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Community Corner

Save the Gas: Local Activities to Enjoy

There are many activities you can do within a 20 minute drive.

With Long Island home to some of the highest gas prices in the country, we are being driven to find things to do closer to home. People think you have to go far afield to enjoy yourself, but if you learn how to bloom where planted, you can flourish in your own backyard.
 
Just south of us you can enjoy Smith Point County Park, situated on the east end of the Fire Island Barrier Beach, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest oceanfront park in the entire country. You can enjoy long walks, swimming, scuba diving, surfing, and camping on water view campgrounds with electric hook-ups. Call 631-244-7275 for reservations.

Right around the corner in Mount Sinai, Cedar Beach on the Long Island Sound has a playground on the western end, tennis courts and a trail and nature center to the east.

Brookhaven Town offers many fascinating programs at West Meadow Beach. For instance, there are ongoing Horseshoe Crab walks. These "ancient mariners" choose to spawn on this stretch of beach; learn all about them as they come ashore to nest. The program schedule runs May 21, 6:30-8 p.m., June 11, 6:30-8 p.m. and June 18, 6:30-8 p.m.
 
You can also enjoy a Full Moon Hike, learn about nocturnal animals. If the skies are clear, a spotting scope will be employed to look at features of the moon such as mares and craters.  May 20, 7:30 – 9 p.m, June 17, 8:30 – 10 p.m.

Our local libraries also offer escapes to other worlds, beyond books.  
 
North Shore Public Library in Shoreham sponsors the Museum Pass Program, offering free passes to world class museums like the Museum of Natural History and The New York Botanical Gardens. Each pass will admit individuals, family and guests.

Comsewogue Public Library in Port Jefferson Station offers excursions to N.Y.C. that allow you to leave the car at home. You can take an LIRR Trip to New York City on Saturday May 14 at 9:40 a.m. from Ronkonkoma Train Station for $8.50 round trip. Children under five are free.

Jackie Kennedy's New York, Tuesday, June 7, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Charge of $81 includes transportation, tour, lunch, admissions and gratuities. The guided bus tour will leave the library at 8 a.m. Lunch at Giorgio's of Gramercy, followed by a visit to Sothebey's Auction House.

If you feel like you need to be mobile, forgo the car, pull out the bicycle and rev up your own engine. Suffolk Bicycle Riders Association has scheduled rides throughout the spring and summer, from beginner to advanced riders.

Locally you can mountain bike the pine barren trails in Rocky Point, or do the loop at Heritage Park in Mt. Sinai.

So, if gas prices have you counting pennies, count your blessings. We live in an area with New York City a train ride away, the Hamptons within an hour's drive, and beautiful beaches and parks right in our own backyards.

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