My adventures in Montauk filled with surf, food, farm visits, yoga, outdoor exploring and more! Here’s your guide to rad things to do there for a epic time!
Montauk. Also know as “The End” since it’s the most eastern tip of the Hampton in Long Island, NY!
100 miles from New York City
A Peninsula with an amazing range of habitats – beaches, dunes, cliffs, forests. Epic sunsets.
A sleepy fisherman village turned luxury playground.
Long, crumbly waves, reminiscent of SoCal.
Rich in history. Centuries-old lighthouse.
Named after the Native American Montaukett tribe.
Where I fell in love with surfing all over again.
It all started with an invite to meet the boyfriend’s family, over 4th of July weekend, in West Hamptons. But I’m a surfer. Unprofessionally. And professionally, a chef and a food photographer. Which means, if you get me anywhere in the world near good surf, I’m gonna find it and shred it! And if you get me anywhere in the world near rad farms and good food, I’m gonna wanna visit and eat! So I naturally added on 4 extra days to shred in Montauk and visit some farms and eat delicious food!
Fireworks from the 4th of July.
Montauk here I come!!!
When I’m not in the kitchen or behind the camera, being out in the water drawing lines on waves or getting down n’dirty on a farm learning from rad stewards of the land are my two absolute all time favorite places to be!!!
Thats the lens through which I saw Montauk and below are the rad things I did there!
My accommodation: I got lucky. Real lucky. I remembered I had a childhood friend with a summerhouse in Montauk. Can I crash I asked? Pretty please?!?! I’ll cook for ya I promised! He said yes! Thanks for the hospitality Scott!
Things to Know About Montauk
1. Most places have F-you prices. For real. Don’t be fooled by the name shack or shed or truck in front of a restaurant. We’re talking $35 sandwiches. If you’re on a tight budget… I’d consider going elsewhere.
2. Not surf bum beach parking friendly! It ain’t a parking friendly town for surfers. Most beaches require an East Hampton Parking Permit Pass ($400/year for nonresidents and sold in a limited supply). Was def up there in the most anti-parking-friendly-for-surfers town I’ve been to! I got lucky and could walk to the break I was shredding from the house I was staying at.
3. Meant for exploration! There are all these crannies and nooks and bluffs that are longing to have ya explore them! Get off the beaten path, turn on random roads, and get your exploring game on I say!
4. Sunsets are magical! Don’t miss ‘em!
5. Lots of regenerative and innovative farming practices going on! Def check out a farm stand or a farmers market when you’re here!
Below is a re-cap of my time in Montauk. For more in depth info on surfing in Ditch Plains, check out this post. And for more in depth info on my visit to Amber Waves Farms, check out this post (coming soon).
July 7th
Arriving to Montauk. Scenic windy drive, views in every directions we look. I hadn’t even arrived and was already falling in love with the place. We scored on our car rental and got a jeep convertible. Having the top down turn the drive from fun to epic! Right before town we passed through two classic seafood shacks practically across the street from each other: the Lobster Roll and the Clam Bar. We flipped a U-turn cause and went for a succulent lobster roll.
Late Lunch: The Lobster Roll. Inviting you in off the 27 with their large lunch sign and a side-of-the-road-hole-in-the-wall seaside restaurant feel. We shared a lobster roll at this iconic seafood shack, sat outside and enjoyed the atmosphere. It was a late afternoon snack.
First things first: I need a surfboard!!! Air & Speed Surf Shop to rent my board for the trip. Solid surf shop. Thanks for being so friendly!!! Really means a lot! Done a ton of solo surf adventuring and had my fair share of surf shop bros with attitude. The Air & Speed folks were awesome!
Sunset Sesh: Surfing at Ditch plains with my childhood bud Scott. I SCORED! Waves were small and crumby but consistent and the warm water and gorgeous scenery was a blast to shred in! And… I realized I hadn’t actually seen Scott in 20 years! Since a wild summer in Easter Europe in college. It’s so funny how its can be like that with childhood friends, you can not see them for ages and after a minute if feels like no time has gone by. I loveeee that!
