Winter Activities in East Hampton 2020

Everyone thinks of the Hamptons as a summer resort. But to the locals, it is the Off-Season when the area is at its most spectacular.

In the winter most of our favorite restaurants, shops, galleries, museums, and theaters are open. And no crowds! 

The beaches never close, and there are exciting outdoor activities not available in other seasons. Just bring layers, the kids, and the dog! And then warm up with some of J’s coffee or Hot Chocolate drinks… A good book or a movie in front of the fireplace…

Indoor and outdoor winter sports in East Hampton

• East Hampton Town Pond
  • Sometimes the Ice Skating Gods conspire to make Town Pond in East Hampton Village into a picture perfect skating rink – straight out of Currier and Ives…  Mostly, when it is cold enough to freeze, the pond is covered with snow. Sometimes an enterprising team of hockey players will shovel it off – but then it’s hard to get them off the ice. Sometimes, the glassy surface is just right, and children of all ages grab their skates, a thermos of hot chocolate, and slip and slide to their heart’s’ content! And if you don’t have skates, it can be great fun just slipping and sliding in your shoes. We don’t recommend spike heels!
  • The East Hampton Star On Town Pond
• Buckskill Winter Club 178 Buckskill Road, East Hampton 631.324.2243
  • The Buckskill Ice Rink (the winter iteration of the Buckskill Tennis Club) is the only refrigerated, NHL regulation-sized, ice rink in the Hamptons, offering a wide array of family activities including public ice skating and skate rentals; U.S.F.S.A. figure skating programs; junior and adult ice hockey programs; private skating lessons and group skating lessons; birthday parties, private parties, teen nights and much more! They have a cozy clubhouse with an open fire where you can warm up and watch the action on the ice with a cup of hot soup or European hot chocolate from the full-service snack bar.
  • Check out the video ‘New Buckskill Winter Club Nighttime Skating’

• The Clubhouse & East Hampton Indoor Tennis on Daniel’s Hole Road in Wainscott, across from the East Hampton Airport 631.557.2695
  • New in 2018, the Clubhouse was built to fill a void created when the old East Hampton Bowl closed in 2013. Now, finally, there is a place for the entire family to have fun, whatever the season or the weather!
    • 6 Indoor Tennis Courts
    • 10 Bowling Lanes
    • Game Arcade
    • Corn Hole and Bocce Ball courts
    • Pool Tables
    • Full Sports Bar and Restaurant with more than 25 TVs
    • Miniature Golf (outdoors)
    • Trivia & Bingo Nights
    • Read about it in the Sag Harbor Express

Seal Watching and Other Excursions

• East Hampton Trails Preservation Society
  • Discover the unique natural treasures of East Hampton . . . Free hikes, bike rides and paddling all year long.
  • The Seal Haul-Out Trail (3 miles) is a popular hike along an easy, wooded trail to the shores of Block Island Sound. If conditions are right, you will find seals sunning themselves on the rocks near the shore. Dress warmly, with proper footgear for weather conditions, and don’t forget binoculars. Meet at Camp Hero Road in Montauk, a right turn off Route 27 about one mile east of Deep Hollow Ranch.
  • Check their Website or Facebook for Hike Times.
• CRESLI 2020 Seal Cruises with the Viking Fleet 631.319.6003
  • The Viking Fleet and CRESLI (the Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island) are teaming up for some wonderful winter and spring Seal Cruises aboard the fast and luxurious 125 ft. Viking Superstar. Explore pristine areas around Plum Island, Great Gull Island, and Little Gull Island for breathtaking views of Harbor Seals and Gray Seals.

Wineries

• Long Island Wineries thrive in the winter! Recovering from the crush of the autumn harvest, the onslaught of holiday shoppers and the popping of corks as they introduce the new cuvees in time for the New Year, the vintners, growers and wine-tasting baristas finally have time to breathe.
• Winterfest 2020 (February 7 – March 8, 2020), a five-week celebration of Local Culture!
• The East End of Long Island is absolutely magical in the Winter. It’s completely different then what you will find in the peak tourism season. If you are looking for a great weekend getaway and an experience to remember forever, it’s right here. Choose from wine tastings to vineyard concerts and theatrical performances. 
• Check Here for Events during the 2020 Winterfest

John Drew Theater @ Guild Hall

Music & Dancing

• Guild Hall presents The Met: Live In HD in the beautiful, recently renovated, state-of-the-art, John Drew Theater
  • Berg’s Wozzeck Saturday January 11 @ 1:00 – 3:00 pm 
  • The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess Saturday, February 1 @ 1:00 – 5:00 pm 
    • Encore Screening Saturday, March 28 @ 1:00 – 5:00 pm
  • Handel’s Agrippina (Met Premiere) Saturday February 29 @ 1:00 – 5:30 pm
  • Wagner’s Der Fliegende Hollander Saturday, March 14 @ 1:00 – 4:00 pm
• Bay Street Theater
  • Fireside Sessions with Nancy Atlas Saturday, January 4 – 25 @ 8:00 pm
  • Rock out with Nancy Atlas and The Nancy Atlas Project and enjoy some of the hottest music on the East End. Nancy sets the theater ablaze with her band and some massively talented special guests. BUY EARLY! These shows sell out every year! New special guests every week!
• Southampton Cultural Center
  • Looking for a fun way to shed those winter pounds?  Check out the SCC’s Cuban Salsa Dance Lessons Every Monday @ 7:00 pm

The list goes on. And if you would rather do nothing, we can arrange that for you, too.

Happy New Year!

Sylvia