Review of Port Jefferson, Long Island, NY: A must visit destination in Long Island!

 

Toby enjoying himself at Port Jefferson, NY!

During the month of March and May, my wife and I (and our Pomeranian Toby), visited our family in New York.  Because it had been over a decade(!) since my wife and I last visited Port Jefferson, we decided on just that on two different occasions.

My first trip (when I was in my teens) was made possible by my buddy Jimmy, who grew up in Long Island.  I remember visiting there to see the beautiful sights, and that good memory stayed with me all these years!

We took our mom and our sister, along with Toby, to Port Jefferson on a Saturday in March.  Even in March, the place was crowded.  We couldn’t find parking anywhere near the Harborfront Park.  We instead drove further on and found a spot in the Port Jefferson Public Beach and Dog Park.

This actually worked out great because Toby was able to freely explore the area right in front of the parking lot!

I can tell he was totally excited to visit a new place.  By now, you probably know when Toby’s happy.  He has his ears perked up, tail up, and he smiles (like the photo on top).  

He was so happy to explore this park.

We saw plenty of other dogs enjoying themselves by running around and swimming in the waters.  We saw sailboats moving freely in the harbor as well as many kayaks.  It was a serene and beautiful scenery unfolding before our eyes.

Beautiful scenery 

Our family, who was visiting for the first time, was also ecstatic!  They really enjoyed the scenery of the area as well as many restaurants/cafes/stores near the ferry.

Port Jefferson is a popular local and visitor destination in Long Island.  If at all possible, I would highly recommend arriving early to find parking.  There are multiple public parking lots available throughout the area, but the closest parking lot to either the Public Beach/Dog Park, or the Harborfront Park fills up pretty quickly.

We paid for parking at the Harborfront Park on our second trip in May online using a credit card, as I didn’t see any way to pay cash there.

Our first trip in March was a brief one as we had already visited another destination prior to Port Jefferson, and we were all tired.  After picking up a Starbucks iced coffee to wake up, compliments of our sister, we headed home.  We did promise ourselves that we would come back next time during a weekday…

That is exactly what happened on a Friday morning in May.  We purposefully left early (around 8:30 a.m) so we can beat the traffic and to hope to get a better parking spot in front of the Harborfront Park.  

We arrived in an hour and found a perfect parking spot in the area we wanted!

After parking, we walked around the Harborfront Park along with Toby tugging at his leash, dying to explore this park.

We checked out the boardwalk area as well as the Ship Builder Memorial.

View of the park
Ship Builder Memorial
Boardwalk!

After walking around the area and simply enjoying the beautiful scenery for some time, we got hungry!  We decided on a restaurant right in front of the harbor area called ‘The Steamroom Seafood’.

We ordered a fish sandwich, seafood paella, and two lobster rolls.  Umm.  They were yummy!  We enjoyed our takeout while watching the sailboats and the ferry go by.  It was just perfect!

Good food and reasonable prices!
View of the harbor during our lunch!

Both of these trips reminded us of how lucky we were to have a destination like Port Jefferson right within an hour’s drive from New York City to visit.  It has everything you want:  beautiful scenery, bunch of restaurants/cafes/bars, shopping, water sports, and dog friendly!

We will definitely be heading back there on our next trip back to New York City.  

Here are some useful tips while visiting there:
  • The ferry to Bridgeport, CT (and vice versa, back to Port Jefferson) leaves about every hour and a half.  It’s a good idea to reserve your spot before arriving there if you are taking the ferry.
  • Parking lots will fill up fast on weekends during the summer months.  Plan ahead.  Either get there really early, or visit on weekdays.
  • There are public restrooms available in town.  We used the one by Arden Place and E. Main Street (look for Starbucks at corner of Arden Place and Main Street, about half block up on Arden Place), but there is another (one behind PJ Lobster House).  
  • Be sure to walk around the Main Street as this is where most shops/restaurants/bars/cafes are located.
  • The Steamroom Seafood restaurant has outdoor seating areas if you bring your dog with you.  It overlooks the ferry/harbor area.
Hope you enjoy your visit there if you get a chance!

Thank you all for reading!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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