3 scenic LI drives to take this winter (and grab a coffee too)

This winter, a scenic drive shows off Long Island’s unique historic sites, year-round natural beauty and quaint downtowns at a quieter time of year. Here are three road trip-worthy routes — with coffee stop ideas to keep you perking along.

The Hamptons without the traffic

GETTING THERE: Long Island Expressway to Route 24 south, east on Routes 27A and 27 to The End.

COFFEE STOP: Hampton Coffee Company, Water Mill, Westhampton Beach, Southampton and Montauk; hamptoncoffeecompany.com

Start with a quack at The Big Duck (1012 NY-24, Flanders). Then head east on Montauk Highway/Route 27A to take a gander at the Shinnecock Canal in Hampton Bays and the Shinnecock Reservation’s roadside shops. Farther down, East Hampton’s historic Main Street passes an idyllic Town Pond, the Hook Windmill (built in 1806) and many more early 19th century structures, according to easthamptonvillage.gov.

Back on Route 27, just east of the famous “Lunch” Lobster Roll Restaurant in Amagansett, turn right onto Old Montauk Highway for a roller-coaster drive past stunning ocean views and luxury resorts.

Rejoin Route 27 east through downtown Montauk to Montauk Point State Park and its historic lighthouse.

Peep at Jones Beach’s winter foliage

GETTING THERE: Wantagh or Meadowbrook parkways or the Robert Moses Causeway south to the Ocean Parkway.

COFFEE STOP: Bagel Chalet, 2037 Merrick Rd., Merrick; bagelchalet.com

Jones Beach’s stark winter landscape is a treat for “nature lovers,” said Vincent Simeone, director of arboretum, preserves and historic sites for Long Island state parks. The deep green foliage of Japanese black pine, Eastern red cedar and holly contrasts with beach grasses that turn golden yellow or bronze on the parkway roadsides, Simeone said.

Views of the Jones Beach tower and the Northwell at Jones Beach Theater give way to rows of summer homes bordering the vast salt marsh and the Atlantic Ocean.

At the end is Captree State Park, home to the Captree fishing fleet, and a view of the Fire Island Lighthouse across the bay.

Get a Taste of Winter Wine Country

GETTING THERE: Long Island Expressway to Exit 71, north on Route 24 (Edwards Avenue), east on Sound Avenue.

COFFEE STOP: Pip’s Cafe & Provisions, 218 Main St., Greenport; pips-cafe.com

Sound Avenue travels through North Fork wine and farm country and “villages and hamlets that date back hundreds of years,” said Kristen Matejka, a Long Island tourism specialist and author of “Long Island State Parks: A History from Jones Beach to Montauk” (History Press 2024). In winter, “it’s quieter and peaceful, and you can still see the vines although the grapes have been harvested,” Matejka said.

The sights include Hallockville Museum Farm (6038 Sound Ave., Riverhead) and Hallockville State Park Preserve (6062 Sound Ave., Riverhead). Turn right at Mattituck’s Love Lane to continue east on Route 25 past the Southold Historical Museum Maple Lane Complex, to downtown Greenport’s boutiques, restaurants and working harborfront. Rejoin Route 25 east to Orient Beach State Park for stunning views of Gardiners Bay and a rare maritime forest.