Instead of blowing up your summer travel budget on one extravagant weekend in the Hamptons , expend this usher to the best free and cheap affair to do on Long Island that wo n’t leave you high and juiceless . From yoga on the beach to shucking your own oysters , check out out these 29 natural process ideas – all for $ 15 or less .
Eat Long Island’s best grilled cheese at theNorth Fork Food Truck
SoutholdThe North Fork Table & Inn ’s hand truck have on a Grown Up Grilled Cheese ( $ 11.50 , plus an special buck for bacon ) with fontina , Taleggio , and marinated mushrooms that will be the highlighting of your weekend .
Bring the kids toCatapano Dairy Farm
PeconicThere ’s nothing like strolling through a sorcerous kin - die hard farm filled with baby goats , llamas , and gymnastic horse to make you block your existential woes . It ’s free to wander the grounds and pet the fauna , but the workshop ’s smart handcraft herbed chèvre ( $ 12 ) pairs well with any wine you ’ll be tasting in the North Fork .
Travel to France atLavender by the Bay
East MarionThis lush lavender field of operations is the closest thing to Provence that New Yorkers have , and it ’s gratuitous to pop up by for a fragrant whiff and a selfie with the almost - French - looking landscape behind you . If you want to foot your own bunch , it ’ll be $ 5 to enter the field .
Pick your own strawberries atWickham’s Fruit Farm
CutchogueExcluding Billy Joel and exorbitant property values , there are at least three affair Long Island is good for : great wine , beautiful beach , and low hanging fruit . savor a beak - your - own outing at Wickham ’s , be it for strawberries in June , cherries in July , blueberry in August , or peaches and apple in the fall ( prices range from $ 4.50-$6.40 per quart container ) .
Indulge in aHarbes ciderdonut
MattituckIf you find yourself on the North Fork – or really , anywhere on Long Island – head to Harbes for the best cyder donut ( $ 1.25 ) you ’ve ever had . Even well , if you arrive early in the dayspring and the fresh ones are n’t quick yet , you may tally a old bag of mean solar day - old ( and dead scrumptious ) donut for free .
Share a pie (or don’t) atPizzetteria Brunetti
Westhampton BeachSkip the pricey lobster rolls and get a whole classical margherita pizza for $ 15 from Pizzetteria Brunetti in Westhampton Beach .
Pedal and pour with awine country bike rental
SoutholdThe sound way to explore the North Fork – and burn off the booze – is on two wheels , and it only costs $ 10 / hr to to cycle between the vines with a Bayview Bike Rental from Eagle ’s Neck Paddling Company .
Cool off atParrish Art Museum
Water MillWhile the façade of this Water Mill museum is itself a oeuvre of art , the East closing - revolutionise display , grade from large - scale of measurement installations to nature - driven photography , are well worth the $ 10 admittance fee .
Get away from it all atLieb Cellars
CutchogueDaily bonfires , live medicine , and a beautiful backcountry setting make the Oregon Road outpost of Lieb Cellars the best place to wine away an afternoon on the North Fork . Take a flight ( $ 12 to $ 20 ) or a glass of the Bridge Lane Rosé ( $ 8) onto the patio , and watch cyclists and the episodic tractor go by .
Put away a pint atGreenport Harbor Brewing
PeconicA trip to the North Fork is n’t consummate without a pint of Summer Ale at the brewery ’s spacious fresh Peconic placement , or a generous flight of eight beer ( $ 10 ) at the original Greenport loft – though a true beer blackguard will undoubtedly do both .
Expand your horizons atMontauk Point Lighthouse
GreenportThis National Historic Landmark ( $ 10 admission charge ) is more than just a with child selfie backcloth . After a free fall at Ditch Plains , step inside the lighthouse , where fascinating demonstrate about wildlife , history , the surroundings and breaker culture are always on point .
Take a hike in theSunken Forest
Fire IslandBoard theSailors Haven / Sunken Forest ferry($13 / roundtrip ) for a slack up stroll under a canopy of 300 - twelvemonth - older tree diagram in a rarefied Maritime Holly Forest that ’s nestled against Fire Island National Seashore ’s most wanted beaches .
Escape to theSunset Beach Hotel
Shelter Island HeightsA glamorous Long Island pickup is well within your compass ; just plunk down $ 5 for a rotund - trip bike ticket on theferry to Shelter Island , where the Sunset Beach hotel and bar will transport you to St. Tropez .
Tone up withyoga on the Beach
MontaukAfter an early morning surf session in Montauk , be adrift down the beach to Atlantic Terrace hotel for an oceanfront vinyasa yoga class ( $ 15 for drop cloth - ins ) .
Taste a local delicacy atThe Candy Man
OrientThis 75 - year - former candy shop is a raw material out on the North Fork ’s far east end . Its giant , cocoa - covered strawberries ( around $ 5 for a corner of four ) are made with yield from nearby Latham Farms , and are sure to strike the sweet spot .
Kickstart the day atJoni’s
MontaukIf you start your Clarence Day with the breakfast wrapper ( $ 6.95 ) – a classic jazz band of bacon , nut , and tall mallow – and a 24 oz “ I ’m not your monkey ” smoothie ( $ 6.95 ) , you ’ll be well energized for a day of play in Montauk .
