Make the Most of the End of Summer With Our “Last Minute Bucket List”
Every summer I have these aspirations of planning out a Summer Bucket List filled with boat rides, meals on the water and outdoor activities. But like most people, life always get in the way and the summer flies right by me without even making the list.
With summer quickly coming to an end, I decided to create a Last Minute Long Island Summer Bucket List to share with anyone who wants to squeeze the most out of what’s left of their summer. From outdoor dining, to summer festivals and fairs to movies and music in the park, Going Local has you covered!
Last Minute Summer Bucket List
Take a Boat Ride!
No summer is complete without at least one boat ride right? To help check this off your bucket list, check out Too Happy Charters for a 3hr private sunset cruise including appetizers, dinner and dessert! For more information about Too Happy Charters, click HERE!
If Sailing is your thing, make sure to check out Captain Steve’s Sailing out of Port Washington. If you’re looking to party it up before the sun sets on summer, check out Paddle Pub or Tiki Boat Long Island! If you’re looking for a fishing experience, check out The Cod Father, Island Princess or Long Island Fishing Charters for a day or night on the water!
Hit up A Beach Bar!
Beach Bars are one of my favorite things about summer…frozen cocktails, live music and being outside with the ocean breeze. In addition, they are a great place to turn a summer day into night with dinner, dancing and drinks! Lucky for us, Long Island is home to quite a few that you can still go visit this summer!
Click HERE for The Best Beach Bars on Long Island!
Attend a Summer Street Festival or a Firemen’s Fair!
There’s still time to enjoy summer street festivals like Alive by the Bay in Bay Shore on Tuesday August 13th and August 20th from 5pm-9pm. With Main Street closed down to vehicular traffic, dining in the street and live music all over town, it’s a great way to go and support local! Pop into the shops, purchase from a local street vendor or eat at a local restaurant!
If you’re near Patchogue, check out Alive After Five on Thursday August 8th from 5-9pm or if you’re near Babylon, mark your calendar for the Babylon Block Party on Thursday August 29th from 5pm-9pm. Farmingdale will host Music on Main on Thursday August 8th from 5-9pm and Riverhead will have their last Alive on 25 on Friday August 9th from 5-9:30 (Laser Light Show at 9pm).
For more information about Summer Street Festivals, click HERE!
If you’re looking for Firemen’s Fairs, East Northport will hold their fair from Wednesday August 7th-Saturday August 10th. Greenlawn will host their fair from Thursday August 29th-Sunday September 1st.
For more information about Firemen’s Fairs, click HERE!
Enjoy a Movie In The Park!
There’s something special about grabbing a lawn chair or blanket and watching a movie outdoors. It can be a great date night for couples or some much needed family time to create a memory. This summer, you still have time to catch a movie outdoors including films such as Night at the Museum, Miracle, and The Little Mermaid. In addition, you can also watch Barbie, Wonka, Grease, 50 First Dates, and School of Rock. For dates, times and locations, click HERE!
Enjoy a Concert in the Park!
For those of you who love live music outdoors, there’s still time to check out the Summer Concerts Series Long Island has to offer! In Patchogue you can catch live music at Shorefront Park on August 3rd, 10th, 16th and 17th from 7:00pm-9:00pm. See photo below for acts performing.
In Northport, head to the Northport Village Bandshell at 7:30 on Wednesday 7/31, 8/7, 8/14/ 8/21 and 8/28. See photo below for acts performing. If you’re in Nassau County, head to Mineola Memorial Park for their Summer Concert Series on 7/27, 8/2 and 8/9 at 7:30. July 27th you’ll hear Streetfighter, August 2nd will have Beyond Fab and August 8th will feature The Mystic.
Take a Day Trip to Fire Island!
A great option to place on your Last Minute Summer Bucket List, is a day trip to Fire Island. There are a few ways you can enjoy a day on Fire Island without breaking the bank too!
Walk to Kismet
First, you can park your car at Robert Moses Field 5 ($10) and either walk to Kismet or take the Pedi Cabs that run back and forth. The walk is a little long, but you pass the Fire Island Light House which can be a nice walk on a beautiful day. If it’s hot, the Pedi Cabs are priceless and will get you there much quicker. Click HERE for information about the Pedi Cabs.
