Pedaling the Gold Coast

Before the Hamptons were the playground of New York's wealthy, Oyster Bay was the heart of Long Island's Gold Coast. This quick tour includes mansions and museums that reflect that gilded age.

LOCUST VALLEY TO OYSTER BAY

THE ROUTE via Buckram Road, Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay's Main Street and Cove Neck Road

DISTANCE 7 miles

START HERE Drive or take the LIRR to the Locust Valley station. If you need to stock up on water before setting out, drop in on Birch Hill Meats (153 Birch Hill Rd., 516-671-3242), a butcher shop/gourmet grocery. Heading out on Buckram Road, you'll pass some of the New England and Federal style homes of one of the Island's tony suburbs; minimum lot sizes have protected this hamlet from subdivisions.

PIT STOP The 400-acre Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park (1395 Planting Fields Rd., 516-922-9200) is home to 65-room Coe Hall, a grand estate now open as a museum. Tours are $3.50, and on two wheels you'll get to bypass the parking fee of $6.

Continue to downtown Oyster Bay. Raynham Hall Museum (20 W. Main St., 516-922-6808, raynhamhallmuseum.org) is in an 18th century saltbox house and covers life on Long Island from the American Revolution to the gilded age.

EAT HERE If you're ready for lunch, Canterbury's (46 Audrey Ave., 516-922-3614, canterburyales restaurant .com) is a popular oyster bar also serving pub fare. Wild Honey (1 E. Main St., 516-922-4690, wildhoneyrestaurant.comwildhoneyrestaurant.com) focuses on local, organic produce and has outdoor seating. If you're in the mood for ice cream, Gooseberry Grove (12 E. Main St., 516-628-0385) is popular with local kids.

HOME STRETCH Oyster Bay's most famous resident was President Theodore Roosevelt. As you head east on East Main Street, you'll pass his childhood church, the striking Carpenter Gothic-style First Presbyterian. Continue east on Cove Road and make a left on Cove Neck Road with views of the yacht-filled harbor. Ascend to the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site (20 Sagamore Hill Rd., 516-922-4788, nps.gov, $5 admission, children under 15 free). There's a reason it's called a hill - switch to a lower gear - but after you tour the president's family home, it's all downhill.

To get back to Locust Valley, bike to the Oyster Bay station (off Maxwell Avenue, between Shore and Larabee avenues) and take the train one stop - or simply retrace your route.