Combining village quaintness with Manhattan chic, the tree-lined streets of Southampton feature museums, historical sites and the famous Job's Lane and Main Street shopping district. Add to this the white sand beaches, impressive estates and a variety of recreational activities and the town of Southampton is truly a wonderful place to visit.
Established in 1640 by English colonist as the first settlement in New York State, the community still has a decidedly "colonial" atmosphere. The village of Southampton and several local buildings are included in the National Registry. Visitors can take a self-guided historical walking tour and an auto/bicycle tour; maps are available at the Chamber of Commerce. Highlights of the tour include 
the Historical Museum, the Old Halsey Homestead, which is the oldest frame house in the state and the house which served as English General Erskin's Headquarters while his troops were stationed in this area during the American Revolution.
An art community developed around the turn of the century when William Merrit Chase founded The Art School in the Shinnecock Hills, now called The Art Village. Due in part to the natural scenery and soft, diffused light and wispy clouds encompassing the South Fork, artist such as Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, William de Koning, Fairfield Porter, Roy Lichtenstein, Larry Rivers, and Eric Fischl have all maintained studios in the area.
Quaint shops on historic, tree-lined streets dot Southampton village. Approximately 200 retail stores in the village include antique shops, art galleries, fine giftware, gourmet shops and unique clothing boutiques. There are 23 restaurants in the Southampton Village alone, with prices ranging from economy to fine dining. The South Fork's major healthcare facility, 168-bed Southampton Hospital, is located in the village, and attends to the medical and surgical needs of visitors and residents.
The village alone boasts seven miles of unspoiled beaches. Permits are needed in most of the five village beaches and limited parking is available on a first come, first serve basis. Southampton's waters are a haven for boating or fishing. Shinnecock is a popular dive spot and Tiana, Shinnecock, Peconic and Noyac Bays are popular among windsurfers.
There are also outstanding tennis facilities available, as well as three golf courses. The Shinnecock Golf Club, the site of the 1896, 1986, and 1995 U.S. Open, is the oldest private 18-hole golf course in America. During the summer, the Southampton Campus of Long Island University is abuzz with jazz and popular concerts and antique shows. The Southampton Cultural & Civic Center sponsors a variety of activities for adults and children, including plays, art shoes, concerts, readings, and workshops. The Shinnecock Indians hold their Annual Labor Day Pow-Wow which is open to the public, at their reservation just outside Southampton.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Conscience Point.
Four miles from Southampton Village, off North Sea Road. A large boulder bears the plaque with the inscription: Near this spot in June, 1640, landed the colonist from Lynn, MA., who founded Southampton, the first English settlement in the State of New York.
First Presbyterian Church of Southampton. South Main Street.
Oldest church in the State of New York started in 1640. (283-1296).
Old Halsey Homestead Museum. South Main Street.
Built in 1648 by town founder Thomas Halsey, the oldest English frame house in New York. Displays furniture from the 17th and 18th centuries. Open mid-June thru September. Maintained by The Southampton Historical Society. (283-3527).
The Elias Pelletreau Silversmith Shop. Main Street.
Founded in 1750 by Captain Elias Pelletreau, famous Colonial silversmith and Revolutionary War patriot, shortly after he completed his apprenticeship in New York City. Today pieces of Pelletreau silver, made some two hundred years ago in the quaint shop, are sought by collectors of early American silver. Maintained by the Southampton Historical Society. (283-2494)
The Parrish Art Museum. Job's Lane.
Founded in 1898, the museum is devoted to American art of the 19th and 20th centuries: major works by William Merril Chase and Fairfield Porter: sculpture garden and arboretum; changing exhibitions, lectures and concerts. Open year round. (283-2118)
The Southampton Historical Museum. Meeting House Lane.
An 1843 sea captains home with widows walk and rooms finished in the period Displays Montauk and Shinnecock Indian artifacts. On the grounds are a one-room school house, pre-Revolutionary Barn, carriage house, blacksmith and carpentry shops, apothecary store, country store and saloon.
St. Andrew's Dune Church. Dune Road.
Built by the U.S. Goverment in 1851 as a life saving station, and later bought by Dr. T. Gaillard Thomas and presented to the church in 1879. On may of the windows and walls are beautifully inscribed biblical texts. Relics of off-shore shipwrecks acn be seen on the grounds. Services each Sunday, June-September.
Scenic Route-Estate Section.
Tour the streets of Southampton's estate section. The former summer colony of New York's wealthiest was first established in the 19890's and is now home to the world's captains of industry. From the roads visitors can see imposing mansion residences and gardens. A landmark house on Pond Lane was built in 1899 for Secretary of War, Elihu Root.
RECREATION
Shinnecock East County Park. (89 Acres)
Outerbeach camping for self-contained vehicles only. (852-8899)
Shinnecock Canal County Marina. (6.5 Acres)
Fuel Dock, sewage pump out station, erstrooms, electrical hookups and water. Transient slips avaialble for visitors.
Suffolk Hills County Park. (985 Acres)
Off County Road 51. Part of the Pine Barrens aquistion. (854-4949
Cooper's Beach. Dune Road.
Oceanfront beach for daily permit holders. (283-0402)
Mecox Bay.
Site for windsurfing, boating and ice boating in the winter.
Morton's Wildlife Refuge. Noyac Road.
187 acres of diverse habitats for protection of migratory birds. Overlooks Noyac and Peconic Bays. Open daily year round. (286-0485)
For more information, call the Southampton Chamber of Commerce at 283-0402