What are your summer plans in the Big Apple? Maybe you’ll take the family on a day trip to the shore, stroll one of the city’s numerous parks, or even acquaint yourself with the heat of a “tar beach.” Others may take the family on a week-long vacation to see relatives or a famous mouse in Orlando.
For those looking for more, there are beach clubs. Jamie Blatman, the general manager of the Silver Gull Beach Club and Breezy Point Surf Club, provides an insider’s look into these rare local getaways.
Almost unique to the northeastern coastline and with only three left in the five boroughs, beach clubs are a truly magical summer oasis. Growing up in Brooklyn, I was fortunate to enjoy these clubs on hot and humid summer days — thanks to my parents. Beach clubs are worlds within themselves, and you’ll make friends you keep forever and enjoy a certain freedom that is lost within the city.
These beach clubs are seaside resorts. You can rent a cabana or locker (don’t think high school gym) and spend the entire summer at the beach enjoying the ocean breezes and all the features these clubs have to offer. All this for less than you’ll pay for your family to visit Orlando for just one week!
So what do you get for your summer? A short drive to Breezy Point, where the Silver Gull Beach Club and Breezy Point Surf Club are located, transports you to a life you can only imagine. There are multiple swimming pools, some heated, some with water slides, and even a kiddie pool with a pirate ship — talk about adventures! Live music hits the stage on the weekends. Free day camp for the kids is available during the week, and the beach is open all week long.
Maybe you’re a sports enthusiast; these clubs offer tennis courts with optional instruction, plus basketball, paddleball, softball, and bocce. Or, you can choose to work out in the fitness centers with complimentary group classes.
Maybe you just want to relax with a cocktail while the kids are off at camp or playing with their newfound friends. What could be better than an oceanfront tiki bar with the best frozen drinks in town? These clubs can also provide breakfast through dinner, and more, in one of the many food outlets. (Pizza is their specialty — remember, this is still New York City.)
You’d think these places are something right out of a movie, and you’d be right! The 1980s classic “The Flamingo Kid,” starring Matt Dillon, was filmed at the Silver Gull Beach Club, one of the two still located in Breezy Point. Not much has changed since then — you still have valet parking and acres of free parking, cabana attendants looking to meet all your needs, and a group of lifeguards making sure your swims — whether pool or ocean — are safe.
Still want more for the family? Well there’s plenty! Maybe you’d enjoy music bingo by the pool or a trivia contest on the deck. How’s your cannon ball or belly flops? Clubs have a contest for that, too! Popular paint and wine nights — with soda for kids — are fun for the whole family.
When the day comes to an end, you can enjoy dinner with the family in the main restaurant or one of the themed dinner events, like the Clam and Lobster Bake, Prime Rib and Bingo Night, or one of the poolside barbecues.
Just minutes from anywhere in the city, you just might want to check out one of the beach clubs while there’s still space available for this summer.
Silver Gull Beach Club [1 Beach 193rd St. in Breezy Point, (718) 634–1500, info@
