Sayville day trip: Museums, shopping, dining, pickleball and more
Lauren Martindale, of Briarwood, Queens, Raven Fenner, of Elmont, and Rachel Corsini, of Maspeth, Queens, enjoy food and drinks during a pet adoption event at Loughlin Vineyards in Sayville. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Like many Long Island waterfront communities, Sayville opens early, stays up late, and fills the rest of your day with a breezy variety of shopping, dining, exercise and entertainment.
"It’s nostalgic yet fresh and fun," Eileen Tyznar, president emeritus and administrator of the local Chamber of Commerce says of the seafaring vibe in Sayville and neighboring West Sayville.
Visitors can explore maritime and Navy SEAL museums (the latter debuting a virtual skydiving experience), side-by-side pickleball, mini-golf and burger spots, a winery and a beer garden.
Here's a guide to visiting Sayville, as well as neighboring Bayport and Blue Point.
Start your day with a paddle or a club
Grab your paddles and head to Pickleball Hall for a game. Credit: Pickleball Hall /Dan Greenberg
At Pickleball Hall, seven courts are available daily from 5 a.m. to midnight, offering exercise in a "community-oriented and social atmosphere," says owner Michael Santaromita. "A lot of people come and play and then they go over to Fire Island," says Santaromita. Pickleball Hall’s bar serves specialty cocktails such as the Honey Deuce ($12), which Santaromita says is "the drink of Wimbledon." (246 N. Main St., 631-380-3580, pickleballhall.com, $50 per hour court rental). Next door is Sayville Falls Miniature Golf and Beer Garden, where brew and waterfalls flow as you play an 18-hole course. Reserve one of the new beer garden gazebos for $40 per hour (30 Hanson Pl., 631-337-1650, sayvillefallsminigolf.com, round of golf $15, $13 ages 13 and under).
Stretch and Sip
Stretch out your morning with a session at Om Shanti Yoga & Reiki Center, where classes begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays and 8:15 on Sundays, and are also offered outdoors at 8:30 on Sundays at the Common Ground at Rotary Park at Gillette and Candee Avenues. Yoga leaves you "energized for the day" and "at the same time calms your mind with meditation," says Roberta Kaznocha, of Oakdale, owner/instructor. (186 Main St., 631-317-0737, om-shanti-om-yoga.com, $15/drop-in class)
The Peace Labyrinth at the Common Ground park in Sayville. Credit: Ian J. Stark
Next stop: hydration. Fresh cold-pressed juices and smoothies are a specialty at Cornucopia Health Foods. The Mocha Maca Chino smoothie is made with cold-brewed coffee, chocolate protein power and maca , "a superfood that is specifically good for energy," says Jonathan Mosley, the shop’s grocery buyer. (35 N. Main St., 631-589-9579, cornucopiahealthfoods.com)
Visit West Sayville’s Museum Row
The LT Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum, which opened three summers ago, features seven exhibition halls telling the elite special ops force’s history from its founding "in World War II to the present day," says executive director Christopher Wyllie, of Center Moriches, a retired Navy SEAL. Take a Disneyesque immersive Seal Adventure Ride "flying around under water" or don Oculus goggles for the museum’s new virtual reality skydiving experience. "You run and jump out of an airplane, free-fall over Sayville and land at the museum" — all virtually of course, Wyllie says. Outside exhibits include a Humvee, a dune buggy and a mini-submarine. (50 West Ave., 631-589-7325, murphsealmuseum.org, $20, $15 ages 6-12, $5 veterans and seniors, for Seal Adventure Ride)
Left, Christian Anthony and his sister look at a model of the Osama bin Laden compound at the LT Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum in West Sayville. A mini submarine sits on the grounds. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Next door, The Long Island Maritime Museum chronicles the community’s seagoing past in six buildings on a sprawling waterfront complex. Must-sees include the William Rudolph Oyster House, which was "completely revamped a year ago, and depicts the rise and fall of the shellfish industry on the Great South Bay," says executive director Terry Lister-Blitman. The main building features a giant touch-screen map showing the names and locations of all the ship wrecks in the waters off Fire Island. (88 West Ave., West Sayville, 631-854-4974, limaritime.org, $10, $8 ages 3-12 )
National Historic Landmark Priscilla, an 1888 oyster sloop, belongs to the Long Island Maritime Museum. Credit: Long Island Maritime Museum
Take the tour, taste the wine
Continue to explore local history at the John Ellis Roosevelt Meadow Croft Estate, a Suffolk County property maintained by the Bayport-Blue Point Heritage Association. Built in 1867 and purchased by a cousin of Teddy Roosevelt as a summer estate in 1891, Meadow Croft is "a living museum with period furniture and fixtures that show how the family would have lived around 1910," says Mary Bailey, president of the board of directors. (House tours Saturdays and Sundays, 2 to 4 p.m., June through October, 299 Middle Rd., 631-472-4625, bayportbluepointheritage.org, $5 per person).
