Last week on the way to the annual Macaroni Kid Meet Up in Montauk, NY, a team of 12 publishers including myself was hosted for an overnight stay in Central Long Island, NY.
We stayed at the Hilton Long Island/Huntington which featured an amazing indoor swimming pool/spa area, spotlessly clean rooms and common areas, and my favorite-a Starbucks in the lobby!
After being whisked off on style by Tran-star Executive, we headed over to Stony Brook Village. Stony Brook Village is a quaint little town ripe with history-and some great shopping! We visited the Stony Brook Grist Mill where the Miller took us on a complete tour of the working mill over 300 years old. We saw Hercules-the figurehead from the U.S.S. Ohio and heard the legend that if you kiss him, you'll find true love.
From here we hiked through Avalon Park and Preserve-this may have been my favorite part of the visit. I'm not an outdoorsy kind of person- but I felt a profound and personal connection to Avalon Park and Preserve. Avalon Park & Preserve is a privately owned park that is open to the public from dawn to dusk 365 days a year. It was built by the Paul Simons Foundation in memory of an avid outdoorsman who tragically died at a young age. Around the same time as Paul Simon's death, I lost a young family member myself-one who also loved outdoor activities like biking. Being in this park-and seeing this tribute was both emotional and peaceful to me. We climbed stone stairs with an awning of trees that were beautiful. The trail opened up to the Labyrinth-a swirl of decorative paver stones and baby grass that featured a memorial to Paul Simons. We then headed back down a trail, up through some fields of wildflowers to an opening featuring Cartas Al Cielo (Letters to Heaven). This magnificent sculpture was designed to be a connection for those who have lost loved ones. It has a slit like a mailbox to encourage visitors to write letters to those they have lost. The gleaming sphere is a reflection of both land and sky which in itself makes you feel hope and grounded all at the same time. It sits in a peaceful cove of wildflowers and I'm certain I could have stayed in that one place all day long.
Now that we worked up a little appetite, we headed back to town to visit some of the locally owned shops such as BrewCheese-where amazing cheeses like Merlot goat cheese, caramelized onion cheddar, and triple cream brie were paired with local beers, cider and wine (what could be better than cheese and wine or beer?). We also got a chance to check out more locally made foodie dreams at Chocolate Works where I purchased some of the creamiest chocolate works of art you've ever seen.
For dinner, we were hosted at Robinson's Tea Room-which was just delightful. My mom is Irish-and she's always loved tea-especially fancy teas and she would LOVE this tea room. We were served a lavish 3-course tea tray that included tea sandwiches, homemade scones with clotted cream and jam, and the richest and creamiest desserts(even an edible orchid). I was STUFFED. I'd be failing miserably if I didn't tell you about the best part of this experience: the TEA! I enjoyed a Black Pomegranate Iced Tea that was bright and cheerful and rejuvenated my travel-tired spirit. Robinson's hosts the perfect tea parties for children that include chocolate fondue, full children's themed tea service on china, and even a themed craft!
After falling into a snuggly bed back at the Hilton, we headed off the next morning to the Long Island Maritime Museum. I was wishing Lucas was with me he would have loved hearing the stories of the beginning Life-Saving Service which is now commonly known as the Coast Guard. To see an actual 'pod' that was used to rescue shipwrecks off the coast of Fire Island was remarkable-to think they could hold up to 10 people in these pods smaller than a love seat was unbelievable. We explored the Rudolph Oyster House and learned all about the process of procuring the deliciously fantastic Blue Point Oysters and explored an original home of a mariner.
If you're heading up to Discover Long Island, be sure to spend some time in the Stony Brook Village and visit the Long Island Maritime Museum. You can see more about my trip in this short video here: 
