Long Island Summer Bucket List for Kids and Families 2025
Whether you live here or are just visiting, there’s so much to do that you can find something new daily!
Psst…Check Out Things to Do with the Kids This Weekend in Long Island
1. Long Island beaches have lots to offer besides the beautiful sand and gorgeous ocean! Jones Beach State Park attracts sun-seekers with opportunities for surfing, biking, fishing, pickleball courts, playgrounds, miniature golf, and the delicious restaurant Gatsby on the Ocean.
2. Local town beaches have tons to offer, too! The Towns of Oyster Bay and Babylon offer great splash parks on their bays, nightly live music, and various waterfront dining options.
3. Looking for a different beach experience? At Baiting Hollow’s Reeves Beach, you’ll find the washed-up Friar’s Head shipwreck believed to be from World War I. Here’s a tip: the best time to see it is at low tide.
4. Fire Island is a fan favorite. You can get there by ferry or on foot. The leisurely walk starts at Robert Moses State Park Field 5 and hits its midway point at the famous lighthouse.
5. Local town park pools* are a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. We love visiting different ones to mix things up. Some pools – like Wantagh Park or Deer Park’s Geiger Park have water slides and splash parks. Also, keep your eyes peeled for Little Free Libraries. *Be sure to check residential restrictions in advance.
6. Visit the myriad of wineries on Long Island. Many, like the Corey Creek Tap Room, offer music throughout the season.
7. The North Fork’s Greenport is a great town. It’s filled with cute shops, dockside dining, a newly restored antique carousel, and rides on a miniature railroad.
8. With summer’s fickle weather, it’s good to have some indoor options up your sleeve. You can’t go wrong visiting Garden City’s Museum Row, Long Island Children’s Museum, Nassau County Firefighters Museum, and Cradle of Aviation Museum.
9. Additionally, Long Island has great niche museums. For car and airplane buffs, check out Stony Brook’s Long Island Museum, which has carriages from the 1700s until modern times, and Farmingdale’s American AirPower Museum to see our nation’s legendary airpower and ground vehicles up close and in the air.
10. If your kids like museums with interactive play spaces, check out Cold Spring Harbor’s Whaling Museum and Bridgehampton’s Children’s Museum of the East End.
11. For geology fans, Glen Cove’s Garvies Point Museum & Preserve offers excellent Long Island and Native American history, plus a huge display of gems and minerals.
12. West Sayville’s LT Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum is super cool for armed service buffs, as is Old Bethpage’s Museum of American Armor (filled with working military vehicles). You can even participate in their World War II re-enactment.
13. If you love learning about animals, check out Bridgehampton’s South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature Center, Smithtown’s Sweetbriar Nature Center, Quogue Wildlife Refuge, or the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery.
14. All presidential buffs must visit President Theodore Roosevelt’s former home, Oyster Bay’s Sagamore Hill. After completing a fun scavenger hunt, your kids can even earn a Junior Ranger badge!
15. The triple threat of Gold Coast mansion turned art museum, beautiful park, and sculpture garden can be found at Huntington’s Heckscher Park and Roslyn Harbor’s Nassau County Museum of Art. Both offer creative family programs, and Heckscher Park has a great playground (and ducks!).
16. Long Island has tons of incredible playgrounds. Cedarhurst’s Andrew J. Parise Park, Westbury’s Let All The Children Play Accessible Playground in Eisenhower Park, and the recently opened Mr. B’s Playground in Rockville Centre’s Veterans Park.
17. Check out one of Long Island’s gardens for a relaxing escape filled with beautiful flowers, trickling water, and ample fields for endless play. Farmingdale’s Robert F. Ench Teaching Gardens, Floral Park’s Centennial Gardens and Bird Sanctuary, and Old Westbury Gardens are great options.
18. Long Island offers many unique hikes in preserves, county parks, and national parks! Smithtown’s Blydenburgh County Park, Massapequa Preserve, Merrick’s Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve, and walking to the very end of the North Fork at Orient Point County Park are good choices.
19. You can’t call yourself a Long Islander unless you have a photo with Flanders’ famous historic Big Duck. Created in 1931 for duck farmer Martin Maurer, it’s not only a Long Island staple but also launched a new architectural style called “duck” architecture (coined by architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown in 1968).
20. Don’t forget about public libraries! They’re filled with children’s areas, outdoor play spaces, and, most importantly, air conditioning. Centereach’s Middle County Public Library is one of the best. Also, reserve one of your home library museum passes for complimentary admission to local destinations.
21. Just because school is out, doesn’t mean your kids can’t learn anything. Take them to Stony Brook to visit the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame and give them a history lesson on the music you grew up listening to, created by Long Island natives, including Billy Joel, KISS, Debbie Gibson, Louis Armstrong, Run-DMC, and so many more.
Have a great summer! Discover new things! Make sure you catch at least one beach sunset; extra credit if it’s at Jones Beach Field 10!
Psst…Check Out Long Island Carnivals, Festivals, and Fairs: June 2025
