This page provides an overview of the different areas that make up this unique part of Long Island. Each named area – be it a town, hamlet or village – has its own special charm, amenities and characteristics that set it apart from the rest. Some places are great for visiting the beach or are great for just getting out of the city and into the country. Depending on where you go you can also find large houses or small cottages for rent, hotels and even a few campgrounds. People spend anywhere from a day to more than the whole summer during their Hamptons vacation.

First let’s sort out a bit what is found where.

Southampton

This town is just west of East Hampton and taken as a whole encompasses almost 300 square miles. The irregular coastline and an abundance of different water bodies’ means slightly more than half of the total area of the town is water, leaving 140 square miles of land.

As adapted from a historical description of the town, the bounds of East Hampton and some of its early origins could thus be described as:

This town, called by the natives Agawam, is bounded south by the ocean, west by Brookhaven, north, partly by Riverhead and partly by Peconic Bay, separating it from Southold, and east by Easthampton. Length, from east to west, about twenty miles and breadth, in the widest place, six miles. The name was given in remembrance of Southampton in England, from which port the settlers took their departure from Europe, The surface is generally level, and the soil a light sandy loam, except the western part, which is mostly sand, and the roads heavy and tedious. About the villages of Southampton, Bridgehampton, and Sagg, the soil is naturally fertile, and is well cultivated. This town was settled in 1640, being cotemporary with the settlement of Southold, nine years previous to Easthampton and fifteen anterior to Brookhaven.

There are six villages: North Haven, Quogue, Sag Harbor (which also extends into East Hampton), Sagaponack, Southampton, and Westhampton Beach. The more numerous hamlets include: Bridgehampton, Eastport (also extending into Brookhaven), East Quogue, Flanders, Hampton Bays, Northampton, North Sea, Noyack, Quioque, Remsenburg, Riverside, Shinnecock Hills, Speonk, Tuckahoe, Water Mill, Westhampton.

East Hampton

As adapted from a historical description of the town: This is the most easterly town on Long Island. It is situated upon the southern branch and includes the peninsula or Montauk and Gardiner’s Island. It is bounded on the east by the confluence of the Ocean with the sound, on the south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Southampton, and on the north by Gardiner’s Bay and the Sound. The south shore is in some places a low sandy beach, in others formed into hills of every variety of shape but upon Montauk there are high and rugged cliffs, at whose base the waves dash with almost continued violence. The northern shore is much less exposed to the action of the sea, is for the most part level, and is indented with numerous covers and small ponds or bays.

Two incorporated villages are found here, East Hampton and Sag Harbor. Unincorporated hamlets include: Amagansett, Montauk, Napeague, Springs and Wainscott. East Hampton North and Northwest Harbor are not official villages, and these areas are not called by these names by most folks, but are used as census locations by the federal government. To add even more confusion Northwest Harbor is sometimes called Northwest or Northwest woods by local folks.

101 Main Street. East Hampton

A visit to the Hamptons typically evokes a sense of nostalgia and history for anyone that visits. Driving around, walking through a town center and many homes both reveal and hint at the area’s past. One way to learn more about earlier times in the Hamptons is through visiting some of the properties and buildings preserved by the East Hampton Historical Society.

The society’s mission statement explains what the society strives to do, and what you can expect to find in any interaction with them:

The East Hampton Historical Society serves the residents and visitors of East Hampton by collecting, preserving, presenting and interpreting the material, cultural and economic heritage of the town and its surroundings.

One of the ways they work to fulfill this mission is by taking care of several historic buildings – all of which you can visit. The society also offers exhibits, programs, publications, and other presentations to disseminate historical knowledge and information.

The following highlight some of the East Hampton Historical Society’s properties that you should consider visiting.

East Hampton Marine Museum

301 Bluff Road, Amagansett

The museum is a great place to learn about local fishing and maritime history. Before the Hamptons economy became dominated by tourism, fishing was one of a few backbones of local commerce and employment. While its significant as a driver of the local economy has been diminished it remains an important part of the many residents lives. Visitors are often unaware of this part of Long Island’s past nor do they know there still exists a significant fishing industry here. A visit to the museum can help to learn more about fishing and the connection between Long Islander’s and the sea.

The Mulford Farm

10 James Lane at Montauk Highway. East Hampton

The property and building are a rare authentic example of early English Colonial farm settlement. The main buildings found here include a farmhouse, barn and smokehouse. The home was originally built in 1680. While a few changes were made over the next 70 years of its existence, its structure today is the same as it was in 1750. The current furnishings, which you can see when you tour the home, reflect the period around the 1790s. The Barn was built in 1721 and is a significant historical example of eighteenth century barn building.

The Mulford Farm property also has a wonderful garden, one of three such gardens on historical society properties that are lovingly cared for by the Garden Club of East Hampton.

Town House

Main Street. East Hampton

This circa 1731 building originally served as a town government meeting hall. Town trustees would gather in the building to pass laws and discuss the affairs of the settlement. Not only is it oldest town government building on Long Island, it is also the oldest schoolhouse building too. In fact the exhibit housed there today depicts an 18th century schoolhouse scene.
The building was moved to its current location by the historical society in 1958.

The list of places here are some of the larger areas. If you hunt around anyplace that you are staying you should be able to find other smaller parks and publicly accessible greenways. If you are renting a place, your landlord should be able to give you some information about where you to find the more hidden and oftentimes wonderful local natural areas you can visit.

Before heading out for a walk or other park related activity, you may want to keep a few things in mind. There are a lot of water bodies in the Hampton’s. With that comes lots of biting insects. Many a fine sunset or sunrise excursion has been less than spectacular because folks fail to prepare for what is often the busiest time of the day for biting insects. Consider covering up or bringing some repellent if you are going to be outdoors in any natural areas. Also bring some water if you are going for a hike. Especially during a hot summer day when you are sweating a lot, keeping yourself hydrated will go a long way in helping you to make sure your enjoy your outing.

