Best known for its vibrant downtown, Huntington draws visitors from near and far.

The "village" (it's actually a hamlet), offers dozens of shops, restaurants, bars and other businesses. There are also arts venues, recreational activities and historical sites.

"It's cosmopolitan - with a country feel," says Suzanne Ridenour, a sales agent with Coldwell Banker on Main Street who moved to Huntington as a single parent in the late 1970s.

Hot spots include the Book Revue, a family-owned bookstore noted for its special programs, including celebrity author book-signings. Other popular draws are two nonprofit venues, the Inter-Media Art Center, a media and performing arts center, and the Cinema Arts Centre, which offers a diverse program of independent, foreign and documentary films.

The Heckscher Museum of Art is in Heckscher Park, which also has a small lake, playing fields and a playground. During the summer, free concerts and plays are staged at an outdoor amphitheater.

Once you leave the downtown hub, Huntington becomes a quiet North Shore community. Neighborhoods offer a mix of Colonials, capes, ranches, split-levels, and newer postmodern homes.

The annual Long Island Pride Parade, celebrating the Island's gay and lesbian community, receives wide turnouts, as does the Long Island Fall Festival, which attracts more than 250,000 visitors.

Town beaches include Gold Star Battalion on West Shore Road and Mill Dam Park which borders Huntington Harbor.

- Lisa Doll Bruno (7/9/2004)