Bee and I were thinking about taking a few days with the kids over a weekend at a local beach... ideally, somewhere we could visit without a car! Renting a car in NYC is almost the same cost as renting a place for the weekend!
Maybe Montauk or North Form by LIRR... or New Jersey by bus or NJ Transit? Not sure... anyone know of a great beach that isn't too crowded but is accessible without a car? Or is that an impossible combination!
eggplant / 11716 posts
You could try this, although the ferry looks pricy! Seems fun though. http://travelogged.com/2010/08/11/sandy-hook-nj/
nectarine / 2272 posts
Long beach! The LIRR drops right off at the beach. We love it there.
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
@Andrea: @hotchildinthecity: Long Beach sounds interesting! Is it a good place to visit for a weekend (maybe two nights)?
persimmon / 1168 posts
Jones Beach is nice. But crowded on weekends. Pretty sure long beach is more private but you have to pay. North Fork is amazing but may be hard to find a rental at this time of year.
I went to Beach 86 in Far Rock today and it was awesome, if you want to stay really local 
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
@magnolia: I'd love to hear more about Beach 86, if you have a few! I've never been to the area before...
persimmon / 1168 posts
I like it! There is a playground, bathrooms and a hipsterish snack stand there. Also a great keyfood for beach snacks in a small shopping mall a block behind the beach.The boardwalk is still being rebuilt but there is a good stretch of it.
persimmon / 1168 posts
It's the A train towards far rock/broad channel and then the shuttle to Beach 90. A nice subway ride because a lot of it is outside and overlooking the bay. If you do drive you can park in the key food parking lot
nectarine / 2272 posts
@mrbee: oh yeah, we've talked a lot about staying there for the weekend. It's just a nice area. I'm sure there's lot of guides about where exactly to eat and stuff but we've had good food and ice cream, the beach is always nice and clean, plenty of bathrooms and stuff.
Oh and it's only about an hour from Penn Station.
cantaloupe / 6171 posts
I was going to say North Fork until you said no car! Orient State Beach Park is amazing for kiddos--playground equipment right on the sand! We went over Memorial Day weekend and I loooved it, I want to go back so badly. But we have a car. I think LIRR goes out pretty far, but then I'm not sure what public transportation is like there, and Orient Beach is at the very tip of the island.
pear / 1672 posts
Long Beach and the Rockaways. I was just at Long Beach this past weekend. You can drive or take the train. I'm not sure about staying there, but I am sure that's possible. There are lots of buildings right on the boardwalk and I'm sure people rent those out. Also lots of cute houses, too. Maybe check Air Bnb?
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
@nana87: Oh wow, that sounds amazing! I just looked it up and apparently you can take the Suffolk County Transit busline from the LIRR to Orient State Beach Park!! Will have to do more research, but this is definitely going on the list - thank you!!!
cantaloupe / 6171 posts
@mrbee: oh I'm so glad! We really loved it out there! And I don't know if it was that it was just really early in the season, but there was barely anyone there when we went. I've been to the Rockaways and Robert Moses beaches as well, pre-lo, and they were way more crowded and not as kid-focused. There were also tons of grills and picnic tables at Orient--if we were going back we'd plan on picnicking/bbqing all day
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
@nana87: Sounds awesome!! If you were going to rent a place for the weekend around there, where would you want to stay? Ideally it'd be somewhere that is walkable to the park - or is a cab ride away!
cantaloupe / 6171 posts
@mrbee: The park isn't really near much, I don't think--it's at the end of a road that looked residential. I'd try to stay in downtown Greenport without a car, I think--it's really walkable there with lots of restaurants, coffeeshops, stores, etc, and a really adorable old carousel. It's also where you can get a ferry to Shelter Island-- we didn't do that, but that might give you more car-free beach options!
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
@mrbee: Are you 100% sure you don't want to drive? We live on the island, and along route 25 there are tons of fun things to do too! Kid friendly wineries, tons of local farms, a goat farm and sells amazing goat cheese/other goat milk products, lavender field, etc... And def a lot of vacation rentals available pretty much on the whole fork!
nectarine / 2152 posts
I just went to Long Beach on Sunday. It's good for a day trip but not the kind of place you would go to stay overnight or a few days, I don't think (at least, it's not where I would want to stay). Plus, the beach is fine but it's not that nice. I think the ferry to Sandy Hook in NJ would be great! Or also Cape May, which is accessible by bus or train. That's a sweet town that's walkable so you wouldn't need a car there!
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
@nana87: Thank you, that's really helpful!
@snowjewelz: I don't mind driving - we drove on our last visit to North Fork! It's just that with rental prices what they are here, it basically doubles the cost of the weekend... so was trying to find some car-free trips we could take!
pear / 1531 posts
@mrbee: Have you checked rental prices in the North Fork? You could take LIRR there (and avoid the traffic) and then rent a car at your destination? Might be cheaper.
Jersey shore towns are more walkable destinations but the bus ride there could take hours and hours and hours with summer traffic. Train ride would be better. I agree Long Beach wouldn't be great for a weekend.
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
@raintreebee: Ooh, neat idea to rent a car *in* North Fork! Will have to look into that. We definitely plan on taking the LIRR there and renting a place.
grapefruit / 4671 posts
@mrbee: I wouldn't do a weekend at Long Beach. I the LIRR there all the time and it is more of a day trip type beach. More private than Jones because you have to pay 7 bucks to access the beach but still not really a weekend getaway type of place.
What about Fire Island? You could take the ferry, and it is so delightful!
pear / 1531 posts
@plantains: good call on fire island! no need for a car there since you can't have one!
clementine / 806 posts
fire island or take the ferry to jersey shore (sandy hook or sea bright). you can rent a car in NJ! If you take sea streak, you can also take the ferry to Martha's vineyard or nantucket too. But that's costly ($165 for an adult).
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