I visited the mansion for the We May be Right band concert and enjoyed the experience. Whenever you…read morego for a concert, you also have the opportunity to visit the outdoor areas such as the fountain, gardens and take some nice photos. We brought a cooler with some snacks, drinks along with our beach chairs and it was a very pleasant afternoon. They also have a vending machine selling water and some other items should you need. Every single staff member I dealt with was super friendly and the place is beautiful. It's a good opportunity to take some nice photos. And the "We may be right" Billy Joel tribute band made our experience even more pleasant. I haven't visited the Planetarium or the inside part of the mansion so I can't comment on that.

7/31/26 I haven't been to a laser show since I was a…read moreteenager. Now I'm a senior citizen. I get free tickets through AARP for the first show of the month and this month is The Grateful Dead. As we were guests of the band often (our friend was Brent Midland's assistant) we saw many a concert. My husband was blah about going, but really happy after. It blew my mind - and I don't do drugs. The sound system was amazing. The lasers were surprisingly good, although quite antiquated. My favorites were when you felt you were enveloped in the lasers. I was lost for an hour, in a good way. Luckily, hubby has a handicapped placard and we were able to park steps from the front door. I would have liked to have parked in the regular parking lot and walk, but that's no longer in the cards for us. The grounds are beautiful for as much as we could see in the dark.We would have loved to see the meteor shower, but that was not in the cards either.The show was from 9:30pm to 10:30pm (way past my bedtime) and over an hour away which was a complete bummer. In any case, this was a wonderful event. Join AARP if you're over 50 as the benefits are great.

Fabulous place. First time visitor and was bowled over by art exhibit. Free admission/free parking…read more Wonderful historic building. Strong recommendation.

Farmingdale State University is know for their Horticulture department (among a great many other…read morethings). They have beautiful gardens accessible to the public during the warmer months of the year. 'Niches', that is the dominant word that comes to mind when I think of the garden. It is practically built on the concept of 'nitches'. Can be quite private and romantic. The gardens are free to students and the public. There is no parking fee for those who do not have a university parking permit but you have to get a pass from the campus police who are very nice. People have wedding pictures takes at this garden. I am told the fees for the pass to take wedding photos is minimal. If you are taking classes in the University or are just passing by, I would recommend strolling through the peaceful gardens. The grounds have been maintained by faculty and students for years. Every winter they take in the trees and more exotic plants to green houses. Then when it gets warmer they replant. This is done annually. The school is quite committed to their gardens. I only wish that they gave tours. The gardens are not a full day activity, rather it should be just one activity among others in Farmingdale.

Recently went to enjoy the last bit of summer weather while my family was visiting at the…read moreLighthouse! I had not been here in many years but we all figured it would be nice to walk the trails and take pictures as well as show my family the beauty of long island beaches. It's also a true L.I. landmark! I managed to score a picture of this cute deer as well. this place is beautiful and truly relaxing to visit.

One of my favorite places to visit and photograph. Always nice coming here in the cooler months…read morewhen it's less crowded.

If your local to the Bayport - Sayville area and you love to hike, Meadow Croft offers a nice…read moreleisurely stroll through meandering trails along an Inlet and nearby Lotus Lake. The Roosevelt family walking trail is 0.7 miles long and offers a nice, peaceful and easy hike through a serene landscape. Highly recommended for a short hike.

This understated, yet stunning estate is the Former John E. Roosevelt Estate located in the Suffolk…read moreCounty Sans Souci Lake Nature Preserve. It is tricky to get to - it's right around the corner from St. Ann's in Sayville - you must drive down a dirt road (the estate is about 400 yards in from the Main street / Middle Road). You will see marshland, a few water bodies, and then you will come upon a beautiful pale yellow summer "mansion." This estate is very different from the mansion in the huge Bayard arboretum and the palatial estates of the North Shore - this mansion functioned as a "summer home" for the Roosevelt family during the early 20th century. The grounds were designed for enjoyign the summer air outside of NYC pollution, hunting and preservation/conservation, and water sports. The estate is open to the public at 2PM on weekends - you can take a 2.5 hour tour of the grounds/ house. This review does not do justice to the serene and unpretentious nature of the property.

An amazing, amazing place. This is a museum in every sense of the word with tons of artifacts to…read moreview. There is even a Model T car. A superb addition to Kings Park. First class all the way---very strong recommendation

"Oh, oh, talk to me some more You don't have to go…read more'Cause you're the poetry man You make things all right" (Phoebe Snow) I wonder how many people are most familiar with Walt Whitman because of the crucial impact his "Leaves of Grass" book of poems played in advancing the plot in Breaking Bad? Well, besides helping the DEA solve the identity of who Heisenberg really was, Walt Whitman was a pioneering figure in American literature--a poet, essayist, and journalist, best known for his iconic "Leaves of Grass". He grew up on Long Island, left school at eleven, and became a teacher and journalist. He served in the Union army as a nurse during the Civil War. His poetry innovated the way people wrote poems, using a free verse "conversational" style. Th Walt Whitman Birthplace complex has two buildings - a museum and the house where he was born. The museum has a wonderful timeline display that takes you through his lifetime with photos and text. There is a gift shop and a small theater on site, and you can take photos of everything. The photography policy is different inside the house, where photos are limited to just one room -the kitchen. Outside photography has no restrictions. What a nice slice of Americana hiding in plain sight on Long Island.

Was the only one there so got my own private tour! Amazing tour, I learned so much not only about…read moreWalt but about farmhouse living in the 1800s. Would recommend not only to Whitman fans but history lovers too.

This was my first time attending the Oyster Festival in Oyster Bay (and first time in Long Island)!…read moreIt's nice that there aren't any tickets required for entry, though it is a long haul from NYC. We came on a beautiful Saturday and were super excited to get fresh oysters and (or so we thought) for cheap! It's a nice venue by a school and park right by the bay, and it gets very very crowded, especially in the afternoon. There are some nice craft vendors, but my partner and I were really excited for the food. The seafood options were good, but much more limited than I thought. There was only one vendor selling oysters, and the only mode of preparation was raw (nothing grilled or otherwise more creative). I was pretty surprised by how steep the pricing was, though I'm glad the proceeds go back to the community in some form (6 oysters for $20). I was a bit disappointed by the quality of some of the oysters we got for that pricing, as there were some that were pretty small, flat and not as high quality. The other seafood options were good, and I really enjoyed a fried coconut shrimp kebab that was $25. Overall, it's a nice festival vibe and well managed, just pricey and some of the food quality around the star oyster was not quite up to expectations! I am giving it an extra star because it's by the water and the town was super quaint and beautiful!

Every year for the past 7 years, minus 1 pandemic, my family and I will go to the Oyster Fest. It's…read morebecome a nice tradition. We always start with a lobster roll, which unfortunately go up by about $5 per year (they're now at $30 apiece, so not sure if we'll be keeping that part of our tradition). Then we go through the tents to see if there's anything worth buying, and off to the beer tent for a few, and then we gorge ourselves on other delicacies. There's always a woman selling fudge there who I always hit up for a few chunks to take home with me. This year I had a foot long hot dog for $6 from a German place. It was excellent. We'll definitely be back next year, just maybe not eating anymore lobster rolls, as $30 each for 5 people gets a bit steep very quickly.