Tumbleweed Tuesday is closer than you think. Summer Fridays are coming to an end, school bus traffic is about to begin and cooler air is making beach days a bit more bundled up. But we’re glass-is-half-full people over here. The days may be numbered, but there are a number of them left to soak up all the summer in the Hamptons and on Shelter Island has to offer.
To help you make the most of your time, we’ve curated a list of top items to consider for your itinerary. From cultural experiences to the simple pleasures of an ice cream sundae, these are the best things to do in the Hamptons before closing the book on summer.
Get Cultured
Life moves outdoors come summer, from al fresco concerts and happy hours to the aforementioned beach days. Yet, there have certainly been times this season when the weather has been too hot — or rainy — to talk about, and there will likely be more as the dog days keep barking. Theaters offer a chance to soak in the air conditioning and top local and international talent, regardless of what Mother Nature has on her setlist. Starting west, The Suffolk’s art-deco exterior and jam-packed schedule feel like endless summer. Cap yours off with a performance by rock-fusion impresario Greg Howe (Aug. 22), the riveting performance (seriously — we’ve seen it; it’s great!) by screen star Chazz Palminteri of his original work A Bronx Tale, cover bands galore, and a double-feature day of the Disney classic Finding Nemo (complete with a kid-friendly menu) and Alfred Hitchcock’s classic The Rear Window (Aug. 25).
East End institution Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts continues its camp schedule for kids, tweens and teens through Aug. 30. When the next generation of talent is done fine-tuning their skills, plan on a Mel Brooks classic with the staged musical Young Frankenstein, which runs about eight shows per week through Sept. 1. Cap August off by laughing it up with funnywoman, View co-host and Long Island native Joy Behar for a one-night-only stint on Monday, Aug. 26.
Speaking of East End staples, Guild Hall is one in East Hampton. The recently announced TASCHEN pop-up includes works by the likes of Annie Leibovitz and David Hockney. On Aug. 22, you won’t want to miss the homage to hip hop beatmaker James Dewitt Yancey, aka Dilla, or an exclusive early listen to (and with!) of Laurie Anderson’s latest work, Amelia, on Aug. 23. The delicious Stirring the Pot series, a 14-year Guild Hall tradition with New York Times food and wine pro Florence Fabricant, concludes its salivation-worthy slate with Marcus Samuelsson and David Rockwell (Aug. 25) and a bring-the-house-down performance by Rufus Wainwright on Sept. 1.
The Southampton Arts Center will wrap up the summer season with a Broadway bang on Sept. 1, when Tony nominated Melissa Errico (Les Misérables, My Fair Lady, High Society) takes the stage to talk-sing you through her renowned career on the Great White Way.
There isn’t a bad seat in the house at the beautiful Westhampton Beach Theater, where you can still nab tickets for The Righteous Brothers (Aug. 25), funnymen Tim Dillon (Aug. 29) and Jim Breuer (Sept. 1) and Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers (Sept. 6), among the main stage shows worthy of your happy attention.
Scream for Ice Cream
Here’s the scoop: There’s no better way to beat the heat than a cup or cone of Hamptons ice cream. Let’s start with the retro vibes at Southampton’s Sip ‘n Soda, which has banana splits, milkshakes and cups big enough to fit four scoops of ice cream. And a trip to the Tate’s Bakeshop, found in the same Southampton area where Kathleen King launched the now-national brand in 1980, offers a chance to taste history and the Tatewich. A La Mode Shoppe in East Hampton is a for-all-stripes spot — the ice cream is made in a nut-free facility, and the menu has treats without gluten and dairy, and year-old Sweet Spot won our hearts with their self-serve and cache of candy. Sticking with soft-serve, Bridgehampton’s Sundaes on Main offers pure happiness by the ounce. On Shelter Island, the recently re-planted Opties and Dinghies has 40 flavors of Il Laboratorio gelato for the scooping seven days a week, and just over the ferry in Sag Harbor, Big Olaf‘s giant waffle cones can’t be beat. West of the canal, it’s just not summer without a cone of Cappuccino Crunch or Blueberry Cheesecake from Westhampton Beach’s Shock Ice Cream, or a creamy, dreamy cup full of homemade gelato from Gemelli Gelato in Hampton Bays.
And the clock’s ticking on indulging in a limited-edition collaboration between Carissa’s Bakery and New York’s Kith Treats. The team-effort novelty items like the Chocolate Chip Miso Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich with vanilla ice cream are part pastry, part ice cream and beyond delicious.
Enjoy the Juiciest Hamptons Menu Offerings…
While ice cream is the sweetest way to enjoy something cold, it’s — of course — not the only way. Hamptons eateries blend and concoct refreshing smoothies and juices ideal for afternoon cool-me-offs and breakfasts. Doubles in Amagansett actually offers the best of both worlds — ice cream cones and smoothies like the year-round Island Blue smoothie that gets its color from Blue Spirulina. The Caribbean décor and laidback vibes are oh-so-summer. Montauk mainstay Naturally Good Foods & Café has smoothies like Purple Rain with acai and blueberries and Pink Panther with strawberries and bananas that hit all the right notes. A juice menu with options like Green Machine (carrot, kale, parsley and celery) and Firecracker (carrot, apple, ginger and lemon) offer more options for getting a produce fix.
…Or Toast with an Adult Beverage Outdoors
The buzz drifts outdoors come summer — as in with outdoor happy hours. Bostwick’s on the Harbor in East Hampton has beer, wine and cocktail deals with a side of waterside views on weekdays from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Further West, Sundays on the Bay in Hampton Bays also offers waterfront vistas for days and a hopping happy hour with similar specials Mondays through Fridays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. At Flora in Westhampton Beach, there are so many delicious delights on the happy hour food menu (from $8 truffle fries or pancetta-dotted pickled deviled eggs to $10 chorizo-spiked mussels), you may well shrug off dinner and just order another round of $10 Lavender Spritzes on the outdoor patio during the daily 3 to 5 p.m. special zone. Other fine options include Shippy’s 3 to 5 p.m. happy hour at their gorgeously revamped bar or, better yet, outside in the pretty biergarten, Village Bistro East Hampton’s nightly happy hours (including $1 oysters) and Springs Tavern and Grill, which serves up spirited cocktails, wines and beers outside in a coastal-chic patio bar. Happy hour there is every day except Monday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. And over on Shelter Island at the Chequit‘s daily 4 to 6 p.m. happy hour, you can bask outside in the sunshine (or take it indoors to the clubby pub) — or save up your shenanigan-seeking energy for Thursday nights, when oysters are a buck a pop from 4 to 8 p.m. at the bar.
Peep (and Eat) Some Seriously Good Seafood
If you don’t have the appetite for crowds, the Hamptons offer plenty of chances to take fresh seafood home. Markets, from Out of the Blue in Hampton Bays to Gosman’s Gourmet Fish Market in Montauk, stock locally caught fish and a curated selection of global favorites. Local fisheries can provide pro tips on reeling in the perfect fish for whatever recipe you have in mind.
Break a Sweat
Food, drink and plenty of lounging by the water are quintessential pieces of a Hamptons summer. Studios, hotels and vineyards like Wölffer Estate Vineyard have a different kind of outdoor happy hours — outdoor fitness classes, like yoga. Prefer to be alone, but with people? Road racing season is hitting a fever pitch, culminating with the technically fall Hamptons Marathon on Saturday, Sept. 28. Those who need added motivation might consider the recently-formed Montauk Brewing’s new running club, Chasing Waves. The popular brewing company also dropped its first non-alcoholic beer, N.A. IPA — a refreshingly citrusy beverage. Or hit the pavement by bike on local bike trails.
