Family Fun

Head back to medieval times at the Sands Point Medieval Festival (September 15-16). This classic renaissance faire has it all: jousting, music, exhibits, archery tournaments and puppet shows.

Prepare for a voyage of undersea discovery at the Atlantis Marineworld Aquarium. From shark dives to snorkeling, boat tours to salt marsh explorations — not to mention a giant octopus and the Western hemisphere's largest all-living coral reef display!

Now in its 24th year, the Oyster Festival (October 13-14) draws visitors from miles around with a mix of the freshest seafood anywhere. Music, artisan crafters, antiques, delicious foods, an exotic petting zoo, tall ships and thrill rides make this festival an exciting place to be.

Discover Long Island's seafaring past at the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum. See New York's only fully equipped 19th century whaleboat and take in our illustrious whaling history in the museum's "Mark Well the Whale" exhibit.

Farms & Culinary

In little over quarter of a century the Long Island wine industry has grown from one small vineyard to 3,000 acres of vines and over thirty wineries producing world-class wines. A great weekend to visit is for the Roots of Long Island Wine and Regional Cuisine (October 11) Learn how the wine industry here has influenced the creation of a regional cuisine.

Before you start your trip, visit the Long Island Farm Bureau online. They can tell you where to go to get the freshest local produce and the finest regional cuisine.

When you hit the end of the Long Island Expressway, take the road less traveled for some of the best dining and wine tasting in New York State. More than thirty wineries dot the landscape -- and restaurants take advantage of harvest-fresh produce to create exciting and original cuisine.

At the Alice Ross Hearth Studios, Ms. Ross turned the carriage house on her property in Smithtown into a cooking classroom she calls "a center for the exploration of living food history." It is a culinary tour through time where you can take classes using antique pots and pans and other historic cooking utensils.

You may not know it, but some of the best artisan cheeses you've ever tasted are made right here in New York — many of them at fine dairy farms of Long Island. Find out which Artisan Cheesemakers are near your destination and plan a stop for your trip.

Events & Escapes

It's not Sundance or Cannes (yet) but all the big names and filmmakers turn out for the Hamptons International Film Festival (October 17-21). Check online to see the wide array of screenings and events scheduled for this year.

Chase your cares away at one of many of Long Island's spa retreats. Gurney's Inn in Montauk, at the very tip of Long Island, has long been a place for frazzled New Yorkers to escape the city. The Inn and Spa at East Wind sits at the gateway of the North Fork a little closer to the city.

Long Island Bed and Breakfasts offer a welcome retreat from the ordinary. Relax on a covered porch, take an evening stroll through lovely gardens, rest your head in a quilt-laden bed and pull up your chair for a hot homemade breakfast.

Seasonal events in New York State.

Nature & Outdoor Activities

Bethpage State Park is best known for its five world-class golf courses, including the world-renowned Black Course, the 2002 site of the U.S. Open Championship (and future site again in 2009). But plenty of non-golfers also flock to the park during the fall season for its hiking and biking trails, bridle paths and picnic facilities.

At the Deep Hollow Ranch, riding is done Western style. You'll ride along the shore of Block Island Sound, with its pristine white beaches and spectacular coastline.

See over 300 acres of pine barrens at the Quogue Wildlife Sanctuary, located at the head waters of Quantuck Creek, which provide several forms of wetlands. Hosting a wide array of avian wildlife, it's also a paradise for birding.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Districts, Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park hosts 160 acres of exotic gardens and plants. The outdoor dahlia strolling garden is awash in all the colors of the rainbow with hundreds of blooms of all shapes and sizes.

Culture & Heritage

Literary tourists will want to see the Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site, birthplace one of America's great poets. Built c. 1819 by Whitman's father, this newly restored farmhouse is a New York State Historic Site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

At Old Westbury Gardens, you can tour eight formal English gardens surrounding a Charles II-style mansion.

Visit Montauk Point Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in New York State. This treasure was authorized by President George Washington in 1792, built in 1796 and still serves as an active aid to navigation under the United States Coast Guard.

Take a trip to the Old Bethpage Restoration, a living-history museum depicting farm and town life on Long Island in the mid-19th century.

The main attraction of the 28-acre Hallockville Museum Farm and Folklife Center is the Hallock Homestead, dating to 1765. The site includes 18 buildings telling the story of 240 years of farming on the North Fork. Don't miss the annual Fall Festival and Craft Show September 29 and 30.

The American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport in Farmingdale allows visitors to watch planes in their natural environment--the air. Taxing to the very runways and hangars that dispatched Thunderbolts to war, vintage aircrafts recreate those turbulent years.