Long Island museum events this weekend for families
Part of the "Mash-up Menagerie" summer exhibit at the Long Island Children's Museum in Garden City. Credit: Gina Contaldi
Here are three Long Island museum exhibitions for families to visit this weekend:
After working hard battling fires in New York Harbor for 72 years, including on Sept. 11, 2001, the Fire Fighter fireboat is now at rest at the Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum in Greenport. Families are welcome to tour this specialized watercraft, visit its engine room and pick up some maritime history. It is berthed next to the Shelter Island Ferry in Greenport, and tours are conducted 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Call 631-333-2230 or go to americasfireboat.org for more information.
The "Mash-up Menagerie," a summer exhibit at the Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City, opened July 1 and promises to be both fun and exotic. Artist-in-residence Scott Larrabee has created five jumbo-sized “hybrid animal” frames such as a whion (a whale and lion combination) and an elester (an elephant and a rooster). Kids are welcome to play on and help build, dress and decorate the creatures. Families are encouraged to return during the two months of the exhibit to see how each animal’s personality and appearance have developed. The event is free with general admission of $14. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day during July and August. Call 516-224-5800 or go to licm.org for more information.
Consider a visit to the Nautical Museum at Horton Point Lighthouse in Southold, where everyone’s welcome to climb the lighthouse tower (a moderate 47 steps to the top, versus 137 steps up the Montauk Lighthouse). A guide at the top will share stories about the 162-year-old maritime navigational guide. Fun things to do at ground level include an interactive display, the Tale of the Whale room for browsing whale artifacts all at kid heights and showcases of scrimshaw items. Outdoors, there are stones arranged to indicate the length of a finback whale just to put these graceful giants in perspective size-wise. The lighthouse is open 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at tables on the grounds. The lighthouse and nautical museum is at 3575 Lighthouse Rd. Call 631-765-5500 or go to southoldhistoricalsociety.org for more information.