Dinner: Debaucherous dinner at Gurney’s Resort. Gurney’s is a massive resort and spa on the coast. Def rec checking it out even if only to see the space! We feasted at Scarpetta Beach. The food, view, and atmosphere were stellar and I’d happily eat there on a regular basis (if $$$ were no issue!)
Here I am about to shred Ditch Plains!
July 8th
Morning: morning coffee run to Left Hand Coffee. Getting my morning cappuccino is a highlight of my day. Every day. Every single morning. I like finding a coffee spot and making it my place for the trip. This spot was solid and I knew as soon as I had the first sip I’d found my coffee spot in Montauk.
Morning walk all around town to explore I actually am. Trip had so far been a whirlwind and I needed to get a bit grounded and explore this epic place!
Morning shredding sesh at Ditch Plains.
Afternoon: Visit to Amber Waves Farms (more on this rad farm here!). They welcomed me with open arms and I got to spent time shooting the property and learning from this badass stewards of the land.
Sunset Sesh: More water time! 2nd sesh of the day. Any day I get in the ocean is a good day. And any day I get in the ocean twice is a GREAT day!
Dinner: cook a fantabulous 7-course feast with my Amber Waves bounty for my childhood friend that was putting us up, the bf, and another bud. And I mean a FEAST!!!!
July 9th
Morning: back to coffee spot, Left Hand.
Morning walk, this time all around Ditch Plains to explore the bluffs, wander around all the crannies and nooks.
Morning surf sesh at Ditch plains! Blog post coming soon all about the surf here!
Afternoon: I had to get some work done in here. Yes I work on vaca. I love what I do and I don’t mind at all!
Sunset sesh! Back to the water! Noticing a trend here…. lots and lots and lots of time as spend in the water.
Dinner: Date night!!! Solo dinner with the bf at The Gig Shack. Casual spot with indoor and outdoor seating and nightly live music. They describe their food as Eclectic American comfort food.
July 10th
Morning walk with the bf around Ditch plains, grab morning coffee from the Ditch Witch food truck.
Yoga for Surfers! There wasn’t a description of this class and I slightly misread what it would be all about. In my mind I decided it would be a yoga class for super sore surfers. A yin way to relax all my tired surf muscles. It was much more of a get in shape for surfing with yoga class. Kicked my tushy and wasn’t exactly the yoga-for-sore-surfers I wanted but I loved the vibe of the studio and class.
Adventure time! I realized that all in all, I had explored very little of Montauk and only been shredding in Ditch Plains! Time to get my adventure game on!
Here are all the stops I went to on my solo Montauk adventuring:
Gin Beach: permit parking only. Very calm water. No surf.
Amsterdam Beach State Park. 199-acre undeveloped state park. Parking is about a mile hike away from the beach. More than worth it!
Montauk Lighthouse & Turtle Cove Beach. The very end! Easternmost point of Long Island. Lots of history here! First lighthouse in New York State and is the fourth-oldest active lighthouse in the US! Construction was authorized by George Washington in 1972.
Kirk Beach: walking distance to town. White-sand beach with seasonal lifeguards & a parking lot, plus toilet & shower facilities.
Surf time! Back to ditch plains for a sunset session.
Pre-Dinner drinks & sunset at Montauket. Drinks at this dive bar with an epic view while we waited for our table at Duryea’s. Epic sunset spot!!!
Dinner: Dinner at Duryea’s Lobster Deck.
A casual-chic Lobster Deck, also known as an outdoor paradise in my world! Menu features Mediterranean-inspired coastal cuisines, highlighting the freshest local produce and impeccably sourced seafood.
July 11th
Morning: Last surf sesh of the trip at Ditch Plains!
Lunch: Hooked – quick causal, local fresh seafood spot with outdoor seating in town.
This image pretty much sums up the vibe of my Hamptons adventure!
Theater in Manhattan here we come!!!
If ya want more deets on surfing Ditch Plains check out my Ditch Plains Surf Guide.
Have ya enjoyed this post? I’d love to hear about it! Please leave a comment below and if you’re on a farm in the Hamptons take a pic and tag it on Instagram with #wavesinthekitchen cause I’d love to see it! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!
Go on an adventure and I’d love to see ya in the Hamptons sometime!
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