Explore 4 Long Island towns by bike or foot 

As leaves and temperatures continue to fall, there's no better time for a downtown stroll or bike ride.

Long Island is home to a variety of walkable and bikeable downtowns. Some are waterside, others have winding trails surrounded by fall foliage; all offer plenty of eateries and entertainment.

So, put on your walking or riding shoes, grab a hoodie and a bike helmet and stop for something pumpkin spiced at one of Long Island's many main street settings. Here are some to visit. 

Stony Brook by bike

Visit the shops and eateries at Stony Brook Village Center, and be sure to stay until the top of the hour when the hand-carved mechanical eagle perched atop the Post Office flaps its wings. Then, hop on your bike, or rent one for $7 an hour at the Stony Brook Village Green Service Station at the local gas station, and visit the area’s biking trails that wind past historical locations and scenic landscapes and preserves.

Make your way back to Main Street to view the foliage of Tranquility Park and Avalon Nature Preserve, an 80-acre property offering walking and hiking trails, a duck pond, labyrinth, hilltop meadows and forest sanctuary. Also nearby are the Stony Brook Grist Mill, a working mill that dates back to the 1700s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Hercules Pavilion, which feature the figurehead and anchor from the first ship launched from the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1820 and the Polaris whaleboat from an 1879 expedition to the arctic.

Visit various museums in the area, such as the Long Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages, The Jazz Loft and, scheduled to open in November, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame.

Take a rest at Harmony Vineyards, just a short bike ride away in nearby Head of the Harbor, which offers tours and a waterside tasting room. Also ride over to the campus of Stony Brook University to take in some theater and other live events at the Staller Center or a Stony Brook Seawolves football game at Kenneth P. LaValle Athletic Stadium. Or take the Spirits & Secrets walking tour in late October to hear stories of witches and ghosts.

Sag Harbor by foot

This East End downtown offers waterside entertainment, eateries and quite a bit of history. Before winter officially sets in, get some fresh air on the docks of Sag Harbor Yacht Club or by the famed Main Street windmill. Walk the tree-lined downtown strip for some shopping or antiquing, with a variety of stores offering clothing, home goods and toys, including the village's longtime toy store The Wharf Shop.

Grab a slice at Sag Pizza, some ice cream or frozen yogurt at Yummylicious!, or a warm beverage at Grindstone Coffee & Donuts. See a play at the Bay Street Cinema, listen to live music at Baron’s Cove or watch a movie at Sag Harbor Cinema, which also has a rooftop bar and an iconic neon facade that is a downtown centerpiece.

Once a main port in the whaling industry, the village offers historical homes to stroll by, as well as museums that celebrate the area’s past like the Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum and the Custom House.

Halloween events in Sag Harbor include the Oct. 30 Ragamuffin Parade, where kids, adults and pets walk Main Street in costumes, and the Oct. 31 Pumpkin Trail, where kids in costumes can stop at businesses with the Pumpkin Trail sign in the window for some treats.

Patchogue by bike

Use the downtown bike share program to visit all of the sights this South Shore village has to offer. The bicycles — which are available for $4 per hour or $35 for the day and are rented through the Bloom app — can be picked up at Roe Walkway, the Patchogue Long Island Rail Road station or on Brightwood Street.

Before heading to Main Street, cruise over to Mascot Dock and Shorefront Park, which features walking paths and a playground, or to Sandspit Marina and take the ramp to Long Island's newest lighthouse overlooking Patchogue Bay.

Swing by MoCA L.I. to view contemporary art or catch a performance at the Patchogue Theatre, which on Oct. 27 is showing a screening of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" with audience participation, shadow cast, costume contest and a guest appearance by original cast member Patricia Quinn.

After working up an appetite by walking or biking the area, stop at one of the many downtown venues for a quick snack or beverage at places like The Cheese Patch for some cheese and wine, or Kilwins for chocolate, ice cream or candy apples or Blue Point Brewery for a beer and a bite.

Get ready for Halloween by taking the Cedar Grove Cemetery Tour on Oct. 27 or stop by the Patchogue Village Recreation Center on Oct. 29 for a scavenger hunt, scarecrow contest and Trunk or Treat festivity.

Sea Cliff by foot

Walk the streets of this quaint North Shore village and go back in time. Situated atop a bluff with famed staircases leading to the waterfront below, Sea Cliff offers one-square mile of distinctive architecture that includes Victorian style homes of varying shapes and colors, narrow roads winding through the intimate neighborhood, and independent businesses that line a main street free of modern-day franchises.

No need for a vehicle in order to reach all of the locales on Sea Cliff Avenue, the village's main hub. Go by foot to visit eclectic stores such as Dream's East, which has everything from furniture and clothing to spiritual goods and psychic readings. The area is also home to two libraries — the Sea Cliff Village Library and the Children's Library, formerly the Stenson Memorial Library — and the Sea Cliff Village Museum.

At the Western end of Sea Cliff Avenue sits Memorial Park, which offers unobstructed views of Hempstead Harbor and Long Island Sound. Be sure to catch the sunset there or at one of the area's two beaches: Sea Cliff Beach, which has a boardwalk, and Harry Tappen Beach, which includes a picnic area and playground.

Walk the village streets in late October to view fully-decorated homes competing in the Halloween House contest for the village's scariest house or yard.