DECEMBER 2017 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 75
DESTINATIONS
Port Jefferson hosts its own annual
boat race series — the Village Cup
Regatta — with proceeds benefiting
cancer research.
But that’s just the beginning of the
village’s many charms. Other perennial
Port Jefferson draws include:
The Back and Forth
Port Jefferson is a bustling Long
Island ferry port, which means
there’s a constant flow of passengers
departing and arriving, especially
during summer months. For a
quick and easy trip across the Long
Island Sound to Connecticut (and
vice versa), the Bridgeport & Port
Jefferson Steamboat Company
(102 West Broadway, 888-443-3779,
88844ferry.com) has multiple trips
available per day. Arrive early and
grab a bite at one of the neighboring
eateries while you wait.
Arts & Culture
Port Jefferson is the kind of venerable
waterfront community that
screams maritime history, and an
informative and engaging overview
of that heritage — primarily geared
toward kids — can be found at the
Maritime Explorium (101 East
Broadway, 631-331-3277, maritimeexplorium.
org) overlooking the
harbor. It offers hands-on exhibits
devoted to the historical, scientific
and artistic aspects of the area’s
seagoing past and the Long Island
Sound’s unique ecosystem, where
children can learn at their own
pace through playful experimentation.
There are also several exhibits
devoted to emerging nanotechnologies
and their application to
oceangoing life and industry.
You can also step back in time at
the Mather House Museum (115
Prospect St., 631-473-2665, portjeffhistorical.
org/the-matherhouse),
the former home of the
Mather family, circa 1840 to 1860,
who were prominent shipbuilders
in the area. The museum complex
includes the Mather House, featuring
period furnishings, fine and
decorative art, model ship hulls and
an early kitchen, as well as the Craft
House & Museum Shop, the Country
Store, the Marine Barn and Sail
Loft, the Tool Shed and the Thomas
Jefferson Perennial Garden. The
museum is open Wednesday to
Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m., from
May 27 to Oct. 8. A docent guided
tour is available for the main museum
and complex buildings.
For theatergoers, local theater
is alive local theater is alive and
well in Port Jefferson at Theatre
Three (412 Main St., 631-928-9100,
theatrethree.com), which presents
a wide range of performances
through its Mainstage, Second
Stage, Cabaret and Children’s
Theatre productions. It also hosts
Friday Night Faceoff, Long Island’s
longest-running improv troupe, as
well as its Dramatic Academy, offering
three instructional semesters
each year, plus a diverse summer
concert series. Upcoming performances
include A Christmas Carol,
I Hate Hamlet and 12 Angry Men
on the Mainstage, and Barnaby
Saves Christmas, Rapunzel: The
Untold Story! and The Adventures
of Peter Rabbit in the Children’s
Theatre.
Drink Me
Strolling through the village can
make you work up a terrific thirst,
but luckily Port Jefferson offers
several renowned watering holes
where you can duck in for a frosty
pint and maybe even some grub,
if the mood hits you. Start with
the Port Jeff Brewing Company
(22 Mill Creek Rd., 877-475-2739,
portjeffbrewing.com), which uses
a seven-barrel system to produce
217 gallons (about 86 cases) of
remarkable beer per brew. The tasting
room is open all year, serving
up tasting flights, pints and beer
to go, poured from 11 taps that
change daily (check the website for
the day’s selections). The brewery
also hosts a free summer concert
series every Wednesday night June
through August.
You also can’t go wrong at the Tara
Inn (1519 Main St., 631-828-5987) a
bona fide Port Jeff classic adored for
its friendly atmosphere, reasonable
prices and massive food portions.
In a world of increasingly foofoo
fanciness, bask in Tara’s simple oldschool
charm while ordering from
its menu, displayed on chalkboards
and paper plates hung on the wall.
There’s no takeout offered, no substitutions
or special orders allowed,
and no credit cards accepted. Deal
with it.
If you prefer vino to suds, you don’t
need to trek all the way out to the
East End for winetasting, thanks
to the Pindar Vineyards Port
Jefferson Wine Store (117 Main St.,
631-331-7070, pindar.net), featuring
a range of the winery’s incredibly
popular varietals and seasonal
wines. For just $10 you can sample
five different wines, or if you’d like
a souvenir, too, toss in an extra
buck ($11 total) and you can keep
the glass. The shop also sells wines
produced by its sister winery Duck
Walk Vineyards, although those
labels aren’t available for tasting.
Be sure to check out the special
seasonal mulled wine, which is only
offered during the winter.
Brain Teasers
The proliferation of “escape rooms”
throughout the region has reached
the shores of Port Jeff, too, where
there are two options for cramped,
mind-melting fun: Hour Escape
(1303 Main St., 631-403-3030,
hourescapeportjeff.com) and
Know Escape (1518 Main St., 631-
241-1239, knowescapeportjefferson.
com). Hour Escape offers two
different escape scenarios: Café Lorenzo,
a mafia-themed challenge set
in an Italian restaurant; and Exit
Protocol, a hacker-themed setting
in which you must locate classified
documents in a top-secret government
facility. Know Escape, meanwhile,
takes a somewhat different
approach, with one mystery spread
throughout three rooms that teams
must navigate. The current scenario
there is called Sunderland Hollow,
and focuses on the bizarre, chilling
events in a mysterious town.
Shopper’s Haven
High-end olive oil shops have
become a burgeoning trend on
Long Island and elsewhere, and
Port Jeff hasn’t been left out of the
bread-dipping frenzy. The Amazing
Olive (213 Main St., 631-509-
4596, amazingolive.com), which
also has a shop in Patchogue, is
celebrating its five-year anniversary
in Port Jeff, and from the looks of
things, there are many more years
of gourmet goodness ahead. The
shop carries the finest extra virgin
olive oils, vinegars, herbs, salts,
rubs and seasonings in the area,
perfect for luxurious gifts or your
Danfords Hotel in Port Jefferson also operates a spa and marina in the heart of the village.