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Rockaway
An 11-mile-long peninsula with great beaches featuring waves
and sandcastles, Rockaway has been a popular summer resort
since the 1830s. The A train, the Q53 bus, various private vans,
and even a ferry take people there and back.
There are countless seasonal attractions – surfing shops, jetski
rentals, ambulant ice cream vendors – but Rockaway is also a
residential area with suburban homes and community bars. Here
are some of the warm-weather options.
JACOB RIIS PARK
Known as “The People’s Beach,” Jacob Riis Park offers
boardwalks, landscaped walkways, pitch-and-putt golf, sand,
seaside, and surf. Its famous Art Deco bathhouse is part of a
district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It’s also a great place to ride bicycles.
The public beach is about one mile long, and it is maintained by the
National Park Service. It’s open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Address: www.nyharborparks.org
RIIS PARK BEACH BAZAAR
The Riis Park Beach Bazaar has indoor and outdoor facilities
near the shoreline in the vicinity of 167-02 Rockaway Beach
Blvd. This mile-long shopping Mecca runs from Memorial Day
Weekend through Labor Day Weekend. Hours are 11 am to 8 pm
on weekends and holidays and noon to 8 pm on weekdays, with
possible late hours on Wednesday.
The bazaar opened in 2016 and almost immediately became
a tourism destination due to its top-notch cuisine. Here are
some of the vendors: Rockaway Clam Bar; Ample Hills
Creamery; Fletcher’s BBQ; Bolivian Llama Party; Coney Shack;
Chick’nCone; East Coast Roast; Oaxaca Tacos; and Cuisine by
Claudette.
WHALE AND DOLPHIN WATCHING
Captain Tom Paladino leads Atlantic Ocean expeditions with his
company, American Princess Cruises, on Wednesdays through
Sundays as the weather permits. Voyagers check out 50-foot
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