Winter nightlife on Long Island: Things to do this season
Nicole Mahoney and Gianna Spirio play shuffle board at Standard Rec in Patchogue. Credit: Howard Simmons
With Long Island nightlife moving indoors for the winter, there’s no need to turn into a homebody. Local venues are offering fun events and activities worth venturing out for. Concerts, trivia nights, comedy shows, games and food and wine tours continue this season.
“People obviously can’t go to the beach, so we do a variety of winter events with food or drink specials, trivia, bingo and video game and Ping-Pong tournaments,” Standard Rec manager Lucy Lazarus says of the Patchogue restaurant's change of season ambience.
Among those who are heading out to experience the thrills is self-described “night owl” Jason Lorello, 45, of Holbrook. “I make a day of it,” Lorello, a software developer, says of winter Saturdays playing pinball, dining in downtown Patchogue and night’s clubbing with friends.
Here are a dozen ways to explore the island’s bustling nightlife scene with ideas geared toward date night, a gathering with friends or a few hours of entertainment:
See a concert or a show
Bay Street Theater
1 Bay St., Sag Harbor
Nancy Atlas brings her Fireside Sessions to the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor. Credit: Daniel Gonzalez
Winter nights don’t get much cozier than at this East End theater, where Nancy Atlas hosts The Fireside Sessions concerts featuring her band and special guest musicians, 8 p.m. on Saturdays in January.
Cost Tickets start at $37.
More info 631-725-9500, baystreet.org
The Cinema Arts Centre
423 Park Ave., Huntington
People attend a movie trivia night at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington. Credit: Kendall Rodriguez/Kendall Rodriguez
Looking for laughs and a little something extra? The theater hosts a Stand Up/Sit Down series featuring jokes and chat with comedians Peter Bales and Rich Walker on Jan. 18. “You Bet It's Groucho” follows on Feb. 15, with comic Stevie GB recreating the legendary comedian Groucho Marx's most memorable moments.
Cost Tickets are $40.
More info 631-423-7610, cinemaartscentre.org
Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall
3232 Railroad Ave., Wantagh
People rock out to the Warped Tour Band at Mulcahy's in Wantagh. Credit: Daniel Goodrich
The entertainment venue in Wantagh offers a VIP wristband pass for some shows including concert admission, waitstaff service, appetizer platters, open bar and seating at a table in an elevated section of the hall where you have a prime view of the entertainers.
Cost VIP experience is $85 per person including tax and gratuity includes concert admission; minimum party of 10 guests
More info 516-783-7500, muls.com
Play some games
Food Done It?
Tours in Huntington, Patchogue, Farmingdale, Babylon and Bay Shore
The Paulose family of East Meadow, (l-r) Sunil Paulose, Jethel Bayawa, Serena Paulose, Aunt Anita Mani, Ancui Paulose and Daniel Paulose, pose for a photo outside Yaas Tea while participating in a Fooddoneit? tour to celebrate Serena's birthday in Huntington. Credit: Linda Rosier
Winter nights can be filled with music, mystery or comedy from Nassau County to the East End. Don your sleuthing garb on a mystery tour in Huntington, Patchogue, Farmingdale, Babylon or Bay Shore. Players download an app and head to participating restaurants in the area for small plates and clues to the next stop to solve a mystery. “We try to find the best flavors of Main Street for an experience that makes a good meal by the end,” says tour operator Kevin Hindley of East Patchogue.
Cost Tours are $79 per person with a maximum group size of 10; recommended for ages 16 and older
More info 631-438-1288, fooddoneit.com
Pinball Long Island
48 W. Main St., Patchogue
Josh Guskin, owner of Pinball Long Island in Patchogue, demonstrates gameplay on a pinball machine themed on the band Led Zeppelin. Credit: Ian J. Stark
Gamers may grow nostalgic amid the flashing lights, clacks and dings in the air, with 100 vintage to new pinball machines, “heavily themed towards favorite franchises” like "Indiana Jones" and "Willy Wonka," owner Josh Guskin says.
Cost Full day pass with reentry, $20; $10 for ages 9 and younger.
More info pinballlongisland.com
Endless Summer Indoor Beach Volleyball
3580 Oceanside Rd., Oceanside
People play beach volleyball indoors at the year-round venue Endless Summer in Oceanside. Credit: Howard Simmons
In the depths of winter it’s always a beach day at this indoor volleyball center. Join a pick-up game on Friday nights or watch the action from the concession, which offers beer bucket and happy hour specials.
Cost Games are $15 for one session and $25 for two sessions.
More info 516-764-1555, endlesssummervb.com
Samanea New York
1500 Old Country Rd., Westbury
Pickleball Smash-It and Smash-It Therapy are coming to at Samanea New York in Westbury. Credit: Howard Simmons
Smash-It Therapy rage room venue opens Jan. 6with spaces for smashing and paint splattering. The area also features Pickleball Smash-It, an indoor pickleball venue, where gamers can reserve courts until 1 a.m.
Cost $50 for 20 minutes, plus item add-ons $3-$20; Pickleball Smash-It is $50 per hour
More info exploresamanea.com
Standard Rec
49 E. Main St., Patchogue
Andrea Hoheb and Liana Moreno play Connect 4 at Standard Rec in Patchogue. Credit: Howard Simmons
Skee-Ball, vintage board games and more are part of the fun dining at downtown Patchogue’s concept restaurant and adult playground. Weekly happenings include Taco Tuesday and free games from 6 to 10 p.m. Cost Games range from 25 cents for Skee-Ball to $1 for bowling. A quarter change machine which takes dollar bills is on site.
More info 631-730-8100, stndrec.com
Grab a drink
Bright Eye Beer Co.
50 W. Park Ave., Long Beach
Inside the taproom at Bright Eye Beer Co. in Long Beach. Credit: Ryan Rochford
Long Island’s celebrated beverage trail spices up the season by pairing local beer, wine and hard cider with nights full of song, music and trivial pursuits. The first Tuesday of each month is trivia night and the pet-friendly brewery that also serves up Long Island wine, cider, non-alcoholic drinks and live music on weekends.
More info 516- 543-5736, brighteyebeerco.com
Garvies Point Brewery and Restaurant
45 Herb Hill Rd., Glen Cove
The tasting room and dining room at Garvies Point Brewery in Glen Cove. Credit: Linda Rosier
Tacos, trivia and beer are all on tap Tuesdays at this North Shore brewery for those looking for a few hours of fun after work.
More info 516-927-8300, garviespointbreweryandrestaurant.com
Riverhead Ciderhouse
2711 Sound Ave., Calverton
Kara Vonatzski, Ann Lennon, Sue Brooks and Mary Jane Raynor gather at the Riverhead Ciderhouse. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
If cider is more to your taste, over a dozen varieties of the crisply refreshing beverage are poured at the ciderhouse, which reopens Jan. 13 offering a packed schedule of trivia and live music.
More info 631-591-0217 riverheadcider.com
Harmony Vineyards
169 Harbor Rd., Head of the Harbor
Andrea Goldson, left, from Westbury, Carol Dixon-Woolfolk from Panama, and Kimberly Hardin from Queens at Harmony Vineyards in St. James. Credit: Morgan Campbell
The vineyard stays open Fridays and Saturdays until 10 p.m. and Sundays until 6 p.m., and hosts Friday night trivia contests. “We have our fireplaces lit and customers can enjoy a glass of wine cozy by the fire,” says tasting room manager Nita Simoes.
More info 631- 291-9900, harmonyvineyards.com
