Winter Wonderland: Long Island

While it's best known for its white-sand beaches in the summertime, Long Island is an incredible four-season destination. In the winter months, the region transforms into a glistening getaway filled with fireside fun, charming festivals, outdoor adventures, indoor entertainment and much more. With slimmed-down crowds and an affordable winter edge, the hotels and inns, spas and wineries around the region offer cozy escapes that can cure those winter blues.

Revel in the season by ice skating at one of Long Island’s many outdoor ice rinks or head to a historic theater to see Broadway caliber talent. See an extravagant holiday light display like the Shimmering Solstice at Old Westbury Gardens or Jones Beach’s Magic of Lights: Drive-Through Holidays Lights Experience from November through the end of December. Arts, lights, and color come to life at Eisenhower Park’s LuminoCity Festival, “Pure Magic” and NYC’s Winter Lantern Festival, a vibrant Chinese-inspired holiday light show, is coming to Long Island in November as the Suffolk Winter Lantern Festival.

The holidays are also a magical time of year on Long Island. Join the festivities in Montauk with their annual lighting of the Montauk Point Lighthouse or have a gilded age experience with a tour of a Gatsby-era mansion decked out for the season in stunning holiday décor. Ride a tractor through rows of firs, spruces, and pines at more than a dozen Christmas Tree Farms where you can cut your own! Savor the small-town charm of Long Island’s many downtown villages as they come to life with festive concerts and events like the Dickens Festival in Port Jefferson, Flying Santa at Fire Island Lighthouse, Winterfest, and dozens of tree-lighting celebrations. While you’re there, explore the mom-and-pop Main Street shops for unique gifts for loved ones.

Photos Courtesy of Discover Long Island