NYC Daytrip: Oyster Bay
Oyster Bay is the name of a town with a charming, walkable Main Street, and it is also the name of a gorgeous body of water. The bay is so beautiful that Billy Joel, who could call anyplace home, has chosen to live on Oyster Bay’s Centre Island — in a $33 million estate with a magnificent view of the water. Since we love all things water, let’s start with how you too can enjoy the beautiful bay. Whether you want to spend your day in a beach chair — soaking up the sun and reading a book — or out on the water in a kayak, sailboat, or stand up paddle board, your best bet is to head for…
The WaterFront Center
1 West End Avenue
The WaterFront Center is a non-profit organization whose goal is to help more people enjoy the beautiful waters of Oyster Bay. You can drive there, or take the Long Island Railroad to the Oyster Bay stop, which is just a pretty, 5-minute walk from the beach. (Directions for both modes of transportation are below.) You can happily spend the day soaking up the sun on the beach here, breaking up your time relaxing with a walk into nearby downtown Oyster Bay for lunch or a stroll. If you like to get out on the water, the WaterFront Center offers kayak, sailboat, and stand up paddle board rentals. If you don’t have sailing certification, you can also rent a boat staffed by a licensed captain for a day. You can also take a harbor, or sunset, cruise aboard the Christeen, the oldest oyster sloop in America. (The ship is actually a National Historic Landmark!) The harbor sail shows you wildlife, landmarks and magnificent homes.
Tip: Make sure to bring sand shoes, or flip flops. The beach is very rocky and full of shells.
If you have kids, note that there are no lifeguards are on duty. However, as long as you keep an eye on them, your little ones can frolic in the water (it is very calm) and use nets to catch various forms of marine life. As one little boy aptly proclaimed at low tide, “Look! It’s minnow city!”
Recommendation: The WaterFront Center has an excellent summer sailing camp. We know several people who drove their kids out here from Manhattan every weekday, so that their kids could learn to sail here.
Parking: The parking lot is for town residents only, although enforcement of that is seemingly nonexistent. You can park for free in the lot directly across from the Waterfront Center office, as well as at the Oyster Bay train station, which is just down the road. (You will see the train station lot just before you turn onto West End Avenue.)
Theodore Roosevelt Beach
This public beach is a 3 minute walk east of the WaterFront Center. There is a food concession; public restrooms; outdoor showers, a nice playground, and basketball courts. Fishing is allowed just a bit east of the bathing beach. Parking is for residents only, but anyone is allowed onto the beach.
Downtown Oyster Bay
Downtown Oyster Bay is an easy walk from the WaterFront Center. Walking through the town, you will feel like you have stepped onto the set of Gilmore Girls. Life, somehow, feels like it moves at a slower pace here and you will soon find yourself smiling for no reason. Make sure to check out:
Billy Joel’s private motorcycle collection at 20th Century Cycles. (101 Audrey Ave.)
The piano man houses his private motorcycle collection at 20th Century Cycles and allows the public to come in and view it for free. See Joel talk about the space and his collection here.
The Italian ices at Bonanza’s (25 Shore Ave.), a takeout-only, corner hot dog shack, Sure, they sell hotdogs, but most people of the people you will inevitably see waiting on line there have come for the Italian ices.
Have dinner at 2 Spring. One of my favorite anniversary celebrations ever involved having dinner at this stylish, modern restaurant (best scallops ever). After we finished dinner and walked outside, we were surprised to find people — LOTS of people — literally dancing in the street. Turned out this was a town-sponsored event appropriately called “Dancing in the Street” — that is held throughout the summer. We joined the dancing and it was SO MUCH FUN!.
Waterfront dining
Wall’s Wharf is located directly on the beach. There is an outdoor deck as well as some tables set up on a wooden platform. (On busy evenings we’ve even seen the waiters set up tables directly on the sand!) Dinner here will snag you a fabulous view of the sunset over Long Island Sound. The Greek-speaking men who frequently—and successfully—surf cast here add to the feeling that you are somewhere far, far away from New York City. The bread is delicious, the drinks are good, the food is just so-so but with a view and ambience like this, who cares? 18 Greenwich Ave., Bayville, NY.
The Crescent Beach Club. This elegant catering hall has an upscale restaurant, as well as a casual, less expensive outdoor bar and grill. 333 Bayville Ave., Bayville, NY.
Souvlaki Place is a very casual Greek eatery located across the street from Ransom Beach on Long Island Sound. Parking at the beach is for town residents only, but you can park on the street, buy a gyro and a greek salad, and walk directly across the street to eat at a waterfront picnic table. The sunsets here are spectacular and the huge gyros are among the best in the New York area. The owner of this restaurant is always on the premises. He really cares about his business and his customers, and it shows. 14 Bayville Ave., Bayville, NY.
The Clam Bar at Bridge Marina. You’ll sit right by the water and watch oyster boats bring in their catch of the day. 40 Ludlam Ave, Bayville NY 11709.
Other places to eat:
Christina’s Epicure (1015 Oyster Bay Rd in East Norwich) is a great place to pick up picnic provisions for your day at the beach.
Jericho Cider Mill. (213 Oyster Bay Rd in Jericho) Famous for its donuts and ice cream.
Nearby attractions:
Billy Joel’s house. 502 Centre Island Rd. Joel is a native Long Islander and this magnificent estate, called MiddleSea, is his full-time residence. (He also owns a vacation home on Bay Street in Sag Harbor.)
The Americana outdoor shopping mall located along Miracle Mile is Manhasset’s version of Rodeo Drive. 2060 Northern Blvd., Manhasset, NY.
Sagamore Hill was the summer home of Theodore Roosevelt. This national historic site was the “Summer White House” from 1902 to 1909. Open 7 days a week from 10 am to 4 pm, except Thanksgiving, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. There is a fee for a tour of the house, but a visit to the grounds is free. 20 Sagamore Hill Road, Oyster Bay, NY.
Bayville Adventure Park, has miniature golf, fantastic climbing apparatus,, arcade games, and ice cream. If you have young children, nothing could be better on a summer evening. 8 Bayville Ave., Bayville, NY.
Youngs Farm. (91 Hegemans Lane, Old Brookville.)
We love the charming store at this beautiful, family-run farm. In addition to produce, it sells prepared foods and a large assortment of breads and other baked goods, (Their cherry pie is amazing.) We like to make this our first stop on the way to Oyster Bay. If you put the Waterfront Center into your GPS after stopping at Youngs, you will get to Oyster Bay via some gorgeous backroads lined with Gold Coast mansions. It is a lovely way to start a lovely day.
Text and photos by Irene Daria