We think summer is glorious on the North Fork.
We're so lucky to be here! We thought we'd compose
a list of our favorite things for families to do.

Please remember to be safe, be kind, and
enjoy the moments...

Note: Thanks to Ken Reeves, the Southold Town Recreation Department Supervisor, and his staff, who had the great idea to make a list of 101 things, which we have borrowed heavily from, with their generous permission. Thank you! What an incredible job they do for North Fork families.

1. Go to the beach! Don't forget pails, shovels, sunscreen, snack bar money, boogie boards, balls, the camera, and a change of clothes. Call your friends. Get the kids to help pack and carry!!

2. Visit a local farm stand

3. Take the double-decker train from Mattituck to Greenport, ride the carousel, go in the shops, check out the camera obscura building, see the boats, and walk through the mist park. Then ride the train back again.

4. Go for a boat ride. Have you tried kayaking or windsurfing?

5. Go miniature golfing

6. Have a game of catch

7. Go shopping

8. Wash the car

9. Visit family, help grandma

10. Go out to eat

11. Visit Horton’s Point Lighthouse and go down the "100 Steps" to the beach

12. Find some geocaches

13. Organize races with your friends

14. Go puddle jumping

15. Make mud pies

16. Go to one of our great local day or sleepaway camps

17. Go see a play at the North Fork Community Theatre in Mattituck

18. Do something nice for someone…just for the fun of it

19. Go to an outdoor concert

20. Take an art or music class

21. Go stargazing at Custer Observatory, or gaze from a blanket in the back yard

22. Paint a still life or landscape painting

23. Like cars?...don’t forget about the antique car show

24. Pick your own berries

25. Go to a summer carnival and stay for the fireworks

26. Write (don’t type) a letter to an old or close friend.

27. Go to the movies

28. Jump on the LIRR or the bus and spend the day in NYC

29. Go out of your way to thank someone who has done something nice for you

30. Visit the Railroad Museum in Greenport or Riverhead

31. Camp out in the back yard tonight with your friends

32. Catch fireflies

33. Go to the ocean

34. Go fishing or clamming

35. Volunteer at the local animal shelter, hospital, nursing home or another place that interests you

36. Attend the Mattituck street fair, festival, or movie night this summer

37. Take advantage of the programs offered by the recreation departments

38. Take the ferry to Shelter Island on foot--or bring your bikes

39. Run a 5K for a good cause

40. Pick up trash on a local road or beach

41. Climb a tree

42. Have a picnic at a local park or beach

43. Make a scrapbook

44. Hire a babysitter

45. Play a game of tag, touch football, or red-light-green-light

46. Listen to music and clean up your room, reorganize your closet, and straighten up those drawers

47. Go to the circus

48. Offer to take someone's kids for the day so they can have some time to do something nice for themselves

49. Play a board game, card game, dominoes, or do a puzzle

50. Go fly a kite

51. Go on a photography hunt and find interesting themes to shoot

52. Clean the windows

53. Visit Orient State Park

54. Go horseback riding

55. Go outside, just GO outside

56. Order a pizza and rent a movie with your friends.

57. Take a blanket and some snacks to a park and look at cloud formations in the sky

58. Roast marshmallows, make smores

59. Play catch with water balloons in the yard or have a water balloon fight

60. Organize a garage sale with your friends. Donate the proceeds to a local charity or throw a party

61. Turn up the music and dance, have a party!

62. Examine tide pools for starfish and other creatures

63. Hike in the woods

64. Play tennis

65. Go to a coffeehouse and hang out, go people-watching

66. Check out a local bookstore

67. Take a drive or bike through undiscovered back roads

68. Eat fried clams

69. See a sunrise or sunset at a local beach

70. Sign up for a program at your local library

71. Build a sandcastle

72. Make a time capsule with all your friends and family with notes and objects you want to remember this time in history. Set a date to open it far in the future

73. Pick wild flowers, but beware ticks

74. Shop at a yard sale or thrift shop

75. Go beachcombing

76. Read a good book. Write a book report (just kidding).

77. Earn money for college, then blow it on nonsense

78. Go to the Hamptons (nah, never mind that one)

79. Go to Tasker Park, bring your bikes, tennis rackets, kites, balls, bats, skates, and something to eat and drink

80. Set up a sprinkler on your lawn and run through it

81. Visit a local museum, gallery, or historical society

82. Go to the skate park in Riverhead or Greenport

83. Visit Downs Farm Preserve in Cutchogue

84. Lobby your local officials for a YMCA for when winter comes

85. Visit Indian Island Park

86. Gather up a carton of stuff you can live without and donate it to a charity

87. Take a moonlight stroll on the beach

88. Visit the Long Island Science Museum, the Dinosaur Walk Museum or Atlantis Marine World in downtown Riverhead

89. Visit the Children's Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton. Stop at Channing Daughters Winery for Mom to have a glass of wine while everyone walks in the outdoor sculpture garden out back.

90. See a performance at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center or at Bay Street Theatre

91. Play basketball

92. Sing around a campfire

93. Try a new hairstyle

94. Eat corn til it's coming out your ears

95. Put on a show in the back yard for your family, friends and neighbors at the end of summer

96. Write a poem or short story

97. Visit the Big Duck on Flanders Road

98. Set up a lemonade or iced tea stand

99. Notice something wonderful about someone and let them know you noticed

100. Talk with your family over dinner

101. Invite some friends to visit and do any of the above.

 

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