Summer scenes: Cruising Freeport's Nautical Mile

There's a party happening on the decks and at bars outside the Nautical Mile's restaurants. Bands play. Or DJs spin tunes. Colorful cocktails and tap beers are being quaffed under the evening sky. Dishes of raw clams and fried calamari are being gobbled up by young men and women lining the sleek, long bars.

It's a great night to go on a romantic date, to meet someone new or just hang out with the family.

Kierstin Cinelli and Jimmy Wynne, both 22, were walking along Woodcleft Avenue toward the sound of live music. For this young couple out on a date, the fabled Nautical Mile has become one of Long Island's hottest summer scenes.

"I like live bands," says Wynne, 22, a Molloy College student.

"It's a lot of fun down here - you get to be outside and party," adds Cinelli, a 22-year-old hairstylist.

CRUISING THE MILE

Billy Joel immortalized the Miracle Mile, but nowadays he'd probably be cruising the Nautical Mile. By day, the Nautical Mile is a busy port where you can board a fishing boat for a day trip or buy fresh seafood at dockside markets.

But at night and on weekends, the strip of restaurants on Woodcleft Avenue along Woodcleft Canal - better known as the Nautical Mile - has become a popular nightspot.

"To me, this is like the Hamptons," says Mike Leccese, 32, of Freeport. Leccese was walking to the packed Bracco's Clam & Oyster Bar with his buddy, George Sanchez, 39, also of Freeport.

A DIVERSE SCENE

The bar was busy when Leccese and Sanchez arrived and ordered drinks. Bracco's specializes in a Miami Vice cocktail, which is a mix of piña colada and strawberry daiquiri. A plastic cup of Summer Sam (Sam Adams Light) costs $5. What attracted the two men was the social scene and the chance to meet members of the opposite sex. Sanchez says he comes for "the music, the women," adding, "this is the place to hang out."

Revelers also packed the outside decks at E.B. Elliot's, and its canal-side neighbor, the Landshark Tiki Bar and Grille. At the Landshark, the long bar with its wooden bar stools parallels the canal. A half- dozen fresh clams and oysters cost $10. To the south, Bonito Hibachi's second-story dark wood deck also overlooks the canal.

The scene was quieter at Cabana 435, The Schooner restaurant's outdoor bar at the southern end of the Nautical Mile. Blue Point on tap costs $6.50 and comes in a plastic cup. Mango Mojitos are made with fresh mint.

The Mile also has a "new kid on the block," Hurricane Charlie's. The newly opened restaurant was serving food in late May but didn't yet have its liquor license, owner Michael Haynes said. The restaurant also plans to open up its deck on the canal.

FAMILY FUN

It's not all drinking, dining and carousing. You can buy cones from Ralph's Famous Italian Ices and lick away at blue picnic tables on the front lawn. The Sea Horse Gift Shop stays open late selling T-shirts and nautical paintings. The 18 holes at Crow's Nest mini-golf feature pirates, a cave and waterfall. It's open until 8 p.m. on summer weekends.