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Greenport on Long Island has seen no reason to erase the
story of those rumrunning days from its past. In fact, locals
proudly point to the fact that their marine repair shops
handled all types of craft during the “Noble Experiment,” on
both sides of the law.
Greenport boasts much that is interesting and fun in the way
of summertime entertainment, from the East End Seaport Maritime
Museum and the Railroad Museum of Long Island to a revitalized
waterfront park area. Portions of Mitchell Park are still under
construction at this point, but an amphitheater, antique carousel
and public docks are in full swing, developed with large numbers
of tourists in mind.
In nearby Southold, winemaking is on the upswing in a town with
a historical society that oversees 11 historic structures, including
a multi-building complex on Main Road. The Southold Town Historical
Society also offers tours of historic Horton's Point Lighthouse
and its attendant Nautical Museum. One of the main attractions
in town, the Custer Institute, is closed for repairs until September,
but will still be holding fundraising events throughout the summer,
typically loaded with food and laughs as well as the satisfaction
of helping a nonprofit organization reach its important goals.
Between the North and South Forks, Shelter Island started not
as a religious hideaway, but as a settlement for sugar merchants
from Barbados seeking oak trees for barrel making. It became a
shelter, though, for persecuted Quakers, and later a center of
farming and fishing. Today 8,000 people occupy its 8,000 acres
in summer - 2,000 of which have been set aside as a nature preserve.
Shopping here can't be beat and the restaurants are topnotch,
but don't look for a movie theater. The people of Shelter Island
don't have one, and don't plan to.
Three communities and no waiting, unless you plan on taking
a car on the Shelter Island ferry. But then, you don't have to think
about that, do you? Take these towns in by bicycle or on foot, and
leave the exhaust fumes to someone else.
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