Your Family’s Guide to Exploring Long Island
Outdoors: Nature Centers, Parks, Camping, Beaches, Hiking, Trails, Pick Your Own Fruits/Vegetables
Holtsville Ecology Center
Buckley Road • Holtsville • 631.758.9664
http://www.brookhaven.org/ThingsToDoInYourTown/EcologyCenterAnimalPreserve/tabid/241/Default.aspx
A great place to bring children. The center features a petting zoo, Ecology Center and Greenhouses. It also provides a trail fitness course; nature preserve, free compost; picnic area, & swimming pools, and excellent ‘hands-on’ children’s program.
Long Island Game Farm
638 Chapman Boulevard Ave. • Manorville • 631.878.6644
www.longislandgamefarm.com
Where else can an 18 foot giraffe eat out of your hands?
White Post Farm Animal Farm
205 Old Country Rd. • Melville • 631.351.9373
http://whitepostfarms.com
This family friendly farm provides year round excitement. It features pony rides, animal feedings, train rides and a gourmet food market for parents.
Atlantis Marine World
431 East Main Street • Riverhead • 631.208.9200
www.atlantismarineworld.com
Long Island’s own full-scale Aquarium. From shark dives to snorkeling, boat tours to salt marsh explorations, a giant octopus to the Western hemisphere’s largest all-living Coral Reef display.
Vanderbilt Planetarium
180 Little Neck Rd • Centerport • 631.854.5555
www.vanderbiltmuseum.org
A unique combination of mansion, marine and natural history museum, planetarium and park. The planetarium makes ' free!span all s> In addition there is a state of the art children’s playground, and duck pond.
Pick Your Own Fruits & Vegetables
http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/suffolk/AGprograms/2008%20Pick%20Your%20Own%20List.pdf
Cornell University Cooperative provides a great list of u-pick farms. U-pick items include Strawberries, Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, string beans, okra, blueberries, apples, peaches, nectarines, pumpkins, and even Christmas trees!
Beaches
http://www.citidexli.com/87.htm
Provides a great list of beaches of long island.
Fire Island
www.nps.gov/fiis
Take the ferry to Fire Island
Camping
www.licamping.com
A great site for camping information on Long Island.
Adirondack Mountain Club
www.adkli.org
A great site for outdoor activities such as such as hiking, paddling, cycling, cross-country skiing, and backpacking.
Seatuck Environmental Association
Islip•631.581.9068
www.seatuck.org
A must see in Islip is this fabulous nature center which includes hikes and a fabulous preschool program and other programs for older children.
Sweetbriar Nature Center
62 Eckernkamp Dr•Smithtown•631.979.9233
www.sweetbriarnc.org
Amazing Nature Center featuring Long Island’s only living Butterfly exhibit, excellent Birthday parties & children’s programs, nature traiuls, rainforest room, and more.
Canoe Rentals
www.canoerentals.com
Located in Kings Park and Smithtown, this local company provides expert canoe & kayak rentals for a fun family event. Check their on-line calendar for optimal times.
Amusement:
Q-Zar Laser Tag
151 Voice Rd • Carle Place • 516.877.7200
www.qzarny.com
The most technologically advanced laser game ever seen
Bowlmor/Strike
New Hyde Park • 516.354.1222
http://bowlmor.com/location_info.php?id=2
Retro style 27 lanes, with glow-in-the-dark bowling, an arcade, and an indoor electric go-cart track
Speed Zone Raceway and Hobbies
937 Montauk Hwy • Oakdale • 631.472.2288
www.speedzonehobbies.com
Slot car racing
Port Jefferson Raceway
1075 Portion Road • Farmingville• 631.696.7721
http://www.portjeffraceway.com/
Slot car racing
Long Island Ducks
3 Court House Dr • Central Islip • 631.940.DUCK
www.liducks.com
Family friendly professional baseball. Check out the Vytra kids club
Belmont Park
Elmont (border of Nassau/Queens) • 516.488.6000
http://www.nyra.com/Belmont/GeneralInformation/Kids/Kids.shtml
Sunday is Family Fun Day at Belmont, with face painting, pony rides, a petting zoo, inflatable rides and live music. It's all free! In addition there is a state of the art children's playground, and duck pond.
Splish Splash
2549 Splish Splash Drive Riverhead • 631.727.3600
www.splishsplashlongisland.com
Splish Splash has 96 exciting acres of total fun for the whole family
River Head Raceway
1797 Old Country Road • Riverhead • 631.842.RACE
http://www.riverheadraceway.com
Auto racing on the east end is what makes Long Island unique!
Activities:
A.C. Moore (Holbrook, Hauppauge)
www.acmoore.com
Free make and take projects for kids.
Home Depot Kid’s Workshop
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView?pn=Kids_Workshops&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Kid workshops are free “How-To-Clinics” designed for children ages 5-12. The workshops are offered on the first Saturday of each month between 9:00 a.m. and noon at all Home Depot stores.
Lowe’s Build & Grow Clinics
https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com
Register online for monthly children’s programs<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p>
Michael’s (The Knack)
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/static?page=kids_events
Offers fun in-store events and activities for kids and their families to enjoy. Saturday’s starting at 10.00.
Port Jefferson Maritime
500 feet beyond Danford's Inn on left • Port Jefferson • 631.331.3277
http://www.childrensmaritimemuseum.org/
A hands on exhibit for young children to actively learn and explore in a maritime theme. Open weekends only.
Long Island Children’s Museum
11 Davis Avenue • Garden City • 516.224.5800
www.LICM.com
Located in Garden City, this institution is worth a trip.
Gingerbread University
3225 Sound Avenue • Riverhead • 631.727.7309
www.Gingerbreaduniversity.com
At this one hour gingerbread decorating workshops children & adults can build & decorate their very own ginger bread house!
Long Island Puppet Theater & Museum
10 Heitz Place • Hicksville • 516.932.5469
www.lipuppet.com
To Inspire Children Of All Ages Trough Beauty, Art, Music, Culture And The Magic of Live Theatre!
The Railroad Museum of Long Island
Griffing Avenue at the Tracks • Riverhead • 631-727-7920
www.rmli.org
Established in 1990, the Railroad Museum of Long Island is Dedicated to the restoration, preservation and interpretation of the history and artifacts pertaining to the railroads which participated in the growth of Long Island, its communities and industries for the entertainment, edification, and good of present and future generations.
Other Websites:
Kideo
www.kideo.com
Fun site that allows you to add your child’s photo to popular character shows such as Spiderman, Care Bears, Barney, Arthur & more.
Free Kids Crafts.com
www.freekidscrafts.com
Site provides daily fun children’s crafts.
Fun on LI
www.discoverlongisland.com
Not just for tourist, this site provides excellent resources including a fabulous
- NUMBER1EXPERT 
