Syosset: Essential Things Parents Must Know

Within the town of Oyster Bay, located on the North Shore of Nassau County, lies the hamlet—a community within a town that is not incorporated as a village—of Syosset and the incorporated villages of Muttontown and Oyster Bay Cove. 

Syosset, the name of which is likely of Dutch origins, is a popular family-friendly town due to the fact that its school district is one of the three most popular on Long Island—its three secondary schools have each been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. The hamlet—almost 30 miles from New York City—also has a largely affluent, ethnically diverse community.

Muttontown is a residential community—there are very few businesses in the village and fit unobtrusively into the residential character of the village—just 25 miles from New York City. The name of Muttontown derives from the land’s early use for sheep grazing. In the 1600s, the English and Dutch settlers found the hills ideas for thousands of sheep to graze, providing mutton and wool for the area. The village is best known for its nature preserves and residential character.

Oyster Bay Cove—approximately 30 miles from New York City—is another residential community in the Syosset area that gets its name from Oyster Bay Harbor, which lies to the north. The village of Oyster Bay Cove is known for its Roosevelt-related spots, including the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center and Youngs Cemetery, where the 26th President and his second wife, Edith Kermit Roosevelt, are buried.

Here’s everything you need to know if you’re considering moving your family to Syosset, Muttontown, or Oyster Bay Cove on Long Island.
    

Schools in Syosset, Oyster Bay Cove, and Muttontown

Public Schools Serving Syosset, Oyster Bay Cove, and Muttontown

Children who live in Syosset will attend one of 10 public schools in the Syosset Central School District:

Children who live in Oyster Bay Cove will attend public school in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District:

Children who live in Muttontown will attend public school in one of the above school districts or Jericho Union Free School District or Locust Valley School District:

• Jericho Union Free School District:

• Locust Valley School District:

Private Schools Serving Syosset, Oyster Bay Cove, and Muttontown

There are nearly 80 private schools serving the Syosset area, including preschools, mixed-age schools, religious schools, and schools for students with special needs.

Private preschools serving Syosset, Muttontown, and Oyster Bay Cove include:

Private mixed-age schools serving Syosset, Muttontown, and Oyster Bay Cove include:

Private religious schools serving Syosset, Muttontown, and Oyster Bay Cove include:

Private schools for students with special needs serving Syosset, Muttontown, and Oyster Bay Cove include:

Public Transportation: Long Island Rail Road Stops in Syosset, Oyster Bay Cove, and Muttontown

For those parents who work in New York City and will have to commute on a daily basis, or for the family that wants to visit the city for a day, there are two LIRR stops serving Syosset, Muttontown, and Oyster Bay Cove (commute times are approximate):

Things to Do with Kids in Syosset, Oyster Bay Cove, and Muttontown

Museums in Syosset, Oyster Bay Cove, and Muttontown

Raynham Hall Museum

Located less than 5 miles from Syosset near Oyster Bay Cove, the Raynham Hall Museum enables visitors to experience what it meant o be prominent merchants and patriots nearly 300 years ago. The hall, originally built circa 1738, has colonial and Victorian period rooms and gardens to reflect when the home was used as the headquarters of Lt. Colonel John Graves Simcoe in the 1770s and how it would have been found in the 1870s when it was home to Solomon Townsend II.

Courtesy Raynham Hall Museum

The Colonial Hall in the Raynham Hall Museum shows a family room, which would have been the scene of activities inlcuding spinning, sewing, reading, writing, and taking meals.

Beaches in Syosset, Oyster Bay Cove, and Muttontown

The town of Oyster Bay, in which Syosset hamlet is located, has eight beaches, three of which are for residents only (noted with asterisks):

Community Centers in Syosset, Oyster Bay Cove, and Muttontown

For families that are looking for a little extra community closeness, Syosset has three community centers, including country and golf clubs, and a nearby JCC.
 

Mid-Island Y JCC

The closest Jewish Community Center to the Syosset area is the Mid-Island Y JCC in Plainview, which is 5 miles from Syosset. In addition to its Early Childhood Center, the JCC offers a Youth & Teen Center with after-school programs, a teen lounge, leadership programs, and more; the Adler Center for Special Needs; a summer camp; fitness and aquatics programs; Jewish community programs, and more.
    

The Muttontown Club, East Norwich

Established in 1962, this club provides members with a fitness center, five Har-Tru clay tennis courts, a pool, a kids’ playground with a waterslide, and an 18-hole golf course. The club offers adult tennis clinics and children’s programs, plus fine dining six days a week.
    

Woodside Acres, Muttontown

This club, established in 2010, offers an 18-hole golf club, a historic clubhouse (the Roosevelts were guests in 1924), four Har-Tru tennis courts that offer lessons and themed events, a pool, a pro shop, and winter golf amenities including an indoor swing room and two heated driving range stalls.
    

Little Leagues in Syosset, Oyster Bay Cove, and Muttontown

While many kids in elementary and middle school want to start playing a sport, their schools don’t have sports teams. Don’t despair: There are a few sports leagues serving Syosset, including:

Parks and Nature Preserves in Syosset, Oyster Bay Cove, and Muttontown

Hoffman Nature Preserve & Wildlife Center

With 155 acres and nearly 5 miles of hiking trails, the preserve offers free nature tours the first and third Saturdays of each month at 1pm. It also hosts a variety of walks and programs led by the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center. From 1996-2004, the center restored the dilapidated Gold Coast era Georgian-style mansion to its original splendor, and is currently in the process of restoring the site’s Carriage House, designed by Alfred E. Hopkins, the cow barn, dairy barn, and two cottages.
     

Muttontown Preserve

Comprised of 550 acres of fields, woodlands, ponds, and estate grounds, this preserve is Nassau County’s largest nature preserve and includes miles of nature trails with local flora and fauna. Muttontown Preserve, which is made up of land from three estates, is home to the Chelsea Mansion, a Gold Coast estate that was built in 1924 and is the former home of Alexandra and Benjamin Moore (he was Muttontown’s first mayor), and ruins of the mansion once owned by King Zog of Albania.
     

Stillwell Woods Preserve

This Syosset preserve, made up of 270 acres that offers a blend of old field and oak barrens communities, is home to part of the Nassau-Suffolk Greenbelt Trail for hikers, as well as bike and equestrian trails. Plus, 30.9 acres of the preserve is leased to the Town of Oyster Bay for use as playing fields.
    

Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center

Established in 1923 as the first Audubon Songbird Sanctuary in the nation, the 12 acres in Oyster Bay Cove were donated by W. Emlen and Christine Roosevelt in memory of their cousin Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the U.S. The sanctuary’s original purpose was to provide a protected environment for songbirds whose populations were declining. Today, it offers a variety of activities, including environmental education, wildlife research, and conservation advocacy through hands-on, experiential, and inquiry-based methods.

Courtesy Audubon New York

Tiffany Creek Preserve

Located in Oyster Bay Cove, this 197-acre preserve provides a mix of ecological communities within an oak forest. Acquired by Nassau County in 1992 with the assistance of the Long Island chapter of the Nature Conservancy, this preserve comprises of woods and meadows, and public nature trails are located in the 45-acre parcel west of Sandy Hill Road.

Main image: Chelsea Mansion, locted on the Muttontown Preserve, is a Gold Coast estate that was built in 1924 and is the former home of Alexandra and Benjamin Moore (Muttontown’s first mayor).
Courtesy Batul Morbi