3 Best Sights in Sayville, Long Island

These local brewers may have made it big, but they've never strayed from their roots of creating—and drinking—some really good beer. About 4 miles east of Sayville, the tasting room, where you can sample a dozen brews, is quintessentially local, with a handmade bar that was built using bricks from the old Patchogue Lace Mill and a wildly colorful ceramic-tile-mosaic top. Come in your jeans, T-shirts, and flannels, because when you're here, you're home. There's an outdoor area behind the brewery where you can enjoy Toasted Lager or one of their seasonal brews and maybe grab a bite from a food truck.

A 19th-century oystering vessel and a small collection of local craft are on display at this museum 1½ miles west of Sayville village. Changing exhibits focus on boating and maritime history. Boatbuilding can be observed most days, and guided tours are available by appointment. The big draw here is the calendar of annual events, including a pirate festival, kite festival, seafood festival, and boat burning. Summer camps and educational programs are available for kids. The museum also offers seasonal sailings on its 19th-century, 60-foot fishing sloop Priscilla, departing from the Snapper Inn on Shore Drive in Oakdale.

This 613-acre site includes the ancestral home of William Floyd, a politician, general, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and prominent Long Island plantation owner. Over a 250-year period, eight generations of his family occupied the estate, a satellite property of the Fire Island National Seashore 18 miles east of Sayville. The house began as a two-story wood-frame structure in 1724, and saw several renovations, including one in 1857 in which the house took on a Greek Revival style and another in the 1920s that expanded the mansion to its current 25 rooms. Tours of the property are available; leave plenty of time to explore the Old Mastic House, it's artifacts, and the grounds, which include several outbuildings and a cemetery.

Be prepared for mosquitoes and ticks in spring and summer.