LIRR excursions
The Long Island Rail Road operates several trains a day to and from each of the forks. Your Thomas the Tank Engine fan will love a quick trip back and forth sandwiched around lunch or a playground stop, and you’ll love the lack of a fare for your child (if 5 or younger). On the North Fork, try an 11:20 train from Riverhead to Greenport for $3.25 each way; visit the Long Island Railroad Museum or Mitchell Park and return just after 1 p.m. On the South Fork, a weekday afternoon train heads west from Montauk; take a leisurely ride from Southampton at noon to, say, Speonk for $6.25 each way and enjoy lunch at the famous Trackside Café. A return train follows half an hour after arrival.

Candy trips
Bridgehampton Candy Kitchen
2391 Montauk Hwy, Bridgehampton, 631-537-9885
The Candyman
22350 Main Rd., Orient, 631-323-2675
These two shops are among the most established candy factories on the East End. With one on the North Fork and one on the South, East Enders are never too far away from the next delectable goodie. Your kids won’t soon forget the chocolate at The Candyman or the handmade ice cream at the Candy Kitchen, which makes for a sweet (and affordable) summer treat.

Greenport Carousel
Front St, Greenport, 
631-477-2200
A crab’s scuttle from the Greenport LIRR station and the railroad museum, Greenport’s carousel was the centerpiece of the village’s revitalization in the early 2000s. The 100-year-old antique was a gift from the Grumman Corp. and is staffed daily from the end of June through Labor Day. After Labor Day, it is open on weekends. Rides are a modest $2 and adults monitoring young children do not require a ticket. Greenport’s quaint downtown surrounds the carousel and it’s a short walk for ice cream or a walk on the beach.

Mashashimuet Park and Otter Pond
Main Street and Jermain Ave, Sag Harbor
631-725-4522
Sag Harborites are justifiably proud of their downtown park, which is part of the Long Pond Greenbelt, a series of linked ecosystems that stretch several miles through Southampton Town. Besides hiking trails, kids will find a playground, tennis courts, ball fields and green space for reading and reflection. Picnics and pickup games are not uncommon. It’s also the summertime home of the Sag Harbor Whalers, the village’s entry in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League, whose evening games are a lovely and inexpensive family night out.

Shelter Island ferries
North Ferry
12 Summerfield Place, Shelter Island Heights, 631-749-0139
South Ferry
135 South Ferry Road, Shelter Island, 631-749-1200
A pair of ferry companies service the island -- a North Ferry from Greenport and a South Ferry from North Haven, near Sag Harbor. Vessels depart every 15 minutes or so and crossings from either side take about 10 minutes. Seas are calm most days, making it ideal for those who want to enjoy an inexpensive harbor tour. Leave the car behind; pedestrian crossings are $2 or less per person and young children are free. Bicycle fares are equally inexpensive so if you’re motivated (and the kids are old enough), follow Route 114 for a panoramic ride across the charming island.

Horton Point Lighthouse
Horton Point Road, Southold, 631-765-5500
The “other” lighthouse on the East End, Horton Point is often overlooked in favor of its bigger cousin in Montauk. In addition to its sweeping vistas – from its position high on the Sound bluffs in Southold, you can see Rhode Island on a clear day -- Horton Point and its museum offer visitors a trip back to Long Island’s past. But even if maritime history doesn’t excite your young ones, come for the million-dollar view. Oh yes, admission is a mere $5, and for an entire family, $10.

Quogue Wildlife Refuge
3 Old Country Rd, Quogue
631-653-4771
This nonprofit preserve offers one of the most diverse assortments of wildlife on the East End. Children enjoy seven miles of trails that wind through forests, ponds and wetlands, showcasing turtles, deer, and rare birds, trees and insects. An outdoor complex houses permanently injured wildlife that require human care to survive, including a bobcat, owls, falcons, a bald eagle, foxes and more. Admission is free, donations are accepted.

Prices as of July 2017; please check the destinations for up-to-date hours and schedules.

Top photo: Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Photo by Jaime Somersille