Things to do in Hamptons and Montauk
Recently, we went to Hamptons for few days. This was our first time. I can’t believe that we live so close (two-two half hour drive) and went there just recently.
There are so many things to do in Hamptons. If you are visiting New York and want to spend few days on the Long Island South Fork- this blog post is for you.
I will share things we explored and tried, and few more things on the list that I would like to explore in future visits. Yes, we will be going back to do more that Hamptons has to offer.
So, there are many places in Hamptons to see and spend time at. I will share few areas to consider.
Place to stay
If we divide up areas, there is East Hampton, South Hampton, Sag Harbor, Montauk, Shelter Island etc. All these towns are easy to explore if you have a car and are within reach 1-1.5 hours either way you decide to go. If you want to save up on time, and want to stay somewhere in the middle, I suggest look for accommodations in East Hampton or South Hampton. There are plenty of options some might be expensive, and they are booked well in advance. There are lots of inns or airbnb’s available.
Riverhead has many chain hotels, if you want to stay in those hotels. Riverhead is not that far away. It adds a little extra time but has a lot of big stores and more commercial vibe to me.
Montauk also has many resorts and beautiful stays. So, look for it and consider that if you want to be on the beach. I am going to stay next time at Mostrador Marram.
East Hampton has such a nice downtown or main street full of cute boutique shops or branded stores. It was a vibe. You will love strolling and exploring the main street on foot. There are lots of dining options too.
My list of places to dine are all over the place:
Doubles (East Hampton)
If you want to try carribean food and like us want to eat something light, then check out the place we went to called Doubles and we shared doubles and fries. They had many other food items on their menu. Lot of meat and vegetarian options. We loved doubles at this place that came with mango sauce. Fries were also good. I loved their outdoor sitting area.
Carissa’s Bakery
We started our day at Carissa’s as soon as we came to Hamptons, as it was raining and needed shelter. We needed some coffee and pastries. It is a chic and very busy place. Again, I loved this place too. They had some nice freshly baked pastries and huge sizes too. They have heavier breakfast and lunch options too. Highly recommend it. They have two more locations in other parts of Hamptons but this one is the original I suppose.
South Hampton also has good dining options and shops to walk around and explore. We didn’t get a chance to try any places. But if you are looking for Indian food – there is a place called Saaz. Other places I have saved to try are Hampton Chutney Co. and Hampton Coffee Co.
Rumba
One of the evenings, we went to Rumba in Hampton Bays and while we loved the overall experience, the food was okay. Not completely bad, somethings were a miss. They have bus shuttle service as their parking place is tiny and it’s a busy restaurant. While your table is ready you can enjoy drink on the waterfront. They have nice seating arrangement. We didn’t take the boat, but I think they even provided boating around the bay. We saw plenty of people doing that. We had a veggie burger (it was okay) there was a lot of cumin powder in it, and we did not care for the taste.
Tacos were mediocre, nothing special about them. But they were far better than the Burger. Tres Leches was delicious. Our server was kind enough to bring us some complimentary house made banana rum to end our meal. I am sure other menu items might be better. So, I would give it a try. If you are a group of people, they had a party bus parked behind the restaurant and your group can dine inside the bus.
Beaches to explore
- Main Beach, East Hampton (Public Parking 50$ and free after 5 PM) There is a free shuttle service also available that takes you to the beach from main street. Check it online.
- Coopers Beach, South Hampton (Public Parking 50$ and free after 5 PM)
- Kirk Beach, Montauk (Parked for free)
- Ditch Plains, Montauk Good for surfing and to watch surfers
- There are plenty of beaches around in this area. I felt that beaches here are very clean and sand is good too. The water has a lot of waves, not my favorite part. But I guess most beaches on long Island have huge waves and the water is not that calm. They do have lifeguards on some of the beaches.
Hamptons is also home to so many museums. Listing some of these places
- Montauk Brewing Company
- Wolfer Estate – most popular and busy one
- Channing Daughters
- Long Reserve – it was fun activity exploring the grounds of this place. This place was founded by Jack Lenor Larsen, an artist who used to live at LongHouse and he specialized in textiles and woven design work. Along with his work, you can see art from other artists who were his friends.
- Parrish Art Museum
- Mulford Farm
- Windmill museum
- Whaling museum
If you are into farmstands or want to pick up some fruits for snacking, I got you covered.
- Balsam Farms
- Round Swamp Farms
- Green Thumb Farms
- Brier Farm – famous for pies
If you like to visit breweries and wineries, these are few, but I am sure there are more out there.
Other things the area is famous for is its Windmills.
There is a map of famous windmill trail. But you will also see few on your way. They are cute and historical.
Things to explore in Montauk
Montauk Light House – Beautiful light house that you can climb up and lots of history to learn about it. You do have to buy tickets to climb up. There are about 167 steps. I like that they do not allow crowd up the climbing part. Even if you are not climbing the lighthouse, check out the museum and the overall views.
Shadmoor Preserve (nice hike to the top of the hill)
You can hike all the way to Ditch Plains beach area. Its long way but doable. We saw many people do it. There is a bunker also on the trail. The views are incredible but please be careful around the edges at the end of the trail, its not safe for little ones. There is a proper safe trail. I forgot the name of the trail, but after entering we went to the right side straight.
Eats in Montauk
Naturally Good
We had lunch here, and it was delicious. They took some time in preparing the food, but well worth. My husband had a wrap, and it was so refreshing and delicious. My bean bowl was also good. They have seating at the back of the store and outside as well. We sat outside on the couch, people watching and enjoying food. LOL. I was tired from climbing the lighthouse and the little hike at Shadmoor Preserve.
Roberta’s
For dinner, we grabbed a last-minute reservation at Roberta’s for some pizzas. If you do not know, Roberta’s is famous pizza place from NY city. We had never tried it before, not even in NY so gave it a go. It was delicious. Loved the ambiance and it was quite full even at the opening hours.
Montauk Bake shoppe
I heard about this famous bakery, so decided to get their custard filled croissant. It was so delicious. I ate it at the beach, hiding it from the seagulls. If you know, you know. They also have jelly croissant and lot of other bakes.
Some other places in Montauk to try out Alimentari for good Italian food
Joni’s , Mostrador Marram, Muse at the End, 668 Gigsshack
If you like beer you can visit Montauk Brewing Co.
We also went to Sag Harbor only to get the donuts from the GrindStone donuts. Donuts are so delicious and fluffy. Loved them. They are very popular and there was a line, so be prepared for it. Sag Harbor is very cute place, we loved the downtown area. Next time, we will spend more time here and visit neighboring places/islands.
