Although there is plenty to do in New York City during the summer, sometimes you just have to beat the heat and get out of town! Luckily, the Long Island Railroad has guided trips. On the hottest weekend of the summer, my friend Sarah and I packed our day bags and headed for Jamaica Queens. From there, we would meet up with our LIRR tour group for a day of exploring the North Fork Long Island are. Because of weekend MTA construction, we had to leave super early to catch our train, but I was able to grab a quick nap on the train.

First stop, the Duck Walk Vineyards. We tried a variety of their wines from the Rose to the Gatsby Red to the Pinot Noir to the Chardonnay. I found them all to be refreshing. Overall, the Rose was my favorite.

Their bottle labels were really cute!

Of course, the outdoor area was very lovely, too. I could imagine this being a great venue space. What would a vineyard be without a picturesque gazebo?

Our second winery stop was Pindar. Since it is another summer of Rose, we had a sample. Their wines were very flavorful and on the sweeter side. What made Pindar really spectacular was their field of sunflowers. We enjoyed a glass of wine on the patio while live music played.

For lunch, we were on our own to explore the town of Greenport. We headed to Claudio‘s for some seafood! I went over the top oysters… raw to start and fried in a po’ boy to finish!

After lunch, we took a quick stroll through the cute seaport town to get back on the bus for..more wineries!

Our final winery stop (after a brief side trip for pies and fresh farm goods) was the Baiting Hollow Winery and Horse Rescue. Sadly, by the time we had arrived the tours of the horse rescue had ended for the day. This winery felt a lot more like bar, with a much more raucous crowd, than the other stops on our tour. Not my favorite wines, but it is always nice to sit outside on a summer day and enjoy a glass of white wine.

Before heading back to NYC, we took a beer break in the town of Patchogue. Since the Blue Point Brewery was closed, we decided to check out the Brickhouse Brewery instead. Their fries were great and beers even better! I tried a sampler of the Mokka Joe, Lima Libre, Brickhouse Red , and Nitro Boom Stout. If you are visiting Long Island, I highly recommend a quick food and growler stop in Patchogue.

After a long day of exploring Long Island, it was time to head home on the LIRR. The LIRR Getaway was a great deal with tickets, tastings, and guided tour. I can’t wait to try another!