New Exhibit Posits Long Island as 'World's Largest Resort'

There's no need to venture far from your home for summertime fun, according to a new exhibit at the Ward Melville Heritage Organization's Educational & Cultural Center.

On display at the new exhibit, "Long Island: The World's Largest Resort," are artifacts from all over Long Island's many attractions, from Garden City's Cradle of Aviation Museum to Montauk Point and lots of places in between. Each spot is highlighted as its own tourist destination.

"Long Island is a resort," said WMHO President Gloria Rocchio, citing the island's more than 400 miles of shoreline, 130 golf courses, scores of wineries and vineyards, and dozens of other attractions.

At the new exhibit, you can touch the sand of Southampton's Cooper Beach, named one of the top beaches in the nation, and get up close to a row of shark teeth on loan from the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead. You can admire a model of Oheka Castle – made entirely of cake and sugar.

Rocchio said the inspiration behind the exhibit was the concept of a staycation, and about giving people a little taste of all that Long Island has to offer.

"People are doing a lot of staycations because of gas prices," she said. "Everything here is in one place. You can decide how to plan your itinerary."

Literally. For many of the attractions represented, you can pick up a brochure or a discount coupon to save money on admission.

Stony Brook is represented by its stately Post Office and historic grist mill. You can see artifacts from the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum. A bust of Teddy Roosevelt, on loan from Sagamore Hill, stands near the entrance to the exhibit.

Towering over the rest of the exhibit is a 1914 SS class sloop, the "8 Ball," owned by the Long Island Maritime Museum, which until recently stood in the lobby of Long Island MacArthur airport. The greatest hits of Billy Joel play as background music – a natural choice, Rocchio said, for an exhibit all about Long Island.

She described the exhibit as "totally collaborative" between the various organizations represented, and described the teamwork it took on the part of the WMHO's staff to secure the various items from those organizations and to create the visuals and educational materials.

The exhibit recalls a similar, larger-scale one which Rocchio created in July of 1980 at the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge.

"We had the whole hotel filled with items from all over Long Island," she said, "but we couldn't fit them all in here."

"Long Island: The World's Largest Resort" will be on display until September 5. Adult admission is $5, and it's just a dollar for children under 12.