From left, Tony Amaro and Lorraine Scarpantonio grab a bite from the food truck while enjoying the day at Loughlin Vineyards. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Cool off with a taste of local viticultural history and a pink rosé wine spritzer at Loughlin Vineyard’s tasting room, at the end of a dirt road behind the estate. "People can bring their own food, kids and dogs are welcome, and we also serve a small grazing menu," says Brittany Cutrone, of Long Island City, Queens, who recently became the third generation of her family to run the vineyard founded by her grandfather, Barney Loughlin. Cutrone says that all of Loughlin’s merlots, Chardonnays and other varietals are grown and produced on the property. (299 Middle Rd., 631-589-0027, loughlinvineyardny.com)
Shop on Main Street
Geometric heart bombs at Sayville Chocolatier. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Sayville has a walkable Main Street with boutiques, restaurants and specialty shops like the 45-year-old Sayville Chocolatier (6 Main St., 631-589-6713, sayvillechocolatier.com), and newer businesses such as Dolce Scoop Gelato. (110 Main St., dolcegelatosayville.com) There’s also a movie theater, a bayfront beach, shady parks and a marina.
End your Sayville sojourn with dinner at a nearby eatery. Tyznar says the newer choices include The Lookout, a sports bar/pub with a view of the West Sayville Country Club golf course. (227 Montauk Hwy., 631-319-1119, thelookoutws.com) and SAYville CHEESE shop , which recently added a wine and beer menu. (108 Main St., 631-337-1647, sayvillecheese.com)
For crafts workshops and bespoke gifts, head to Hammer & Stain (15 Main St., 631-891-5524, hammerandstainli.com), for Long Island-themed gifts check out South Quarter (10 Main St., 631-256-5129, southquarterny.com), and for home decor or women’s fashions, browse Madisons Niche (91 Main St., 631-750-6566, madisonsniche.com).
Workshop assistant Lynn Lemaire, far left, teaches a crushed glass resin ornament class at Hammer and Stain in November. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Find gifts for "women and mamas" at Village general store (36 Railroad Ave., villagesayville.com), women’s fashions and beauty products at Detour Boutiques (32 Railroad Ave., 631-819-7459, detourboutiques.com), womenswear and accessories at Everly & Co. Boutique (116 Main St., 631-256-5365, everlyandcoboutique.com) and clothing and healing imports from India and Nepal at Guru’s (78 Main St., 631-750-5203, guruscreation.com).
Grab a bite
The Wayward Kitchen & Cocktails hosts events including family movie nights with free popcorn and balloons, dollar oysters on Thursdays and happy hours from noon to 6 p.m. Rob Abramski, of Sayville, co-owner with Jay Janawsky, of Babylon, and Dave Chiarella, of Patchogue, says that in the summer the front doors are opened so guests can sit at a high-top streetside table and sip a Purple and Gold, a lavender gin cocktail celebrating Sayville High’s school colors. (98 Main St., 631-567-6345, thewaywardsayville.com)
A smashburger at The Wayward Kitchen & Cocktails in Sayville. Credit: Newsday/Corin Hirsch
In nearby Bayport, Sunflower Café offers a prix fixe dinner on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 5 to 9 p.m., at $62 per person for appetizer, Southern French entree and dessert. "Everything is made from scratch, even the cocktails," says Kathrine Hansen, general manager. (825 Montauk Hwy., Bayport, 631-472-9090, sunflowercafebakery.com)
