Your The Hamptons CME conference.

The Hamptons after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Hamptons time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing near where you are staying: Guild Hall in East Hampton, the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, or the whaling museum in Sag Harbor. These are in different villages, so decide on one before you set out and leave time for the drive and for parking. Choose Guild Hall if you want an arts and performance afternoon, the Parrish if you want to see art and walk the grounds, and Sag Harbor if local history appeals. Check each museum’s days and hours against your 2:00 PM finish.

Travel, lodging and admission are arranged separately. Your conference is built around your own interests; the Hamptons are the setting you choose for it.

Museums, galleries and gardens

Guild Hall in East Hampton is both a museum and a performing arts organization. It hosts visual arts exhibitions, performances in its theater, and education and new-works programs. The Parrish Art Museum is at 279 Montauk Highway in Water Mill. Its museum and shop are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, though the grounds are open daily, and the café is closed Monday through Wednesday. Docent-led gallery tours are offered most Saturdays, so plan around the closed days.

LongHouse Reserve, at 133 Hands Creek Road in East Hampton, combines gardens, sculpture and art; it was founded by Jack Lenor Larsen. It also has a shop selling contemporary design, handmade objects and books. Grounds can close in bad weather, so check its notices before you go. If you prefer history to art, the Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum is in the Benjamin Huntting House, an 1845 Neo-Gothic building on Main Street, and holds more than 3,500 objects documenting Sag Harbor and the surrounding area. The museum also runs public programs such as lectures, music events and author talks, and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Montauk Point and the ocean

Montauk is known as “The End” because it sits at Long Island’s easternmost tip, and the tourism board describes its character as laid-back but adventurous. Montauk Point State Park has the oldest lighthouse in New York State, and the lighthouse is also a museum. When the water is calm you can see the tide “race” where the Atlantic meets Block Island Sound, Block Island in the distance, and seals resting on offshore rocks.

The park has a rocky shoreline, hiking trails, equestrian trails, a playground, and a restaurant and gift shop overlooking the ocean. It has main and east overlook entrances, with parking for the shoreline walks, the restaurant and gift shop, and the lighthouse. Surf fishing, surfing and stand-up paddle boarding are offered, with seasonal rules for some activities, so check with the park before you go. Guided seal hikes run in December, and in winter the park lists cross-country skiing and snowshoeing routes. Hunting is permitted in season under special restrictions, so look at the park’s notices before a trail walk in the colder months. Some activities, such as night fishing and driving on the beach, need separate permits, and the park asks visitors to contact it about vehicle access.

The tourism board’s outdoor listings also cover kayaking, seal and whale watching, golf, horseback riding and parks and preserves, which gives you options on days when the ocean is too rough for the beach.

Sag Harbor and Southampton

Sag Harbor’s whaling museum is open seven months of the year, so confirm that it is open on your dates. The tourism board’s Hamptons page features Southampton, which it describes as having grand estates and beaches, and also promotes Shelter Island as a coastal getaway. The tourism board also links to a page of boutique hotels if you want to compare places to stay. Choose Sag Harbor if a museum afternoon appeals most; choose Southampton if the beaches do.

When to visit the Hamptons

Summer, from June to September, is the main season for beaches and ocean activities, and some museums keep seasonal schedules; the Sag Harbor whaling museum, for example, is open seven months of the year. Montauk Point State Park is open all year, with seal hikes in December, so a winter visit can still include the lighthouse and the shore. Use the local forecast for beach and coastal walks, and check seasonal opening schedules before you plan an indoor afternoon.

Getting to the Hamptons and your study setting

Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), in Islip, is the arrival point shown in this guide, and Shift’s center for the Hamptons is East Hampton. The airport has a ground transportation center and says its terminal has easy access to the Long Island Rail Road’s Ronkonkoma station. The airport’s website lists short-term, long-term and economy parking and links to separate ground transportation and directions pages. Choose your accommodation and getting around with both your study setting and your plans outside study hours in mind.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.