Sunken Meadow Park, the Yorkville of Long Island beaches

If Jones Beach, with its overcrowding, drunken revelry, loud music, sky-writing advertisements, loud club promoters and frozen fruit bar salesmen, is the Times Square of Long Island beaches, then the beach at Sunken Meadow Park is the family-friendly, quiet, slow-paced, safe Yorkville.  It is the perfect location for a beach day with kids!


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Being on the North Shore facing the Long Island Sound, there are no waves or strong rip currents. So as parents, we can worry a teensy bit less* about our toddlers' safety and give them a bit more autonomy thanks to the lack of crowds.

Rob, Savvy and I met up with our bffs Stephanie and her daughter at Sunken Meadow Park last week to soak up the sun, convince the girls that going in the water is fun, collect seashells and throw rocks, and eat ice cream.

We stayed a few hours, but you could easily spend the entire day here as a family, as there is a sizable playground, nature trails, picnic areas and a cafe, and an expanse of beach for playing in the water or taking a long walk along the picturesque coastline.  The North Shore of Long Island is notoriously rocky, so definitely bring water shoes for the kiddos and shoes you don't mind getting wet. After heading from our blankets to the water and back a dozen times, my feet couldn't handle the rocks and shells any longer so I started wearing my flip flops in the water.

Such a fun, beautiful, pristine Long Island staycation adventure:

Looking West. Next time we'll walk to the bluff!

The LI Sound according to Savvy:
"Not pool! Not bathtub!"

Our friends collecting shells.

Both kids in the same shot! Success!

My husband is allergic to the sun and HATES the beach.
He loved Sunken Meadow Park though!

Looking East. 

Love her face.

Obligatory family self portrait

The lady in the yellow hat. This woman knows how to relax.

Posted this pic on Instagram and my husband complained
that he looked too skinny...

There's a glimpse of the guns he's been building up with his trainer :-P
(Happy Rob? Now the Internets know you have muscles.)

Now THAT'S a watersport I could handle.

Must punctuate the day with ice cream :)

Kissing cuties :-*

Savvy's still reeling from the kiss!
What a fun day!

*Of course you still have to watch your kids the whole time! 

4 Hours at Atlantis, I mean, The Long Island Aquarium

If I was sans bébé, I could breeze through the Long Island Aquarium & Exhibition Center (formerly Atlantis Marine World) in about an hour. But with a well-rested toddler in a great mood and my cousin Colleen, a volunteer at the aquarium, as our guide we turned this visit into 4 hours of fun (including a lengthy lunch at the cafe when my aunt joined us). We could've extended the day by taking a 1.5 hour boat tour but the weather was a bit chilly and overcast so we skipped it.

We saw tropical fish, freshwater fish, anemones, coral, jellyfish, sharks, pirañas, sea horses, clams, crabs, starfish, sting rays, a cow fish (super cool), sea lions, a seal, penguins, butterflies, parrots and other birds, monkeys, bats, turtles, reptiles, lobsters, river otters, koi and....am I missing anything? Oh, and Savvy dug for fossils!

The day after our trip, I asked Savvy what she saw at the aquarium and she excitedly responded "Monkey!...Bat!"  Apparently, the non-marine animals stuck out in her mind but we saw plenty of fish too! The animals I marveled at the most were the sea horses and jellyfish. I freaked out a bit in the bird room when birds landed on my shoulders, but I made up for my anxious outbursts by having the courage to touch stingrays and pick up live starfish and sea snails. I try to be brave for the kiddo but even with my lead and encouragement she wouldn't touch a starfish and only touched the stingray fins one time. Maybe next time.

I snapped a bunch of photos but due to low light, many were blurry. Here is a bit of what Savvy, my mother and cousin saw: