Travel Guide to Fire Island, New York

If you recall reading one of my earlier posts titled “Island located within United States”), you would remember reading a brief paragraph about Fire Island located close to New York.

In this blog post, you will find some more details about Fire Island, New York such as how to reach, what to see and do, nearby attractions, restaurants in it and so on.

I am sure you will find this travel guide to Fire Island useful and share-worthy.

So, where exactly Fire Island is?.

View of the the island’s Beach from a lighthouse inside the island.

This Island is located near the Long Island, New York. Here is the Google map showing the location of Fire Island.

Fire Island is classified under ‘barrier island’ category.

How to go to Fire Island?

Take a train from Long island railway station and buy a ticket up to Sayville railway station. The distance between the two places is only 8 km that the train covers in just 11 minutes. Sayville is in a fishing hamlet and is part of Suffolk County, New York.

From Sayville rail station, take a taxi to Sayville ferry terminal. There are several ferry services to Island and the travel time in the boat is just 20 minutes.

Therefore, from the heart of New York’s Long Island, you can reach it in less than an hour!

A bit about Fire Island:

As it is located very close to New York, Fire Island is an ideal weekend destination for the New Yorkers. It can also be seen as a day trip from New York.

What to see in The Island

• Beaches of course! Fire Island beaches are no different from other beaches in New York but they are less crowded. We all like to take time off to go on short trips to nearby locations. When we do that, we find the places different and refreshing even though we have seen such places a hundred times. That’s the power of traveling to a holiday destination. It is always refreshing! Prominent beaches in the Island are Sailors Haven, Cherry Grove, and Pines.
• Robert Moses State Park, Fire Island, New York.

The Island is a ‘car-free’ place because it is a ‘nature protected’ reserve area. It is a tiny island that can be walked through or go around on a bicycle. Even for bicycles, there are restricted areas! Can you believe it? With all such restrictions, I think you are assured of a very healthy and clean atmosphere in the Island.

Robert Moses State Park is nothing but a beachfront meant for fun and frolic for the visitors to the Island. The park is located on the western side of Fire Island.

The beach here is nearly 8 km long and attracts quite a large crowd from New York City.

Surfing and golfing

Both the above adventure activities are available in Robert Moses State Park. Oh yes. You can do fishing; there won’t be any restrictions here.

• Lighthouse
• Visit small fishing places called Kismet and Saltaire

Sailors Haven and Sunken Forest

As you walk or ride on a bike in the Island, you will find the Sailors Haven and its Sunken Forest in the middle of Fire Island. At frequent intervals, a forest ranger acts as a guide too and take you through the Sunken Forest (I wonder why such a name).  You can swim for a while in the nearest beach and buy some souvenir at a gift shop located near the Sailors Haven visitor center. Next to it is a small shop selling refreshments.

• Smith Point County Park

Things to do

• Boating
• Kayaking and Canoeing
• Horse riding
• Scuba diving

Camping:

There are approved campsites and you have to book your camps in advance. You can choose your camping ground from several sites such as Montauk Parks,  Shinnecock East, and Smith Point.

Contact them  for your camping needs in advance.

Eating in Fire Island:

You won’t find anything unique or abnormal food on Fire Island. Whatever you get to eat in New York City, you can get order the same in the restaurants in the Island, that includes:

• Shrimps
• Clams
• Sushi
• Linguine
• Grilled Eel
• Crab salad

Don’t worry; there are a handful of restaurants in the Island, some of which are:

• Surf’s Out
• Flynn’s
• Albatross
• CJ’s Restaurant and Bar
• The Island Mermaid
• Maguire’s Bay Front Restaurant

For a day trip or for just weekend stay, I am sure these restaurants are enough to serve the needs of the tourists to Fire Island.