Hither Hills State Park

About 4 miles west of Montauk.
This park provides ocean access, camping, and natural areas. With the facilities available (restrooms, showers, picnic areas, etc.) it serves as a nice public beach that anyone can visit. The park also has a large campground, ball fields, woodlands, and trails for hiking, biking and horse back riding.

Theodore Roosevelt County Park

About 3 miles east of Montauk village.
After fighting in the Spanish American War Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, along with 28,000 quarantined soldiers, spent time at Camp Wikoff in Montauk. The park includes a museum that includes memorabilia from the camp. There are also hiking and horse trails, a picnic area and camping for self-contained four wheel drive vehicles.

Montauk Downs State Park

Montauk
Purely a place to play, as opposed to enjoying nature. There is a golf course, driving range, putting green, tennis courts and a pool. You can also enjoy lunch or dinner in their restaurant.

Shadmoor State Park

About 2.5 miles east of Montauk Village
A half mile of ocean front beach is the big attraction at this nice park. The geography is also of interest, as there are cliffs found along the shoreline along this portion of Long Island.

Sears Bellows County Park

Hampton Bays
This park is nestled within the Long Island Pine Barrens. There are opportunities for camping, hiking, horseback riding, renting rowboats and more.

Cedar Point County Park

East Hampton
This park overlooks and provides access to Gardiner’s Bay. There are group camping areas, boats, trails and picnic areas.

This page lists the beaches, by named places (village or hamlet). I have also included the nearest access road. If you want directions to any beach, you can easily find them by going google maps. Simply enter the location (e.g. Amagansett) and the road and you should be able to find the beach access/parking lot by viewing the satellite view. From there, click on the “get directions” link and just enter your starting location.

The beaches are managed by the local municipalities and each has their own requirements, rules and amenities (or have none, including no bathrooms). Some have lifeguards during the summer season. All of the beaches require you to have some form of permission to use the beach (a “license,” a sticker for your car, etc.) and what is usually an associated parking area. Some beaches are more open than others. For instance at some beaches you can buy access for the day when you show up. At others you cannot even park at the only access point without a permit and the parking passes are only issued to local homeowners and their renters.

You should check the local municipal site to get more information. If you are renting a house, your landlord should be able to provide you with beach access information and may be able to give you a beach permit (some cannot, because of the local requirements).

Montauk

East Lake Beach, East Lake Drive
Essex Street Beach, Essex Street
Gin Beach, East Lake Drive
Kirk Park Beach, Main Street

Amagansett

Alberts Landing Beach, Alberts Landing Road
Atlantic Avenue Beach, Atlantic Avenue
Indian Wells Beach, Indian Wells Highway

East Hampton

Egypt Beach, Old Beach Lane
Georgica Beach, Lily Pond Lane
Louse Point Beach, Louse Point Road
Maidstone Park Beach, Flaggy Hole Road
Main Beach, Ocean Avenue
Two Mile Hollow Beach, Two Mile Hollow Road

Wainscott

Beach Lane Beach, Beach Lane

Sagaponack

Sagg Main Beach, Sagg Main Street

Bridgehampton

Mecox Beach, Job’s Lane
Cameron Beach, Dune Road

Watermill

Mecox Beach, Job’s Lane

Southampton

Cooper’s Beach, Cooper Neck Road
Cryder Beach, Cryder Lane
Flying Point Beach, Flying Point Road
Little Plains Beach, Little Plains Road

Sag Harbor

Elliston Beach, Big Fresh Pond
Havens Beach, Havens Lane
Long Beach, North Haven Way

Here is a shortlist of interesting local attractions that you may want to visit during your next Hampton’s vacation.

The Sag Harbor Whaling Museum

The 19th century whaling industry brought prosperity to Sag Harbor, which was once a busy port and hub for whaling. The museum tells the story of whaling, the economics of the industry and its significance and history in Sag Harbor. It is located at 200 Main Street, and is open every day during the summer.

Montauk lighthouse

New York’s first lighthouse, it began operating in 1796. To get there simply follow the Montaug Highway (Rte 27) to the eastern tip of Long Island and you will have arrived at the lighthouse. The area is set apart and a bit distant from the busier and more expensive villages and hamlets found in more westerly Hampton locations. It is worth visiting the lighthouse even just to go for a ride to see the end of the island.
Antiques

There are few centralized locations where you can find clusters of antique shops. Eastport, for example. Once a small village that was renowned as the duck capital of the world it now has many antique shops and dealers. You can see a list of antique dealers here:

The Beaches

So many nice coastline beaches are found in the Hamptons that they need to have their own webpage. Hampton’s beaches.

The Parrish Art Museum

A fine collection of American art, including significant holdings of local Long Island artists. Samuel Longstreth Parrish founded the museum to house art that he started collecting at the turn of the twentieth century. The first sign of the significance and potential staying power of the museum was seen when the original building had to be expanded in 1913.

The nine acres museum property features wonderful views of the Shinnecock Bay. These same views were painted many times by William Merritt Chase, one of the area’s most renowned artists. He ran an art school at the time that Parish started his museum. A sizeable number of Chase’s works are owned by the museum today.

25 Job’s Lane. Southampton

The South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center

If you visit the Hamptons with children that are curious about nature, the natural history museum is a must see. It is especially nice on a rainy day when you cannot go to the beach. The museum itself is set up like a self guided nature walk but is all inside. Here you can find interpretive information, hands on displays, nature talks and more. There is also an opporuntity to go outside if the weather is nice, as there is a nature trail and an outdoor observation deck.

377 Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike. Bridgehampton.