May 23, 2026 · Updated May 23, 2026
Huntington Village packs walkable dining, a working harbor, major arts institutions and preserved open space into a stretch of Suffolk County's North Shore that draws visitors from across Long Island all summer. From harbor dining at Prime to Caumsett's forest trails and the Heckscher Museum, here is where locals go.
Huntington Village is the kind of North Shore town that draws visitors from across Long Island on summer weekends, and residents from neighboring towns who treat its Main Street dining and harbor waterfront as a reliable backdrop for the season. The combination of walkable downtown, working harbor, cultural institutions and proximity to preserved open space makes it one of the most layered destinations on Suffolk County's North Shore.
Summer in Huntington also runs a recurring calendar of free outdoor events. Concerts on the Green, held on Heckscher Park's main lawn on Thursday evenings from June through August, draw mixed-age crowds with a rotating lineup of local bands and regional acts, typically running from 7 to 9 p.m. Details are at huntingtonarts.org. The village's Chamber of Commerce organizes periodic outdoor markets on Main Street during the summer, with local vendors, food trucks and live music on the closed-off stretch near New York Avenue. For anyone spending a day, a weekend or a full summer in and around Huntington, here is where locals go.
Prime, at 117 North New York Ave., sits at the edge of Huntington Harbor with a full outdoor bar, a fire pit facing the water and views of the moored boats in the harbor basin. The menu covers surf and turf with a weekend brunch program. Prime has appeared on OpenTable's list of Long Island's most scenic dining destinations for three consecutive years, partly for the harbor proximity and partly for the outdoor fire-pit bar, which draws a crowd well past the dinner hour on clear summer evenings.
KyuRamen, at 296 Main St., is the newest addition to the downtown dining strip: a Japanese noodle shop with tonkotsu, shoyu and seasonal specials that draws consistent lines on weekend evenings. The space is small and brightly lit, with counter seating that turns quickly. Arrive before 7 p.m. to avoid the longest waits.
Besito Mexican, at 402 New York Ave., occupies a large converted space with high ceilings, tableside guacamole preparation and a margarita program that outlasts most cocktail bars in town. Besito has operated in Huntington for more than a decade and maintains a consistent following. Weekend reservations are advisable.
For casual options, Spice Village Grill at 281 Main St. covers Indian and fusion with an affordable lunch menu. House of India at 256 Main St. is the village's long-standing anchor for subcontinental cooking, open for lunch and dinner daily.
Huntington Harbor is a free, fully accessible public resource running directly off the foot of New York Avenue. The town dock at the base of the avenue is a public launch point for kayaks and paddleboards; several outfitters in the area offer hourly rentals during the summer months, with the harbor's protected waters manageable for first-time paddlers.
Crescent Beach, at the foot of West Shore Road in Lloyd Harbor, is a town-owned guarded swimming beach open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Non-resident day passes are $15 per vehicle on weekdays and $20 on weekends. The beach has picnic areas and a snack bar. Resident permits are available at Huntington Town Hall, 100 Main St.
For boat charters, Cold Spring Harbor is the closest departure point, with several licensed captains offering half-day fishing trips and sunset sails through the summer. Listings are available through the Town of Huntington Parks and Recreation office at huntingtonny.gov/parksrec.
The Heckscher Museum of Art at 2 Prime Ave. anchors the western end of downtown at the edge of Heckscher Park's 18 acres of lawn, ponds and mature trees. The permanent collection focuses on American art from the 19th and 20th centuries, with rotating exhibitions running through the summer months. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children; the surrounding park and duck pond are free and heavily used on summer weekends.
The Long Island Performing Arts Center at 2 Melville Road in Huntington Station hosts touring productions, local theater and summer concerts in a 1,400-seat house. Tickets range from $35 to $85 depending on the production; the full summer schedule is at the-lpac.org.
The Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site at 246 Old Walt Whitman Road in West Hills is one of the most visited literary landmarks on Long Island. The preserved 1810 farmhouse where Whitman was born sits on four wooded acres about four miles south of the village center. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children.
Cold Spring Harbor, five miles west on Route 25A, is one of the North Shore's best-preserved 19th-century waterfront villages. The Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum at 301 Main St. covers the community's era as one of the East Coast's most active whaling ports before the Civil War. The Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery on Route 25A raises brown, brook and rainbow trout in open raceways where visitors can feed the fish year-round; adults pay $6 and children pay $4.
Oheka Castle at 135 West Gate Drive in Cold Spring Hills is a 1919 French Norman chateau operating as a hotel and events venue. Guided estate tours run weekend mornings at $20 per person; the formal gardens and views of Long Island Sound are the main draw for day visitors. Reservations at oheka.com.
Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve in Lloyd Neck, about seven miles north of the village center, is one of the largest undeveloped parcels on Long Island at 1,520 acres. The preserve includes freshwater ponds, forest trails, salt marsh, ocean beach and the historic dairy farm complex built by Marshall Field III in the 1920s. No motor vehicles are permitted past the entrance gate; visitors park and proceed on foot or by bicycle. The park is open dawn to dusk at no charge.
Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge at the end of Target Rock Road in Lloyd Neck adds a protected shorebird habitat and public day-use beach adjacent to Caumsett. The refuge is a 10-minute drive from the village center and is free and open during daylight hours.
The LIRR Huntington branch runs from Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn to Huntington Station in about 55 minutes during off-peak service. The station is one mile from Main Street; rideshare from the platform to the village center takes under five minutes. Limited metered parking is available on Main Street; the town garage on Gerard Street is typically open on weekends at $1 per hour. On summer Saturdays, arriving before noon avoids the heaviest parking competition near the harbor and Heckscher Park.
