78 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • MARCH 2018 78 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2017 78 LONGISLANDPRESS.CO M • SEPTEMBER 201-----------TUTU111
DESTINATIONS
Farmingdale: Long Island’s hub for food, fun, flight
By BRENDAN MANLEY
Farmingdale has long served as
one of Long Island’s key “hub”
destinations, first for rail and
stagecoach travel, and later, for all
things aviation, bringing with it a
steady stream of visitors.
Countless businesses have sprung
up over the years, making the
greater Farmingdale area a
perennial hot spot for dining,
retail and entertainment. A cruise
down the Route 110 corridor —
especially if you’re headed to the
movies or Adventureland — is a
quintessential part of the Long
Island experience.
“Farmingdale has something
for everyone,” says Dave Saul, a
spokesman for Farmingdale village.
“There’s a historic Long Island
Rail Road station, a thriving Main
Street with all types of dining and
entertainment, and we cherish
our Village Green, where during
the summer you can relax and
enjoy music by the Village Pops, or
bring the family to enjoy a classic
‘Movie on the Green.’ We also have
great outside activities, like Music
on Main and Cultural Arts Day,
parades down Main Street, great
shopping, our own breweries and
speakeasy, and we’re just minutes
away from the famous Black
Course at Bethpage State Park.”
The region was settled in 1687 by
Thomas Powell, who acquired 15
square miles from three native
tribes in 1695 in a deal known as
the Bethpage Purchase. Developer
Ambrose George built a general
store and acquired substantial
acreage in what was called
Hardscabble in 1841. He renamed
it Farmingdale and that moniker
was then cemented in 1841 when
LIRR service began at a stop named
Farmingdale on the Greenport line.
The Village of Farmingdale was
incorporated in 1904, the future
Republic Airport was born in 1927
and Bethpage State Park opened
in 1932, and Farmingdale has kept
growing ever since.
These days, there’s truly no
shortage of reasons to spend some
quality time in Farmingdale,
whether for food, fun, furniture,
or higher education. Some of our
favorite Farmingdale hangouts
include:
Farmingdale classics
For those that grew up on
LI, Farmingdale is basically
synonymous with Adventureland
(2245 Broadhollow Rd., 631-694-
6868, adventureland.us), the classic
amusement park you can’t help but
gaze at nostalgically every time you
pass it on Route 110. Since 1962,
Adventureland has been the go-to
place for local roller coaster riders,
and there’s still plenty to love about
this local gem. In addition to classic
favorites like the Pirate Ship, Wave
Swing and Bumper Cars, this
spring the park will debut its new
two-story Mystery Mansion ride,
replacing the 10-year-old Ghost
House. Adventureland opens again
for the season on March 24.
“We’re creating a happy place for
generations of family fun,” says
Steve Gentile, the general manager
at Adventureland. “We’re creating
memories.”
Another Farmingdale institution
that gives the village its unique
character is the historic Republic
Airport, a smaller regional field
now mostly used for private
flights and flying schools, but
also home to the American
Air Power Museum (1230 New
Hwy., Hangar 3, 631-293-6398,
americanairpowermuseum.com),
which houses numerous heritage
aircraft, many of which still fly. The
museum is especially noteworthy
Adventureland in Farmingdale is Long Island’s longest-running amusement park.
Village Pops Children’s Concert in Farmingdale.