The mainland option
The Fire Island alternative that stays open all year
Fire Island is lovely, and mostly shut from December to March. The Joyful Beach House is on the same Great South Bay, on the mainland side in Patchogue, half a mile from the Davis Park ferry terminal. You get the bay and the sunsets, and you also get things the island can't give you: your car in the driveway, a full kitchen, restaurants a mile away, and a house that's open in January.
What staying on the mainland is like
- The patio looks straight out at the water and the Shorefront Band Shell.
- The island is still there when you want it. The Davis Park ferry terminal is half a mile away, with scheduled boats to Davis Park and Watch Hill. Those stop from December through March, and the same company will run a water taxi on request instead.
- Your car is in the driveway, which fits 2 to 3 cars, so no boat schedule decides when you can leave.
- The house is heated and open all year. We think the bay has its best sunsets in winter, and we have the photos to argue it.
- Downtown Patchogue, with its restaurants, bars and the theatre, is about a mile away.
What you give up
You won't be steps from the ocean surf. That's what the island has. This is the bay side, with calmer water, a park next door and a village around you, and the ferry terminal is 4 minutes away when you want an ocean day. The other thing to know: the scheduled ferry doesn't run from December through March, so a winter crossing means ordering a water taxi from the ferry company. See catching the Davis Park ferry for the parking, the times and how a ferry day works from here.