OCTOBER 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 73
MORE THAN JUST SHELLFISH
to September, and features dazzling
collections of furnishings, paintings,
stained glass and decorative
arts.
And to delve even further back
into Oyster Bay history, stop in at the
Raynham Hall Museum (20 West
Main St., 516-922-6808, raynhamhallmuseum.
org), ancestral home
of the Townsend family, including
Robert, who was a spy in George
Washington’s Culper Ring during the
American Revolution. The home was
purchased by Robert’s father Samuel
around 1740 and expanded, later being
named Raynham Hall by Samuel’s
grandson, Solomon, during a mid-19th
century renovation. In the 1940s the
front of the house was restored to its
colonial appearance; today it boasts
an exceptional collection of archives
and artifacts of interest, including
5,000 items of furniture, works of
art, household accessories, tableware,
cookware, textiles, costumes, toys
and games.
ENGINE POWERED
In Oyster Bay, manmade creations
of steel and machinery are revered
alongside the hamlet’s historical
and architectural leanings. Singer/
pianist Billy Joel, a longtime Long
Island resident and Oyster Bay denizen,
transformed his phenomenal
personal motorcycle collection into
the museum 20th Century Cycles
(101 Audrey Ave., 20thcenturycycles.
com), where visitors can view 75-plus
vintage bikes — some quite rare — all
owned by Joel. The space is also used
for the ongoing restoration and
customization of some of the motorcycles.
Who knows, you might even
bump into the Piano Man himself.
Or, if four wheels are more your
speed, there’s the Collector Car
Showcase (85 Pine Hollow Rd., 516-
802-5297, collectorcarshowcase.com),
an automotive museum and sales
showroom that specializes in more
than 70 years of Porsche history. The
museum also has a vintage BMW 507,
Mercedes Benz 300SL, VW Bus and
other rare non-Porsche vehicles also
on display. There is also a complete
car-care center located onsite, so you
can get your oil changed or car detailed
while you browse the free exhibits.
Train fans aren’t forgotten in Oyster
Bay, either. For a comprehensive
look at the history and importance
of locomotive technology, and its
impact on life on Long Island, spend
some time at the Oyster Bay Railroad
Museum (102 Audrey Ave., 516-558-
7036, obrm.org), located near the
historic Oyster Bay Railroad Station
and Turntable, where a permanent
museum will be opened in the future.
PRESS BUZZ: DESTINATIONS
The current interim center offers
selected displays from the museum’s
collection, exhibits outlining plans
for the future museum, and a gift shop
stocked with rail-themed goodies.
SIMPLE BEAUTY
With all those historic and motorized
spots to visit, don’t forget to
also amply enjoy Oyster Bay’s best
natural feature: its waterfront. A
great starting point in that spirit is
The Waterfront Center (1 West End
Ave., 516-922-7245, thewaterfrontcenter.
org), which offers kayak, sailboat
and stand-up paddle board rentals,
pleasure cruises and a wide range
of educational and junior programs,
including sailing lessons for various
levels of expertise.
You can also stroll along the Oyster
Bay waterfront and maybe even catch
a special event in Theodore Roosevelt
Memorial Park and Beach (25
West End Ave., 516-624-6202), which
is also the annual site of the Oyster
Festival. The former marsh, once
used as a dump and riddled with
dilapidated shacks, was transformed
into a popular public space in the
late 1920s and donated to the town
in 1942. It features walking paths, a
marina, picnic areas, tennis courts, a
softball field, children’s play area, and
the Theodore Roosevelt Monument
Assemblage, with 24 stones and a
plaque that each tell a “chapter” in
Roosevelt’s life story.
T.R.’s name also graces another of
Oyster Bay’s natural treasures: the
15-acre Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary
and Audubon Center (134
Cove Rd., 516-922-3200, dec.ny.gov/
outdoor/84505.html), which started
out as the first Audubon songbird
sanctuary in the nation. Today it
offers a wide variety of activities, including
environmental and conservation
education, wildlife research,
and more, while serving as home
to 15 raptors such as hawks, owls,
falcons and a vulture, as well as reptiles
and amphibians from around
the globe. Explore the nature center
and hiking trails, the latter of which
are popular for birdwatching. An
avid outdoorsman, T.R. would’ve
likely given the sanctuary — and
the greater Oyster Bay of today — an
emphatic “bully.”
Children assist in Tree Planting
Ceremony at Arbor Day Celebration
at Planting Fields Arboretum in
Oyster Bay NY on April 29, 2012.
(Shutterstock)
OYSTER BAY BREWING
CO. OVERFLOWS WITH
SUCCESS
A few miles from Theodore
Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill home,
in the heart of downtown Oyster
Bay, is a brewery that would satisfy
the thirst of Teddy’s Rough Riders.
Oyster Bay Brewing Co., founded
in 2012 by longtime friends Gabe
Haim and Ryan Schlotter, opened
with a 1,400-square-foot space on
South Street that barely housed a
3-barrel brewing system and small
tasting area. Word quickly spread
and the tasting area started to
overflow with visitors. It reached
a tipping point after the founders,
both lifelong Islanders fans,
brewed a special beer in 2015 for
the Islanders’ last season at Nassau
Coliseum.
“We named it ‘Barn Rocker’ after
the nickname for the coliseum,”
said Haim. “We couldn’t keep up
with demand.”
The crisp, lightly hopped ale
helped make Oyster Bay Brewing
a household name among Islander
fans and craft beer fans across
Long Island. It proved so popular
that the Islanders requested it the
next year at their new home at
Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Haim and Schlotter needed to
expand. In 2016, they moved to a
6,000-square-foot space on Audrey
Avenue. The new space has ample
room for a 15-barrel brewing system
and a spacious tasting room.
It invested in canning equipment
and new fermentation tanks that
increased production by more
than half.
Oyster Bay Brewing Co. is located
at 36 Audrey Avenue in Oyster Bay.
They can be reached at 516-802-
5546 or oysterbaybrewing.com.
-Bernie Kilkelly
WHERE TO DINE
Wild Honey
1 E. Main St., 516-922-4690, wildhoneyrestaurant.
com
Canterbury’s Oyster Bar & Grill
46 Audrey Ave., 516-922-3614,
canterburysobg.com
Coach Grill & Tavern
22 Pine Hollow Rd., 516-624-
0900, coachgrillandtavern.com
Taby’s Burger House
28 Audrey Ave., 516-624-7781,
tabysburgerhouse.food93.com
Bonanza’s
25 Shore Ave., 516-922-7796, bonanzasitalianices.
com
2 Spring
2 Spring St., 516-624-2411,
2springstreet.com
Sweet Tomato
91 Audrey Ave., 516-802-5353,
mysweettomato.com
Autentico
124 South St., 516-922-2212, autenticooysterbay.
com
The Homestead
107 South St., 516-922-9293, thehomesteadny.
com
Pietro’s Brick Oven Pizza
342 Lexington Ave., 516-922-
2023, pietrosbrickovenpizzaoysterbay.
com