Quaint Villages – North Shore Addition

If you’ve ever visited Long Island, you may have noticed that the island itself changes drastically as you leave Manhattan and travel east to Montauk (south shore) or Orient Point (north shore). Technically, the island starts at Brooklyn, then you enter Queens, then Nassau County, and finally Suffolk County. When New Yorkers refer to “Long Island,” we mean either Nassau or Suffolk County. While I’ve lived here my whole life, I really know nothing about the towns and villages of Brooklyn or Queens, and most of Nassau county which is pretty small, but dense. Suffolk County is large, but absolutely worth exploring. While much of the island is suburban sprawl, there are also plenty of beautiful villages to shop and walk. A few of my favorites on the north shore:

-Stony Brook Village is a charming small village with a harbor. There are a couple of nice restaurants and well as more casual cafes. Not a ton of stores, but very pretty for a walk and there is a nice green to enjoy as well. (small)

-Port Jefferson Village is the next village on the shore heading east from Stony Brook. It’s bigger and has more restaurants and shopping. It’s definitely more bustling than Stony Brook due to the ferry that crosses the sound over to Connecticut (many people use it to avoid city traffic the heading to northern states). There is a walking park called ‘centennial park’ with green areas to sit as well. (medium-large)

-Way out on the north fork(the northern tale of LI) is Mattituck village. It is essentially one little street, adorably named ‘Love Lane,’ but oh so cute and it has a few very nice food-related shops. (very small)

-All the way out on the north fork is Greenport Village. Greenport has lots of shopping and restaurants. It’s a pretty big town with pretty views of the harbor and it has a ferry to Shelter Island. (large)

Taking a few steps back, closer to Nassau county are:

-Northport Village is a homey, but charming village with a couple of cute shops and very good bakery. You can walk along the harbor and visit the park as well.

-Huntington is a very large village. I hesitate to include it because it’s got more large town/city vibes in my opinion. But there are pretty stores and lots or restaurants as well. (large)

-Finally, Cold Spring Harbor village is the last stop before Nassau County on the north shore. It is like one teeny street but very pretty. Maybe there is two or three stores and a cafe and a restaurant. You can also look out at the harbor on a pretty green lawn.