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Enjoying the East End this Autumn: Wine Tasting, Foliage, and More

Written by Lyndsay McCabe  |  14. September 2014

To make up for the coming shorter days and lower temperatures, look forward to the fall festivities that you couldn’t take part in during the summer months.  The East End provides a scenic spot for everything autumnal, from the farms to the fall foliage, and even special fall festivals.  You can even bring some of the East End home with you when you shop at local farm stands, or pick your fruits and veggies yourself at u-pick farms.  Be sure to bring your camera along for great photo ops!

Farm Fun
Nothing says fall fun like visiting a farm, and the East End has plenty of them.  For the best in apple picking on the East End, check out Wickham’s Fruit Farm in Cutchogue, Harbe’s Farm and Orchard in Riverhead, The Milk Pail Farmstand in Water Mill, Woodside Orchards in Aquebogue, Hank’s Pumpkintown in Water Mill, and Seven Pond Orchard in Water Mill.  The north and south forks also have the best in pumpkin picking, and there is a large variety of u-pick pumpkin farms to grab pumpkins for cooking or for making jack-o-lanterns.  Afterwards, if you are interested in taking the kids on a hay ride, stop by Greenland Family Farms in Cutchogue or Lewin Farms in Calverton. 

East End Wineries
Spend a weekend touring the many beautiful wineries out east, including Palmer Vineyards, Paumanok Vineyards, Roanoke Vineyards, Martha Clara Vineyards, and Bedell Cellars.  If you are waiting for a special event to head out, go out for Veterans Day Weekend when the Taste North Fork event will come to the Hamptons, and shuttle service will be offered from Riverhead to Greenport.  Special offers will also be available throughout the wine country region.

The Path to Fall Foliage
If you love to go for casual bike rides, take your bicycle to an East End bike path so that you can whiz through the scenic fall foliage.  Orient Beach State Park is home to a rare maritime forest that you can bike through, or try cycling through the Eastport Conservation area, which is mostly oak-pine woods and open fields, but you will still catch some leaves changing.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry at a Fall Festival
There are numerous fall festivals scheduled for the coming months.  Be sure to drive out east on the weekend of September 19 and 20 for Greenport’s annual Maritime Festival, which will feature food, music, artisan goods for sale, and nautical-themed events such as an oyster shucking demonstration and a boat building demonstration..  Proceeds from the event will go towards helping the East End Seaport Museum restore the Long Beach Bar Lighthouse and fund ongoing educational programs. The festival will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

 

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