NOVEMBER 2017 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 55
Wide Open Spaces
Aside from enjoying just the
simple, natural beauty of Rockville
Centre’s Tanglewood Preserve,
the park is also home to The
Center For Science Teaching And
Learning (450 Tanglewood Road,
516-764-0045, cstl.org), which offers
a range of educational activities
and special events for kids and
families. The center offers a yearround
live animal exhibit, featuring
birds, mammals, reptiles,
amphibians and invertebrates, in
a more intimate and interactive
setting than your standard zoo.
There’s even an outdoor butterfly
and hummingbird garden, which
you can explore in addition to
the preserve’s 17 acres of ponds,
streams, forests and walking trails.
Don’t miss the Sunday Science
program for kids, held two Sundays
per month from November
through March.
Another nearby bastion of precious
natural tranquility is Hempstead
Lake State Park (Lakeside Dr., 516-
766-1029, parks.ny.gov/parks/31),
located at the village’s western edge.
This well-equipped multi-use recreation
area offers 20 tennis courts,
basketball courts, children’s playgrounds,
bridle trails for horseback
riding, biking and hiking trails,
shady picnic areas and a historic,
hand-carved wooden carousel.
There is also a picnic pavilion,
available for hosting large parties.
There are three bodies of water
where fishing is permitted: Hempstead
Lake – the largest lake in
Nassau County – McDonald Pond
and South Pond, all stocked with
trout, as well as wild species like
largemouth bass, chain pickerel,
black crappie, perch, tiger muskies,
carp and sunfish. Dogs are permitted,
on a leash, in a designated
dog-walk area.
Arts & Entertainment
Rockville Centre’s Molloy College
isn’t just a pillar of learning in the
area; it’s also a strong supporter of
local arts and entertainment, with
the Madison Theatre at Molloy
College (1000 Hempstead Ave.,
516-323-4444, madisontheatreny.
org) serving as the linchpin. The
six-year-old, 550-seat theater
regularly hosts a wide range of
top-flight performers and artists,
including notables from the worlds
of theatre, music, dance, cabaret
and comedy. Upcoming events
include the 50+ Comedy Tour, The
Rockville Centre Guild for the
Arts/Leggz Ltd. NUTCRACKER,
Billboard Live’s New Year’s Eve
Concert, Sleeping Beauty (ballet)
and jazz icon John Pizzarelli, who
turns up in February.
One of the larger entertainment
trends sweeping the nation is the
rise of “escape rooms,” where you
and a group of friends are (willingly)
locked in an environment
where teamwork, problem-solving
and good old-fashioned ingenuity
are required in order to secure your
freedom. (At least, in the allotted
amount of time.) Rockville Centre
is home to one of the three local
area Challenge Escape Rooms
locations (203 Sunrise Hwy, 516-
888-0202, challengeescaperooms.
com) featuring three different
themed rooms: The Art Gallery,
The Game Room and The Virus.
Each room accommodates groups
of up to 10 people and makes for an
interactive, often head-scratching
experience.
It’s crucial now more than ever to
support local, independent bookstores,
and you won’t have any
complaints about doing your literary
part at Turn of the Corkscrew,
Books & Wine (110 N. Park Ave.,
516-764-6000, turnofthecorkscrew.
com), owned by Borders Books
expatriates Carol Hoenig and
Peggy Zieran. The shop features an
extensive wine list of small-batch
vintages you can enjoy while leisurely
reading in the store, as well
as a café serving light meals and
snacks. Turn of the Corkscrew also
holds special events like concerts,
talks, readings and book signings,
helping to foster community and
culture in the village.
RVC after dark
Finally, Rockville Centre offers
plenty of options for kicking
back with a cocktail or pint and
some fine grub after a busy Long
Island day. Try Monaghan’s Bar
& Restaurant (48 N Village Ave.,
516-764-6372) for a touch of the
Irish; sample the seafood chowder
topped with puff pastry, the
Monaghan’s Shepherd’s Pie and
the lobster quesadilla, washed
down with a tall Guinness, or if
you’re really adventurous, a mug of
hot port. Another popular Celtic
watering hole right next door is
Cannon’s Blackthorn (49 N Village
Ave., 516-594-1222, cannonsblackthornli.
com), recent winner
of “Best Buffalo Wings” at the 2017
DESTINATIONS
Scenic Tanglewood Preserve contains The Center for Science Teaching
and Learning.
Bigelow’s fried clams and seafood offer an unsurpassed taste of RVC.
St. Agnes Cathedral was built in 1935 to mirror Norman Gothic designs.