Leave Your Worries On The Ferry... Ocean Beach!

Leaving the Bay Shore dock and crossing the Great South Bay by ferry transports you to another land… a land where flip flops and ice cream rule the day! Leave your worries on the ferry and enter the relaxed, carefree, vacation atmosphere of this quaint beach town, reminiscent of times past.

Ocean Beach, is a small, vibrant beach community that hangs on to its old world charm. It’s always been my favorite on Fire Island. Most towns on the Island have limited business and while this quiet solitude makes them wonderful places to wind down, it’s a little to quiet for me. I’d like to wind down with things to do and Ocean Beach has a nice little downtown area. As far as I’m concerned, you need options! There are grocery stores, ‘mom and pop’ type shops, a few boutiques, galleries, ice cream shops, a bakery and over a dozen restaurants to choose from. Although a very family-oriented retreat, there is plenty of nightlife for the adults as well.

As with most of Fire Island, there are no cars allowed. Walking, bicycling and pulling wagons is how to get around. There are a few hotels, but the majority of the accommodations are homes. Owners rent their properties weekly, monthly or for the full summer season. The homes range from rustic beach bungalows to mini-mansions overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. If you’re looking for a house to rent, there are many to choose from at homeaway.com. Don’t make the same mistake I did recently… I reserved a house just two months prior to the stay and took what I could get. It was a little rough! We made the best of it, but next time, I’ll be sure to plan ahead and only rent from sites where I can read the reviews beforehand. You’ll see other sites like www.fireislandliving.com, etc… but they don’t have traveler reviews. By the way, it’s not too soon to book now for next year.

Over the years, we have rented many homes, and also stayed at The Palms Hotel for a quick visit from time to time. The Palms is definitely your best choice of hotel on Fire Island. Be warned, some of their rooms are extremely small, but squeaky clean and newly decorated with very comfortable beds.

Although most of my posts are based on adult vacationing, not so with Fire Island. This is a very family-oriented summer vacation community. It’s a great place for all to get together. There’s time to bond and enjoy each other’s company, barbecue, play on the beach or just to stroll through town discussing the ice cream flavor of the day with the grandchildren. It’s all good!

A favorite for breakfast and all bakery items (not normally devoured except on vacation), is Rachel’s. It’s worth taking the ferry ride just to get one of their breakfast biscuits! They also do some amazing things with chocolate. For lunch and dinner, Matthew’s on the Bay has been consistently good. The Island Mermaid may draw you in with their live music, but my food experience there has not been good. It’s good for after dinner, to go by for a drink and listen to the band. Whatever you’re doing just before sunset, head to the bay! The sunsets are incredible!

The quirk of this village is an abundance rules. It’s considered the “Land Of No”. No eating or drinking off Bay Walk (the main drag). Shoes and shirts in the village at all times. No radios, frisbees, eating or drinking on the beach. What?! No bike riding on weekends and holidays! No feeding the deer, which are everywhere… They are accustomed to humans so you can usually get a pretty close up look, not too close you don’t want any deer ticks. That being said, the beaches and walkways are clean and pristine, so I guess it works.

Fire Island is composed of many diverse communities. If you’re considering a vacation here, you’ll need to do a little research to decide what works best for you. The biggest misnomer I’ve heard repeatedly about Fire Island, is that it is a ‘gay only’ community. While the towns of Cherry Grove and the F.I. Pines are predominantly gay, all are welcome. The other communities have no designations, except Point O’Woods which is a privately owned, members only community. Well, excuuuse us..

Either way, the vibe is relaxed and downscale. You’ll never need a jacket and tie here!! If you’re looking for upscale, pack your preppy gear and head further east on Long Island to visit the Hamptons. You might do some star-spotting!