Once at Kismet, grab lunch at Dive and try some apps including their General Tso’s Cauliflower, Burrata or Spicy Korean Mussels. If you’re a seafood lover, try their oysters, lobster roll or Mediterranean Salmon. If you’re looking for a good summer cocktail, try their “Daylight’s Wasting” with vodka, lemon, tea, peach schnapps and simple syrup. For information about Dive, click HERE!
Spend the Day at Ocean Beach
If you’re looking to have a “Daycation” before summer ends, spend the day at Ocean Beach in Fire Island. Park your car at the Ferry Terminal in Bay Shore (99 Maple Ave) and grab yourself a roundtrip ticket ($12.50 each way) to Ocean Beach Fire Island. The ferry ride is about 30 min and if you plan on spending some time at the beach, I recommend bringing a beach chair, towel, sunscreen and water. Click HERE for ferry times and location.
When you arrive, hit the bathroom at the ferry terminal before walking to the beach. You can thank me later. After, walk through the neighborhood straight out of the terminal to other side of the island to the beach. Set up shop for a few hours and enjoy the summer weather, the sounds of waves crashing, and the feeling of being present.
Once you’ve had your share of sun, head back to the terminal area and grab a bite of one of the local eateries like Maguire’s, Matthew’s Seafood House, or Island Mermaid. After, pop into the local shops to go shopping like you would on vacation and buy yourself some Fire Island swag!
At the end of your “Daycation,” make sure to grab some ice cream before returning to the ferry so you can enjoy it on line making the end of your day a little more enjoyable.
Have Dinner at Flynn’s in Ocean Bay Park
Sometimes taking a boat ride to dinner can elevate a date night or celebration and also cross a summer experience off your bucket list! If you’re looking for a summer date night experience, take the ferry from Bay Shore to Ocean Bay Park and dine at Flynn’s. On Monday’s, they offer up Happy Hour & Lobster Night from 5:00-8:00pm with a live performance with half price drinks on the patio.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays they offer a “Dinner Cruise” from 7:00pm-10:30pm where you dine on the water at Flynn’s and feast on their famous lobster and prime rib buffet for $55pp (before tax, tip and beverages). The boat ride is supplied by Moon Chaser and is $17 cash roundtrip paid upon arrival at the Moon Chaser. For more information, click HERE!
Dine Outside at a Local Restaurant
One of my favorite things about summer is dining outside. So much so, that I wrote a few articles with great options for outdoor seating in Huntington, Northport, Babylon and Bay Shore. To read them, click the pics below or click HERE!
Visit the Farmers Markets on Long Island!
We have so many amazing Farmers Markets on Long Island that sell local produce, seafood, home made baked goods, hand made creations and so much more! Buying from a local vendor not only puts money back into our local community, but also puts a smile on a local business owners face.
Pick a day and venture out to a local farmers market and make a seasonal dinner with what you purchase! For a list of days and times of Farmers Markets on Long Island, click HERE!
Have a Lobster Dinner with All the Fixings!
Summer is synonymous with Lobster for seafood lovers and no summer would be complete without a lobster feast. Long Island offers up a few ways to enjoy your lobster whether it be at a local restaurant or the Sunken Meadow Pavilion on the beach. For a list of places serving up a Lobster Dinner with all the fixings, click HERE!
Try a New Local Ice Cream Shop!
I couldn’t create a Summer Bucket List without including Ice Cream! I recently researched the best ice cream shops on Long Island and couldn’t believe how many great ones are out there! To make it easier for our readers, I divided it up into the top 10 in Nassau and the top 10 in Suffolk, but they’re all worth trying!
You can even take the month of August and create an Ice Cream Shop Bucket List with the kids and try new shops each week! If you have kids, this should be on the top of your Summer Bucket List! To see the Best Ice Cream Shops on Long Island, click HERE!
Summer Bucket List Conclusion
Summer is flying right by us so make sure to squeeze as much out of it as you possibly can with our Summer Bucket List! Take a boat ride, watch a movie in the park, eat some ice cream, but no matter what you do, please support local! Thank you all for taking the time to read this article and please SHARE this wherever you can to help spread awareness about Going Local on Long Island!
For EVENTS happening on Long Island, click HERE!
Photo Credit: some photos from this article were sourced from the Instagram accounts of the above mentioned businesses