Order a flight atMontauk Brewing Company
MontaukTake a flight of six beer ( $ 12 , with a gratuitous try Methedrine ) out onto the Dominicus - drenched terrace and permit the cold soapsuds – like the rare Pineapple Mango Wit or Double IPA – roll down the back of your throat .
Have an art-venture at thePollock Krasner House
East HamptonFor just $ 10 you could visit the East Hampton home & paint - splatter studio apartment of the abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock . hail for the art , stay for the dawdle smells of Ed Harris ' aftershave .
Finally visitThe Big Duck
FlandersBuilt by a duck’s egg farmer in the 1930s , this free roadside attraction in Riverhead – with eyes made from a Ford Model T ’s taillights – is listed on the National Register of Historic Places , and is well - deserving duck into ( hahaha ) .
Enjoy the free beaches
Throughout the islandTake advantage of liberal parking atstate - running beaches(including a few we’vealready write up ) , most of which hold back charging at 4 pm on weekdays and 6 pm on weekends . Also curb out democratic sandy shores like Georgica Beach and Long Beach that are complimentary before 9 am and after 5 pm . Seaside picnics at sundown are way more romantic without the obnoxious bunch .
Satisfy your sweet tooth atThe Dough Hut
Long BeachThe next best thing to surfing a recollective uninfected moving ridge in Long Beach is eating a light and fluffy s’mores or maple 1st Baron Verulam doughnut ( from $ 1 to $ 3 ) at The Dough Hut .
Channel your inner Gatsby atSands Point Preserve
Sands PointStep intoThe Great Gatsbyduring a sojourn to the original Guggenheim Estate on the confidential information of the North Shore ’s Cow Neck Peninsula , where F. Scott Fitzgerald took breathing in for the famed “ East Egg . ” wonder at Castle Gould and the Hempstead House , and get lost in the 216 - Akka park fill with thousands of red pink wine and numerous hiking trail . Entry is $ 10 / car .
Salute the president atSagamore Hill
Oyster BayThe summer home of Theodore Roosevelt late reopened in Oyster Bay after undergo a $ 10 million restoration . While it ’s $ 10 to tour the “ Summer White House ” where the 26th president lived from 1885 - 1919 , forest fire fighter - guided walks and hikes along the nature track to Cold Spring Harbor are detached of charge .
Shuck your own atLittle Creek Oysters
GreenportAt the end of Bootleg Alley in Greenport , sense the satisfying thrill of shuck your own huitre ( $ 1.50 each ) while fuddle a local brew and nibbling on homemade pickles as you overlook the peaceful pier .
Imbibe atBrix & Rye
GreenportOn a hot summer day , when Greenport ’s tiny streets are teeming with tourer , sneak away into this chill speakeasy for inventive , seasonally inspire cunning cocktails like the “ Fort Defiance Style Barbados Buck ” ( $ 10 ) or the Northside Collins ( $ 11 ) .
Celebrate what summer’s all about atTwilight Thursdays
SagaponackIt ’s worth act hooky on a Thursday to experience this free summer fête at the picturesque 55 - Akka Wölffer Estate Vineyard , where live jazz from 5pm-8pm , farm - fresh pungency , and a premier tasting ( $ 15 ) are the complete antidote to a stressful work week .
Discover a hidden gem atNassau County Museum of Art’s Sculpture Park
Roslyn HarborTake a whirl through the new “ glamourous Graffiti : Basquiat , Crash , Haring & more ” display , then steer out into one of the largest in public - accessible carving gardens in the Northeast . The 145 - Akko former Frick Estate has 40 impressive outdoor slice , include works by Richard Serra , Mark di Suvero , and Fernando Botero . Admission to both the museum and grounds is $ 10 .
Sleep under the stars
Wading RiverWhy pay off a gajillion dollars for a crummy motel way in the Hamptons when you may have secret waterfront accommodations for $ 15 / night ? Of the more than 20 public and private campgrounds on Long Island , ledger a campsite at 600 - acre Wildwood State Park and enjoy a night under the star while overlooking the Long Island Sound . Outdoor movies are block out on Wednesdays and Saturdays in July and August , while Fridays are for , what else , square terpsichore .
Get around the Hamptons for free
Southampton / East Hampton / MontaukSkip the pricey cab menu in predictable stop - and - go traffic in favour of a fun , gratis ride in an electrically powered shuttle imaginatively calledThe Free Ride , which operates in Southampton , East Hampton , and Montauk . NewcomerHampton Hopperalso offer transport around the East ending for $ 12 / ride .
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Flickr/Chris Ford
Lavender By the Bay
Flickr/Matt DeTurck
Pizzetteria Brunetti
Lieb Cellars
Flickr/focusshoot
Atlantic Terrace
Teresa Levite/Shutterstock
Montauk Brewing Company
Flickr/James Pezzella
Flickr/nycscout
North Fork Oysters
Wölffer Estate Vineyard
Nassau County Museum of Art
