Headed to the East End of Long Island, there are plenty of family-friendly activities to partake in. Recently, we stayed at Hotel Indigo East End located in Riverhead, New York which is one of the 5 towns that make up The East End. Southhampton, Southold, Shelter Island and East Hampton make up the other 4 towns. This was the first time we had visited Riverhead which for someone who is more familiar with “The Hamptons”, I found it to be centrally located to so many attractions. Check out a few of the activities to keep you and your family active during your stay.
Activities in East End Long Island
Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards
If you are into wine and are looking to visit one of the many Long Island vineyards, then head to Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards, located on Long Island’s North Fork.
Wine lovers can sample three wines for $8 or five for $12. My favorite wines were 2014 Fume Blanc and 2010 Reserve Merlot. One of the reasons I love wine tastings is you really get a sense of what you like and what you don’t like and you realize the difference in a regular merlot versus a reserve which is more expensive and made quite differently.
In addition to the wine tasting, there is live music, lawn games, and a picnic area that you can enjoy bringing your picnic basket while enjoying Osprey’s Dominion wine set against a backdrop of rows and rows of vines from the vineyard.
Fun Fact: the vineyard is named after the osprey birds. I didn’t see any during our visit but I am told they are pretty active in the area.
Garden of Eve Farm & Market
You may be headed to Garden of Eve Farm & Market to pick up organic fruits, vegetables, and flowers but your kids will love all the kid-friendly activities from the hayride to the seeing farm animals like goats and sheep to playing in the bouncy house.
Definitely a nice diversion for younger kids. Garden of Eve Farm is located on the East End of Long Island, where the North Fork wine country begins in Riverhead NY, about 80 miles from New York City.
The Riverhead Ciderhouse
The Riverhead Ciderhouse is located near the Long Island wine region and offers visitors a wide variety of naturally harvested apple ciders ranging from plain apple to flavored ciders like strawberry and raspberry. Of course, there are local wine and beers but you pretty much go for the cider tastings that are served in an 8,000 square foot tasting room. You will love the rustic decor and floor to ceiling fireplaces that make the tastings ever more authentic.
A cider flight consisted of 4 different flavors of your choosing and costs a very affordable $10. My favorite was the Founders Reserve.
And no one should drink on an empty stomach. The must-try food items are the hot piping pretzels and made-to-order guacamole. The guacamole has to be one of the best guacamoles I have ever tasted. The Riverhead Ciderhouse is a great place to hang out with family and friends and enjoy a relaxing afternoon or evening.
Long Island Aquarium
The Long Island Aquarium offers visitors a host of exhibits including one of the largest all living coral reef displays and a 120,000-gallon shark tank. And the sharks are pretty large, so cool! There are stingray touch tanks. Nothing is more engaging for kids than to be able to touch a stingray except a live butterfly exhibit. And don’t miss the daily sea lion show where you will enjoy the star of the show clap and soar through the air entertaining the crowd! The Long Island Aquarium is sure to keep kids of all ages entertained.
Splish Splash Water Park
Splish Splash is New York’s largest water park and is located near Hotel Indigo. Stay cool this summer with two new rides , Riptide Racer and Bombs Away.
And if you are looking for a place to stay that is located near local attractions and the Hamptons, I recommend Hotel Indigo East End in Riverhead.
