Attraction along the way to Shelter Island NY?

July 29, 2012 6:30 PM

Heading up to Shelter Island NY for a weekend soon from North Jersey. Leaving 6am on a Friday. I will be with my wife and toddler. Any suggestions for stops/attractions/restaurants along the way? I suspect my toddler will need a break after 2 hours on a 4+ hour drive. Also any comments on traffic and directions would be helpful! thanks!
posted by wheats to travel & transportation around Shelter Island, NY (4 answers total)

To clarify - where is this shelter island? Because you'd have to hit some pretty terrible traffic to take four hours to get from North Jersey to Shelter Island LI. Unfortunately if that's where you are going it is probably just for the best to get there. There really isn't much interesting that's not a detour until you are driving out past Riverhead to the Greenport ferry, and at that point you might as well just go straight to the Ferry, especially as it'll be 9 am or so.
posted by JPD at 7:39 PM on July 29, 2012 [1 favorite]

So the hard part will be getting through NYC. 6am should be early enough to get over the GWB, and through the Bronx. Do you have your route planned? I'd bypass as much of the core as possible. If it were me, I'd seriously think about GWB -> Throgs Neck -> Northern Parkway -> LIE. With a little luck, you'll be on the LIE by 7:30-8am.

Unfortunately, there really isn't anywhere of note to stop (save a gas station or two) along the LIE until you get to Riverhead. Riverhead has a giant stretch of strip malls, so stopping for coffee/breakfast won't be hard. From there, take the North Road (Sound Avenue), which takes you through a bunch of farm stands and wineries. Not sure how early they open. Perennial favorite is Briermere Farms, which is right by Riverhead.
posted by swngnmonk at 8:36 PM on July 29, 2012

Adventure Land on route 110. Exit 49 on LIE. Www.adventure land.us
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:51 PM on July 29, 2012

IF you need somewhere decent to eat modern snack bar is really good . Go to modernsnackbar.com for directions. Its in the riverhead area on 25 after 105.

If you like shopping tanger outlet is at exit 72 which is the end of the LIE.

You should be good going east on friday at 6am since after NYC on Long island all traffic goes west towards NYC.

There are some cool villages here on long island I would normally tell you to stop at BUT since you are staying in shelter island its easier to just get to the out east portion of Long island before hamptons traffic starts at 2pm.

There is also a fair in sayville this weekend BUT its still a 10 to 15 minute detour from the Lie.

IF you get to riverhead early you can do the long island aquarium(http://www.longislandaquarium.com/ this is their website) . They have a butterfly exibit that your toddler might enjoy. Right by the aquarium next to the river there is an awesome turkish resteraunt that is a must if you like turkish food.

On sound avenue , if your toddler likes horses , you can stop at baiting hollow horse rescue and vineyard. They rescue horses and any wine they produce with a horse on the front the proceedes goes directly to the horse rescue. They have the horses outside so its a nice detour . Baiting hollow opens at 11am as do most farmstands and wineries.


Greenport village itself is also great to walk around before you hop on the ferry. Claudios rocks for seafood . Its in greenport by the ferry.

Since you are staying on shelter island my main advice is just get to the riverhead area and then do stuff there. This way you can get to riverhead area before the LIE is clogged up with people going to the hamptons.
posted by majortom1981 at 9:00 AM on July 30, 2012