HAUPPAUGE, NY--(Marketwired - Sep 30, 2014) - Summer is over on Long Island, but don't fret. Fall is one of the best times to visit -- our coastal climate keeps things a bit warmer than the rest of the continent, so the leaf peeping season extends well into November. Rates at quaint hotels and B&Bs drop substantially in the off-season and you might even get a table at that trendy Hamptons restaurant you've been dying to try.
But the most anticipated part of the season is the fall festivals. Find a full schedule of events and check out some of our favorites below.
Top Ten Fall Festivals on Long Island:
The Long Island Fair
10/2-10/5, 2014. Hot air balloon rides, Rough Riders demo, old time baseball, corn-husking contest and more. Old Bethpage Village Restoration, Old Bethpage, NY. www.lifair.org
Fish Hatchery Fall Fair
10/4/2014. Exhibits by environmental groups, children's games, nature-related crafts and music. Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery and Aquarium, Cold Spring Harbor, NY. cshfha.org
San Gennaro Feast of the Hamptons
10/04 - 10/05/2014. Live entertainment, carnival rides, vendors, Grucci fireworks. Hampton Bays railroad Station, Hampton Bays, NY. sangennarofeastofthehamptons.com
Hamptons International Film Festival
10/09-10/13/2014. Celebrating independent and international films. Throughout the Hamptons. www.hamptonsfilmfest.org
Montauk Fall Festival
10/11/- 10/12/2014. Best clam chowder tasting contest, Long Island wine, children's activities, live music, crab races. www.montaukchamber.com
The Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns
10/16/2014 - 11/02/2014. Extravagant jack o'lanterns and sculptures created by professional artists. A mutli-sensory experience featuring hundreds of lit pumpkins.
Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury, NY. www.therise.org
Oyster Festival
10/18/2014 - 10/19/2014. Oysters galore, live entertainment, tall ships, pirate shows, midway rides, oyster eating and shucking contest. Theodore Roosevelt Park, Oyster Bay, NY. www.theoysterfestival.org
Halloween Boat Burning
10/24/2014. Every year a boat deemed unsafe to sail is set a-blaze in sacrifice. Raffles, snacks, hot apple cider and music. Long Island Maritime Museum, Sayville, NY. www.limaritime.org
Taste North Fork
11/8-11/9, 2014. Winery tastings, events and live music. 'Hop on-hop off" free shuttle service throughout the North Fork, linking to the Long Island Rail Road and Cross Sound Ferry in New London, CT. www.liwines.com
Riverhead Country Fair
10/12/2014.400 craft vendors, entertainment, vegetable-decorating, contests, farm animals, tractor pull. Downtown Riverhead. http://www.riverheadcountryfair.com/
Order a free travel guide from the Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau:
www.discoverlongisland.com/fallfests or follow us on: www.facebook.com/longislandnewyork or blog.discoverlongisland.com
