MARCH 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 79
DESTINATIONS
Stew Leonard’s, “The Disney of Dairy Stores,”
opened its first Long Island location to rave
reviews in Farmingdale two years ago.
for its deep collection of World War
II planes, and hosts multiple special
events and airshows throughout
the year. And for the truly
intrepid, there are even special ride
experiences, where you can see
firsthand what it was like to fly in
some of the museum’s legendary
warbirds.
You might also find yourself
visiting Farmingdale to tour
Farmingdale State College (2350
Broadhollow Rd., 631-420-2000,
farmingdale.edu), a.k.a. “SUNY
Farmingdale,” which seems to
expand by leaps and bounds each
year. The tech-focused college
provides weekly tours of its 380-
acre campus on Tuesdays and
Thursdays at 3 p.m., with stops at
the new student activities building,
campus center and bookstore,
academic buildings, residence hall,
Nold Hall Athletic Complex and
Greenley Hall Library. Special tours
of the Aviation Center are also
available.
Fun, food & drink
A popular Farmingdale hangout
for food, drinks and conversation
is the Library Café (274 Main
St., 516-752-7678, lessings.com),
housed in the former Farmingdale
Public Library Main Street Branch
building. Patrons flock there for the
unique ambiance, but inevitably
fall for the upscale pub fare and
creative mixology, featuring
cocktails named for famous authors
and books. And don’t worry, the
village still has an actual library,
too: The current Farmingdale
Public Library has stood at 116
Merritts R.d since 1994 (516-249-
9090, farmingdalelibrary.org).
Some beer aficionados simply can’t
get enough choices, and that’s
where the venerable Farmingdale
hangout Croxley’s Ale House (190
Main St., 516-293-7700, croxley.
com/farmingdale) truly shines.
The pub offers a dizzying array
of 51 brews on tap and another
33 varieties available in bottles
in cans, as well as a full menu of
mouth-watering food options, from
wings and mussels to burgers and
sandwiches, to shepherd’s pie. They
even do Sunday brunch, so start
early and maybe you’ll be able to
drink your way through a fraction
of Croxley’s suds.
Off of Main Street, one of the few
brew pubs on Long Island calls
Farmingdale home. Black Forest
Brew Haus (2015 New Hwy., 631-
391-9500, blackforestbrewhaus.
com) features an extensive menu of
German delicacies of both the food
and beverage varieties. They also
regularly host live music, dualing
pianos and host a month-long
Oktoberfest party.
Farmingdale is such a hub for
commerce these days, it’s even
home to one of just two of the
Island Stew Leonard’s locations
(261 Airport Plaza, 516-962-8210,
stewleonards.com). The famed New
England grocery store chain —
born from a small dairy business
— offers the antidote to the
massive supermarket experience,
carrying only 2,200 items, “chosen
specifically for their freshness,
quality and value,” according to the
company, as opposed to traditional
supermarkets, which sell an average
of 30,000 various products. Enjoy
a fresh-made Maine lobster roll,
or sample the vast cheese selection
and fantastic ice cream, both made
with milk from Stew’s own legion
of prized cows.
Active pursuits
There are also great options for
working off all that food and
drink. Although a good portion of
it is located in Old Bethpage, the
1,477-acre Bethpage State Park (99
Quaker Meeting House Rd., 516-
249-0700, parks.ny.gov/parks/108)
is officially part of Farmingdale. It
is best known for its five world-class
golf courses, including the legendary
Bethpage Black Course, which
hosted the U.S. Open Championship
in 2002 and 2009. The park is
also highly popular for its picnic
facilities, playing fields, tennis
courts, bridle paths and hiking,
biking and cross-county skiing
trails. In addition, the park offers a
restaurant and catering facilities, a
golf pro shop and a driving range.
But hey, if a day on the links
sounds too relaxing for you (or
frustrating, depending on your
handicap), you can make those golf
cart riders eat your dust at RPM
Raceway (40 Daniel St., 631-752-
7223, rpmraceway.com), an allelectric
indoor go-kart track and
entertainment complex guaranteed
to satisfy your need for speed.
Drivers of all ages and ability
levels can race state-of-the-art
Italian-made go-karts, including
no-hassle “arrive and drive” races,
group head-to-head racing (by
reservation), leagues and more.
There are even 1-on-1 clinics and
summer camps available for future
racing pros.
And finally, to really travel the
Farmingdale area and beyond
in style, consider joining the
long list of Farmingdale-based
aviators, and take a flying lesson
(or many) at Academy of Aviation
(7150 Republic Airport Main
Terminal, Room 101, 631-777-
7772, academyofaviation.com)
which trains students for private
pilot licenses all the way up to
commercial certifications. It may
cost a few bucks, but soaring
in the air over the Long Island
Expressway — especially during
rush hour — is a sure-fire way to
feel like LI royalty. That’s how they
do it in Farmingdale.
Where to stay
Courtyard Republic Airport
Long Island/Farmingdale
2 Marriott Plaza, 844-631-0595,
marriott.com
TownePlace Suites Republic
Airport Long Island/
Farmingdale
1 Marriott Plaza, 844-631-0595,
marriott.com
Hollywood Motel
400 NY-109, 631-694-7100,
hollywood-motel.com
Where to dine
Vespa Italian Kitchen & Bar
282 Main St., 516-586-8542,
vespaitaliankitchen.com
Vinoco East
223 Main St., 516-927-8070,
vinocoeast.com
Farmingdale Diner
17 Hempstead Tpke, 516-777-
3377
The Rolling Spring Roll Shop
189 Main Street, 516-586-6097,
therollingspringroll.com
Caracara Mexican Grill
354 Main St., 516-777-2272,
RPM Raceway is billed as "America’s ultimate all-electric indoor go-kart and caracaramex.com
entertainment destination."