AUGUST 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 83
NOT JUST A PLAYGROUND FOR THE RICH
enjoy a little more inland, like at East
Hampton’s LongHouse Reserve (133
Hands Creek Rd, East Hampton, 631-
329-3568, longhouse.org) a 16-acre
garden with lush lawns, ornamental
borders, plant collections and outdoor
sculpture, planned by textile
designer Jack Lenor Larsen, who
assembled a collection of more than
70 sculptures for the gardens.
Some spots are so scenic, they’re
mandatory for all visitors. Moving
closer again to the water’s edge, for
a truly breathtaking view of the
coastline, there’s no substitute for
a jaunt out to LI’s absolute eastern
end, Montauk, where the Montauk
Point Lighthouse (2000 Montauk
Hwy, Montauk, 631-668-2544, montauklighthouse.
com) has welcomed
travelers since 1796, making it the
oldest lighthouse in New York State
and fourth-oldest active lighthouse
in the nation. Its museum, gift shop
and tours round out the experience.
VIBRANT ARTS SCENE
The arts are alive and well in the
Hamptons, too. An anchor for area
development over the past 20 years
is the Westhampton Beach Performing
Arts Center (76 Main Street,
Westhampton Beach, 631-288-1500,
whbpac.org), offering a year-round
program featuring world-class performers,
its World Cinema series and
its arts education program. Upcoming
performances include Josh Ritter
(Aug. 12), Rufus Wainwright (Aug. 18),
Arturo Sandoval (Aug. 19), John Hiatt
& The Goners (Aug. 26), Eddie Izzard
(Sept. 2) and Howie Mandel (Nov. 10).
In Sag Harbor, the Bay Street
Theater (1 Bay St, Sag Harbor, 631-
725-9500, baystreet.org) also offers
year-round entertainment, in its
299-seat venue. In addition to the
mainstage productions, Bay Street
programs include its Comedy Club,
workshops, special events and educational
initiatives, like Literature
Live!, theater workshops and kids
theater camps and classes. The mainstage
will present Evita from July 31
through Aug. 26.
A rapidly rising newcomer is the
Southampton Arts Center (25 Jobs
Ln., Southampton, 631-283-0967,
southamptonartscenter.org), a local
favorite due to its ever-changing
array of exhibits, concerts, films and
special events. Bring the kids for the
popular puppet shows, view special
film screenings and outdoor movie
showings, enjoy exhibitions like
“Counterpoint: Selections from The
Peter Marino Collection” (through
Sept. 23) or get/stay fit at one of its
many wellness workshops. That’s a
lot under one roof.
There’s also art that you can literally
hold in your hand, such as the
exquisite handbags crafted by Judith
Leiber, whose creations are now displayed
in the Leiber Collection (446
Old Stone Hwy, East Hampton, 631-
329-3288, leibermuseum.org) along
with works created and collected by
her husband, Gerson Leiber. The museum
grounds and sculpture garden
are equally eye pleasing.
HISTORICAL HABITATS
There’s long been an allure to the
South Fork, so to immerse oneself
in this rich oceanfront heritage,
start at the Thomas Halsey Homestead
(249 S Main St, Southampton,
631-283-2494), whose namesake
cofounded Southampton in 1640.
Halsey purchased the homestead in
1648; the Halsey House was built by
his son, Thomas Halsey Jr. in 1683, and
a two-room extension was added in
1730. The museum features historic
furnishings indicative of a 1750 farm
family and an exhibit on the native
Shinnecock Tribe, complete with a
recreated Woodland period village.
But to learn still more about the
area’s indigenous Shinnecock Tribe,
don’t skip past the Shinnecock Nation
Cultural Center and Museum
(100 Montauk Hwy, Southampton,
631-287-4923, facebook.com/ShinnecockMuseum),
located on the Shinnecock
Reservation. The museum’s
main building is a log structure
containing Native American artifacts
and exhibits on the Shinnecock and
Woodland Indian cultures, while
an adjoining living history village
conveys 1700s-era life for Woodland
Indians, with tribal members dressed
in period garb and demonstrating aspects
of Native American life before
European settlement.
From there, move ahead by about
a century and visit the Southampton
Historical Museum (17 Meeting
House Ln., Southampton, 631-283-
2494, southamptonhistory.org),
where its Rogers Mansion Museum
Complex — featuring the Greek-revival
Rogers Mansion built in 1843 by
whaling captain Albert Rogers — offers
12 historic buildings focused on
the area’s 19th-century development.
The one-acre campus also contains a
carpenter’s shop, blacksmith shop,
dry goods store, paint shop, one-room
schoolhouse and two barns.
Whaling was such a huge part of
the region’s past, you could spend
hours discovering more about it. If
that strikes your fancy, there’s the
Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical
Museum (200 Main St, Sag Harbor,
631-725-0770, sagharborwhalingmuseum.
org), housed in the 1845 home
of Benjamin Huntting II and family.
Explore the majestic mansion — a
certified National Treasure listed
on the National Register of Historic
Places — as well as its fine collection
of historical objects from the village’s
whaling past, plus contemporary
exhibits reflecting the culture of the
village today.
Finally, for perhaps the most
unique South Fork experience,
continue on your historical journey
further eastward, jumping ahead
yet another century, until you reach
Camp Hero State Park (1898 Montauk
Hwy, Montauk, 631-668-3781,
parks.ny.gov). The park’s 415 wooded
and beachfront acres once held
a U.S. military base long rumored
to be linked to mysterious research
projects and a series of underground
tunnels. Today you can enjoy hiking
trails and world-class surf fishing
there, or explore the ruins of the
base, which still includes bunkers
and massive radar dishes. Like the
South Fork, Camp Hero has something
for everyone — even for us day
trippers.
PRESS BUZZ: DESTINATIONS
WHERE TO STAY
ON THE SOUTH FORK
Aqualina Inn Montauk
20 S. Elmwood Ave, Montauk,
631-688-8300, aqualinainnmontauk.
com
Bowen’s by the Bays
177 W. Montauk Hwy, Hampton
Bays, Southampton, 631-728-1158,
gobowens.com
The Drake Inn
16 Penny Ln, Hampton Bays,
Southampton, 631-728-1592, thedrakeinn.
com
Baron’s Cove
31 West Water St, Sag Harbor,
844-227-6672, baronscove.com
Gansett Green Manor
273 Main St, Amagansett, 631-
267-3133, gansettgreenmanor.com
WHERE TO DINE
ON THE SOUTH FORK
Starr Boggs
6 Parlato Dr, Westhampton
Beach, 631-288-3500, facebook.com/
StarrBoggsRestaurant
1770 House Restaurant
143 Main St, East Hampton,
631-324-1770, 1770house.com/
restaurant
Rumba
43 Canoe Place Rd, Hampton
Bays, Southampton, 631-594-3544,
rumbahamptonbays.com
Cowfish
258 E. Montauk Hwy, Hampton
Bays, Southampton, 631-594-3868,
cowfishrestaurant.com
Harvest on Fort Pond
11 S. Emery St, Montauk, 631-668-
5574, harvestfortpond.com
Westhampton is the gateway to the South Fork.