Heading towards the furthest end of the North Fork of Long Island you will find Greenport; a beautiful small town brimming with family-friendly things to see and do. We spent just over a week there during the Summer, and totally loved every minute. There are so many reasons to fall in love with Greenport, but here are our top five:
The cafes, restaurants and bars
Greenport has the best selection of cafes, restaurants and bars. You can enjoy anything from a simple coffee and pastry, to Japanese, Italian, Mexican, fresh local seafood and many more – the choice is yours.
We enjoyed fun and laid back lunches at Claudio’s Crabby Jerry’s, which is a family eatery offering anything from burgers and simple kids meals right up to amazing (and seriously reasonably priced) lobster and snow crab platters. Ordered at a little hatch, and served on paper plates, or bowls lined with paper napkins, you instantly feel relaxed in the knowledge that this is pure family-friendly dining! And based on a jetty, looking back to the fishing town of Greenport, the location matched the fab food!
If you want something a bit different, delve into the fun and brightly coloured Lucharitos for a taco or two, washed down with a mason jar cocktail!
For the best quick breakfast around, honestly try the morning glory muffin at D’Latte’s – it is amazing!!
The independent shops
The pretty streets of Greenport are lined with a great selection of little stores, selling anything from homewares, to surf and skate boards, to toys and sweets, to vintage clothing.
Sweet Indulgences was a favourite of ours, with a great selection of cute homewares, jewellery and gorgeous scarves, gourmet snacks and a great selection of sweets and chocolates (which of course keep the boys very happy!)
Land Shark was great for picking up Greenport themed t-shirts, offering fashionable and trendy alternatives to the often tacky tourist t-shirts you seem to come across. The boys absolutely loved the colour-changing pirate t-shirts we picked up for them.
Family friendly Wineries and Breweries
If you’ve ever frequented a trendy bar in Brooklyn, you may have come across beers from the Greenport Brewery. Well, if you’re in Greenport then you can actually pop into the brewery itself and sit down for a lovely informal tasting! And what’s even better is that kids were welcome too.
The Kontokosta Winery is simply stunning. Set just outside Greenport, overlooking the gorgeous waters of the Long Island Sound, it is the ideal place to cool down with a perfectly chilled glass of wine. We visited without children, but could see plenty of families enjoying the afternoon sun on the vast lawn that leads down to The Sound.
Cute and quiet beaches
Greenport is historically a fishing village, and most of the water frontage is made up of jetties, filled with moored boats. But it’s not impossible to find a few little beaches to enjoy.
At the end of 6th Street you will find a little family-friendly haven; a cute beach with lifeguarded area, a brilliant kids playground complete with wooden pirate ship, and a basket ball pitch. As this was just at the end of the road we were staying on, we spent time here every day and loved it!
To the North of Greenport, almost on the way out of town heading towards Orient Point, you can hang a left down a long residential street until you find Rocky Point. Head down the long wooden staircase and you will be greeted with a stunning stony beach where you can take in the breathtaking views of the Long Island Sound.
Interesting museums
Again, for such a small town Greenport really packs in the museums! With the Railroad Museum of Long Island, the Eastend Seaport Maritime Museum, and the Fire Fighter Fireboat Museum, transport mad kids like ours are sure to be happy!
We visited the Fire Fighter, which is a Fireboat with a fascinating history. Launched in 1938 it has seen a lot of action, most notably in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, where along with a fleet of FDNY Marine Unit boats it pumped water from the Hudson River continuously for days until the mains water service was restored in the city.
The boat was wonderful to explore, with apparently 90% of its features and equipment being the originals restored to their former glory.
So there you have it, a few of the many reasons why we fell in love with Greenport, New York!
Have you visited Greenport? If so, I would love to hear what you thought about it.
This looks so lovely – everything I associate with New England but actually able to get there from the city rather than a longer trip up the coast (and I’m definitely eating at Lucharitos if I get back to NY!)
I like the idea of a family-friendly winery. This all sounds so laid-back and relaxed. Not what I envidaged from New York!
Greenport is not a place I have heard of but it looks perfect for families. It actually reminds me of a waterfront town near my old home in Savannah, Georgia. Really quaint. Thanks for sharing your tips;)
Great places to eat and family-friendly vineyards? Say no more!
Fish tacos by the sea! That is reason enough!
I absolutely loved to follow your trip on instagram. The beaches look gorgeous, and I love the idea of independent shops for unusual purchases. I have never been – but would love to visit!
I love those quaint New England seaside towns. Would love to visit Greenport!
Author
They’re so lovely aren’t they! We actually got the ferry over to New England from Long Island and spent a few days on that side of the water, it was beautiful 😃 Thanks for reading. x
One road trip I want to do in the next few years is New England – so I shall be bookmarking this for the future for sure! Greenport looks wonderful
Author
Sounds like a fab road trip! You can get the Long Island Sound Ferry over from New England to Long Island, takes around an hour. Highly recommend Greenport, and the North Fork in general. Thanks for reading. x
It looks lovely – I’d be all over those tacos! YUM! Love the independent shops too, I always look for these when exploring somewhere new.
Author
They were SO good! Loads of good food options there actually, we ate very well!
Thanks for reading. x
New England looks wonderful. And tacos are always a good idea. #familytraveltips
Wow, there really is a lot to do isn’t there? And it looks like a really beautiful place, more reminiscent of Sydney than New York. I was interested in your remark about the trendy Brooklyn bars as we stayed in Brooklyn last time we were there and didn’t try Greenport beer, I must head to Greenport itself and put that straight. I love the fact that the brewery tasting sessions are child friendly. Thanks for linking up to #FamilyTravelTips
Nat.x
That beach you mentioned north of Greenport is called “67 Steps” by the locals. I’m a native Greenporter, like my Dad. Greenport has a wonderful history as well. It was a favorite of the “Rum Runners” during Prohibition. The Stirling Historical Society is the best local resource. (Greenport formally went by the name Stirling, NY.)
Author
Thanks Cathy. What a wonderful part of the world you get to call home! Yes, we loved hearing about the history of the area, it is so interesting. Thanks for reading 😊
You can’t just pull up to our beaches during season. You need parking stickers unless you want a ticket!
Author
Good point, thank you! We were cycling but I did notice the parking restrictions at 67 Steps. Thanks for reading.
I’ve been following your trip with interest as I’d love to go and those snow crab platters soound divine too. Thanks for linking up to #MondayEscapes.
Author
Oh they were amazing, I honestly can’t stop thinking about them!
Thanks for reading. x
oh wow you would never think this is in New York we never got this far out when we visited but this is on my list for my next trip to NYC
Author
Definitely worth the drive and such a lovely way to escape the hustle and bustle. Thanks for reading. x