Eat, shop and spend a whole day exploring a charming East End village
Confession: We always mean to spend a leisurely day exploring the East End’s charming villages, but all too often we only run into town for a coffee or when we run out of sunscreen. Make this the summer you finally get to know Southampton, Sag Harbor or Montauk by spending a whole day in the hamlets. Here are some suggested itineraries to get you started.
Lace up your sneakers for a hike
Escape from the crowds with some nature. Throughout the East End, you’ll find hikes full of breathtaking scenery and even some wildlife. Hike by forests and ponds in the Quogue Wildlife Refuge (Quogue) or past an old lighthouse at Cedar Point County Park (East Hampton), or take in the wildlife at Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge (Sag Harbor).
Go horseback riding
Hear the words cattle ranch and you probably think of Texas, not Montauk, but The End is home to one of the country’s oldest ranches, Deep Hollow, where you can saddle up to take guided rides along coastal trails or even on the beach.
8 Old Montauk Hwy, Montauk; 631-668-2744 or deephollowranch.com
Catch a flick
On the hottest of summer days when there’s no breeze and the sand is scorching, there’s no place better to beat than heat than a movie theater, eating popcorn as your fingers slowly turn blue in the AC. In both East Hampton and Southampton, the quaint, old-school cinemas offer multiple showings of the latest box-office hits.