When it comes to Long Island towns, Bellport is about as quaint as they come.
Spend a day with us exploring its historic homes, restaurants and mom-and-pop shops.
8 A.M. While only residents and members can hit the links at Bellport Golf Club, all are welcome at Peter’s on the Green (40-A South Country Road), the restaurant located on the ninth hole. Run by the same team that owns Peter’s Luncheonette in Patchogue, the kitchen boasts an ample breakfast menu, including a luscious crab cake Benedict.
10 A.M. Now that you’re adequately caffeinated, it’s time to hit the home decor shops on South Country Road, like Bellport General (138 South Country Road), Copper Beech (133 South Country Road) and The Storefront (139 South Country Road), which owner Melissa Feldman opened last summer after the pandemic caused her to make her weekend pad in Bellport her permanent address. The boutique stocks fashion finds and books and also doubles as a gallery with rotating exhibits.
NOON All that retail therapy is enough to make anyone hungry. Cafe Castello (141 South Country Road) serves up the kind of Italian food Long Islanders have come to expect: delicious and portions large enough to feed a small army. Order chicken parmigiana — in classic or pizza form — and you’ll have enough for a filling lunch and leftovers the following day.
2 P.M. Walk off lunch with a stroll or bike around town. Bellport Lane, Browns Lane, Academy Lane and Livingston Avenue are lined with picket fences and lovingly preserved homes built in the 1800s by the shipbuilders and captains who once called the village home. (Call 631-866-7049 to take an audio tour sponsored by the local historical society.) Wrap up your walk at the end of Bellport Lane, where Osborn Park offers green space and pretty bay views.
5:30 P.M. Situated on South Country Road, the Bellport Restaurant’s interior is light, airy and full of poppy art. Local musicians often provide the soundtrack to the dinner, and the menu is as eclectic as the decor. Starters include a chilled tomato and dill soup or clam chowder. Favorite entrées are Crescent Farms duckling with roasted pear and wild Maine mussels.
8 P.M. The quality of the performances at The Gateway Playhouse (215 South Country Road) makes it an enticing alternative to trekking to a Broadway show. The nonprofit theater’s fall lineup includes “Newsies” (Aug. 25-Sept. 11 at the nearby Patchogue Theater) and “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” (Nov. 17-Dec. 4 at the Gateway Theater).
Staying over? Temperance Hall Inn (164 South Country Road) has an ideal central location, stylish suites and an especially pretty (and heated) pool out back.
