What's new and exciting on Long Island for 2013

Champagne corks have been popped, the new year has been toasted and now it's time to look at what's in store for 2013. It's sure to be an exciting year on Long Island, with reopenings of the Suffolk Theatre and the revamped Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium, hot concerts and lots more.

Newsday LI arts writer Steve Parks, exploreLI reporter Stacey Altherr and music editor Kevin Amorim offer a preview of top coming attractions:

The long-awaited reopening of the Suffolk Theatre in downtown Riverhead begins with a 10 a.m. ribbon cutting with the usual suspects (VIPs, politicians, press) March 1. But the fun begins the next night with a Prohibition-era grand-opening party featuring music by Grammy-winning Smithtown native Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks. Giordano won his award for HBO's "Boardwalk Empire." So the evening's 1930s theme is doubly apt: The Suffolk first opened in 1933 with the James Cagney film "Footlight Parade."

The Garden City museum unveils some new exhibits in 2013, including "Sound Showers," a multifaceted program that lets kids bang on bongos and immerse themselves in the sounds of a rain forest or an amusement park.

Also coming to the Children's Museum is "Attack of the Bloodsuckers!," a traveling interactive exhibit where kids can learn about bloodsucking insects.

The wraps are almost ready to come off the renovated Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium, a former Gold Coast mansion that has been undergoing a major makeover and is now administered by the county.

The opening of the new and more powerful planetarium is planned for March, but interim director Lance Reinheimer said to watch the website for updates. When the planetarium is finished, it will be "world-class," he said. Among the updates: a new Konica Minolta GeminiStar III projector replaces one that was installed in 1971.

The museum has also been upgraded, including new energy-efficient furnaces, a fresh paint job and new landscaping.

Some things will remain the same, of course. The Egyptian mummy is still there.

The country star, whose 2011 release, "Tailgates & Tanlines," is on track to sell a million copies, brings his "Dirt Road Diaries 2013" tour to Uniondale next month. He's pretty hot right now -- at last month's fan-voted American Country Awards, Bryan took home nine wins, including artist of the year and album of the year.

The boy-band sensation's shows went on sale in April, which just might be the longest lead time for a Jones Beach show. Ever. The good news: The group is still together. The bad news: Oh, never mind. We are, however, pulling for One Directioner Harry Styles to stay together with Taylor Swift, if only to see her waiting in the wings at the beach, but the chances of that happening are . . .