Sometimes people who are not from Long Island or New York get the wrong idea of the people who live there and what the area is like. Many people think that the people are rude and snobby and that Long Island is like a city, when in reality there are farms, small towns, beaches, etc.

If someone visiting Long Island were to ask me where I would suggest going to, I would say Montauk, Mattituck, The Hamptons, New York City, Fire Island, and Kings Park.

Montauk is also referred to as “The End” because it’s all the way at the end of the Long Island. If you and your family and or friends wanted to go camping for a few days they have camp sites right on the beach. The most famous camp site is Hither Hills.

 Whether you make a day trip to Montauk or your camping there, there are many little shops and restaurants there that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.

I have been there twice. Once with two friends and one of their families to camp at Hither Hills for a few days, and the second time I had gone with my boyfriend for the day. We went shopping and went to John’s Drive Inn for lunch and Gosman’s restaurant for dinner.

Mattituck and The Hamptons are known for its vineyards and local shops. Some of the vineyards in these towns are Channing Daughters Winery, Duck Walk Vineyard, Macari Vineyard, and Shinn Estate Vineyards and Farmhouse. Going to one of these towns would be a good day trip if you wanted to go shopping and to eat at a local restaurant.

New York City has so much action going on and is only a train ride away. One of my favorite things in the city is The Highline which is a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets and is nearly two miles long.

Another one of my favorite things is Madame Tussauds Wax Museum which has hundreds of wax figures of famous stars and athletes. I also like to see Broadway or a comedy shows.

Fire Island is a small strip of land about four miles off the shore of Long Island and is about nine-and-a-half miles long. The two main ways of getting there are driving, or taking a personal boat. The most popular things to do and see there are the lighthouse, the beaches and one of the restaurants there.     

Personally out of the few places you can go to on Fire Island, Kismet is my favorite for a few reasons. One is because the lighthouse is there and you can go to the top of it and enjoy the view. Or you could go to the museum to see the history of Fire Island or shop at the little store they have there.

 Another reason to go is to visit the little personal beach because the view is beautiful, the sand is pink and soft and it is extremely peaceful.

Kings Park is well-known for its abandoned psychiatric hospital. The psychiatric hospital was open from 1885 to 1996 and with the closing of the facility, the remaining patients were either released or transferred to Pilgrim Psychiatric Center in Brentwood, Long Island. Not everyone goes in the buildings, but they go to learn the history of the hospital. I went once but never went inside any of the buildings. The most popular buildings people go to see are buildings 93, 21, 22, 7, 41, 42, and 43.

Besides the places I’ve talked about, there are so many other places to visit. These are just some of the places I suggest going to if anyone decides to visit Long Island.