A glorious Fall day like today calls for a nice walk before dinner…
If you are headed to the Fall festival in Long Beach, take the time to head to the boardwalk, which runs for about 2 miles along white sandy beaches. There is a beach-side park on Magnolia Blvd. – just a couple of blocks west from the festival. Loop back east on the boardwalk until you are done taking in the ocean air, and come back down to Park Ave. to eat dinner at Gino’s before heading home. Gino’s is super for families – good food and loud enough that no one will mind when your toddler bursts into song.
Or head north on Magnolia down to the bay, where there is a short boardwalk on that side of the island. Incidentally, Magnolia on the bay is where you can find the Long Beach Ice Arena – where you can rent skates for the whole family and grab a hot dog.
In Suffolk County – maybe try the South Shore Nature Center. (631) 224-5436, 50 Irish Lane, East Islip. There is a 2.5-mile network of trails, half of which are wheelchair-accessible boardwalks (read stroller friendly. They wind through upland woods, then wetland woods, followed by freshwater pond and marsh, and finally saltwater marsh. Nice place to take in Fall foliage.
