Skip to Main Content

Staycations and Stay at Home Resources: History

This is a list of resources patrons use to learn about museums, create and do activities with family, and other resources to remain engaged with the outside world.

History

Please check with the institution for hours, directions and fees;

also, be aware of the institution's policies regarding Covid-19.

Most of the websites for these museums have virtual exhibit tours,

and other online content related to their holdings.

Fire Island Lighthouse 

Fire Island Lighthouse 

Fire Island Lighthouse was for many European immigrants their first sight of land upon arrival in America. The Lighthouse is the tallest of the more than 20 Long Island lighthouses at 168 ft. You can take a 182-step tour of the Lighthouse which offers a panoramic view of the ocean, Fire Island, the bays, Long Island and on a clear day the skyline of New York City. Or explore Keeper’s Quarters and exhibit center to learn about the life led by the Lighthouse keeper and Long Island’s nautical history.

The Freeport Memorial Library offers passes for this museum and they can be reserved here or in the Children’s Room.

 

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Opened in 1982, The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum features the aircraft carrier Intrepid, which served our nation for more than 75 years, playing roles in World War II, the Cold War, the Vietnam War and the Space Race. The Intrepid is the centerpiece of the museum that also features the space shuttle Enterprise, the world’s fastest jets and a guided-missile submarine. Through exhibits and programming the museum explores history, science and service. The Museum also offers a number of online resources.

Old Bethpage Village Restoration 

Old Bethpage Village Restoration 

Old Bethpage Village Restoration has 18 historic homes and buildings from all over Long Island, such as the homes of various tradesmen, a general store, a church, and a schoolhouse. The buildings and homes date between the 1660s (Cooper House-home of Peter Cooper, one of America's greatest inventors) and 1875 (Bach Blacksmith Shop). Old Bethpage Village Restoration has an interpretive staff that offers 19th century programming and demonstrations that bring history to life. In the summer they also host Old Time Base Ball games.

The Freeport Memorial Library offers passes for this museum and they can be reserved here or in the Children’s Room.

Raynham Hall Museum

Raynham Hall Museum

Raynham Hall Museum is the nearly 300-year-old home of the Townsend family in Oyster Bay.  The Museum is famous as the home of Robert Townsend – George Washington’s spy - but one will also experience what it meant to be prominent merchants and patriots, and explore the extent of slavery throughout New York and Long Island in the days before and after the Revolution.

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

Sagamore Hill was the home of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, from 1885 until his death in 1919. During Roosevelt's time in office, Sagamore Hill was his "Summer White House." There are 83 acres of natural surroundings and historic buildings that you can explore.

Google Arts and Culture has a number of interactive stories - from the art to Theodore Roosevelt’s family life at Sagamore Hill

Walt Whitman Birthplace

Walt Whitman Birthplace

In 1819, Walt Whitman, widely recognized as America's greatest poet, was born in a small farmhouse in the rural Long Island community of West Hills in the town of Huntington. Whitman’s writings are treasured for capturing the nation’s spirit during the nineteenth century and examining some of the era’s most significant events, including westward expansion, immigration, slavery, and the Civil War.

Each year, Walt Whitman Birthplace Association’s Board of Trustees selects a nationally recognized poet to be its Poet-in-Residence. The guest poet offers  public readings of his or her own work and teaches master writing classes. The Walt Whitman Birthplace also holds monthly poetry readings, including a marathon reading of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. There is also a library which focuses on the poetry and life of Walt Whitman and includes an original edition of Leaves of Grass.

The Whaling Museum

The Whaling Museum

The museum explores the history of one of Long Island’s earliest major industries - whaling. The Whaling Museum’s holdings document the whaling and general maritime history of Cold Spring Harbor and Long Island. Highlights of the museum include a historic whaleboat, scrimshaw collections, ship models and maritime art.