis Marine World | Riverhead
• LI Children’s Museum | Garden City

Food+Drink
• Over 40 wineries and vineyards | North & South Fork

Green NY
• Organic farms | Numerous North & South Fork locations

Shopping
• Tanger Outlets | Riverhead
• Miracle Mile and Americana Manhasset | Manhasset
• Towns of Cold Spring Harbor, Garden City, Greenport, the Hamptons, Port Washington & Stony Brook