May 17, 2026 · Updated May 17, 2026
Memorial Day Weekend is eight days out, and for the hundreds of thousands of Long Islanders who cross Great South Bay each summer, the season starts at the Bay Shore ferry terminal. Fire Island Ferries runs service to eight car-free communities on the barrier island, from family-friendly Fair Harbor to the restaurants and bars of Ocean Beach, with morning departures at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Memorial Day Weekend is eight days away, and for Long Islanders who have been waiting for summer, the trip to Fire Island begins at the ferry terminal in Bay Shore.
Fire Island is a narrow barrier island that runs for 32 miles along the South Shore of Long Island, separated from the mainland by Great South Bay. No paved roads connect its communities to the shore, and no private cars are allowed on the island. Getting there means taking a ferry, and from the South Shore side of the bay, that means Fire Island Ferries out of Bay Shore Marina in the Town of Islip.
The company runs service to eight communities: Kismet, Saltaire, Fair Harbor, Dunewood, Atlantique, Ocean Beach, Seaview and Ocean Bay Park. Each has a different personality. Understanding the differences before you buy a ticket is useful, especially on a crowded summer weekend.
Bay Shore is on the Long Island Rail Road's Babylon branch, one of the most frequently served lines on the system. Trains from Penn Station in Manhattan reach Bay Shore in roughly 65 minutes on the express. From Jamaica, the ride is about 40 minutes. The LIRR runs Bay Shore trains every 30 to 60 minutes on weekends, with more frequent service in peak summer hours.
From Bay Shore station, the marina is about a 10-to-15-minute walk east along Maple Avenue. The walk is flat and passes through the Bay Shore commercial district, where there are a handful of coffee shops and delis if you want to pick up a last item before boarding.
If you are driving, parking at Bay Shore Marina is available but limited on peak days. The lot fills early on summer Saturdays. Some visitors park in the surrounding neighborhood or in paid lots near the village center and walk to the terminal.
Fire Island Ferries departs from Bay Shore Marina at the end of Maple Avenue. Two morning ferries leave Bay Shore for Atlantique: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Return boats leave Atlantique at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Schedules to all eight communities are at fireislandferries.com or by calling the Bay Shore terminal at 631-665-3600.
The company offers a 40-trip book covering 40 one-way tickets valid in either direction to any of the eight communities. It is the most economical option for regular visitors who plan to cross the bay multiple times in a season. Mobile ticketing is available through fimtickets.com.
Ocean Beach is the most developed community on the island. It has restaurants, bars, an ice cream shop, a grocery and a small commercial strip. If you want options for food and a chance to walk around between beach sessions, Ocean Beach is the right call. It is the busiest community on summer weekends and has a lively bar scene in the afternoon.
Kismet sits at the western end of the ferry network's range. It has a bar, a beach club and a quieter atmosphere than Ocean Beach. Kismet tends to draw a younger day-trip crowd on weekends and sits near the Robert Moses State Park end of the island, where the ocean beaches are wide and backed by high dunes.
Fair Harbor is family-friendly, with a few restaurants, a market and a small beach club. Rentals in Fair Harbor fill early in the season with young families. It is calmer than Ocean Beach on a Saturday afternoon but has enough infrastructure to spend a full day without planning everything in advance.
Saltaire is one of the quieter communities on the ferry route, largely residential and popular with people who want the beach without the noise. For a day trip, it suits visitors who prefer simplicity over options.
Dunewood, Seaview and Ocean Bay Park each occupy their own character between the quieter areas and Ocean Beach. Dunewood is almost entirely residential with no commercial district. Atlantique is primarily a day-beach destination accessible from Bay Shore, with beach and picnic facilities maintained through the Town of Islip.
Fire Island runs on foot traffic and wagons. No cars means everything you bring must be carried from the ferry dock. A beach wagon or rolling cart is standard for families bringing chairs, coolers and gear. Most regulars own one and bring it on the ferry.
Beach chairs and umbrellas, sunscreen, cash for businesses that prefer it, and water are the basics. The sun on a barrier island with water on both sides is intense. Some communities have grocery options; others have almost nothing commercial. If you are heading to Saltaire, Dunewood or the quieter ends of the island, pack everything you plan to eat and drink for the day.
The unofficial start of the Fire Island season is Memorial Day Weekend, and the ferries reflect it. Boats fill up, the communities come back to life after a long winter, and the bay itself is at its early-summer best.
Buy tickets in advance if you know when you are going. The peak Memorial Day ferries sell out. The Fire Island Ferries website and app let you purchase ahead. If you are flexible, a Sunday morning or the early hours of Memorial Day Monday can be quieter than the Saturday rush.
Restaurants and bars on the island are staffed and open by Memorial Day Weekend, though not always at full capacity. A few places will have soft openings over the holiday and ramp up fully in June. Call ahead if you have a specific spot in mind.
Most of the ocean-facing side of Fire Island is protected as Fire Island National Seashore, a unit of the National Park Service established in 1964. The park covers 26 miles of ocean beach, protected dune habitat, the historic Fire Island Lighthouse and maritime forest. Access to the beach is free.
The Sailors Haven marina, maintained by the National Park Service between Fair Harbor and Saltaire, offers a boardwalk trail through the Sunken Forest, a rare example of maritime holly forest growing in the shadow of the dune ridge. The Fire Island Lighthouse, near the western tip of the barrier island close to Robert Moses State Park, is open for climbing on weekends during the season. More at nps.gov/fiis.
Bay Shore Marina is at the end of Maple Avenue in Bay Shore. The terminal number is 631-665-3600. Schedules and tickets: fireislandferries.com.
