plan your trip

Where should you stay? Cherry Grove or the Pines? This is not a question that can be answered easily, but we will try to give you some points to consider. 

Cherry Grove: 

• Much more active commercial district, with more options to eat out and more entertainment options. The big venues Cherrys on the Bay and Ice Palace are located here.
• Cherry Grove feels 'cosier' and more like a tight-knit community, due in part to the smaller homes and smaller lots. Many homes do not have a pool, but the beach is literally a 2 minute walk from any home.

Fire Island Pines:

• Lots are typically larger in the Pines, thus homes are generally larger too. You'll find a lot more 3,4 and 5 bedroom homes here to rent, with large pools and pool decks.
• The commercial district does have activity, but it's focused on Blue Whale for Tea, Sip N Twirl for drinks and dancing, and Pavilion for parties on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
• Food options are more limited in the Pines, with many people opting to cook at home.

Train:

Take the Long Island Rail Road from Penn or Grand Central Station, Atlantic Terminal if you’re coming from Brooklyn, Jamaica Station if you’re in Queens and/or flying in to JFK or LGA airport to Sayville. Most trains will require you to switch trains along the way, usually at Babylon or Jamaica Station. The second train will almost always be right across the platform, so don’t stress that you’re going to miss your connection. The train ride usually takes 90 minutes to two hours, and costs around $15 during off-peak periods and around $20 during peak times, each way (prices subject to change!).

Download the MTA TrainTime app on your phone, which lets you buy tickets in advance and activate them when you get on. Buyingt tickets on the train is possible, but with an extra fee. Train Time is also useful to keep tabs on the train schedule.

During peak summer months, the LIRR runs special beach getaway deals that can only be purchased at a physical ticket kiosk at the train station. These deals include all of the tickets/fares for the train, transfer from Sayville to the Ferry and the ferry ride itself - for 2024, the package costs $44.75. 

Click here for more details 

During the summer months, Colonial Transportation runs shuttles from Sayville train station to the Ferry terminal. They charge $6 for a one-way ride (make sure to have cash), and their vans/buses are big enough to transport your luggage. The ride takes about 5 minutes to get from the train station to the ferry. During the summer season, there's no need to call in advance to reserve a seat - they're always waiting at the train station to pick you up!

Sayville Ferry Service runs boats to the Pines and Cherry Grove, with the frequency of boats changing depending on the time of year. Make sure to look at the schedule in advance, as there are some trains that don’t connect well with the ferry schedule…which means you’ll be hanging out at the bar waiting for the next boat, with a cocktail of course. 

You should allow for at least 15-20 minutes between the scheduled arrival at Sayville and the ferry departure. 

You can use a credit card to buy ferry tickets up to about 5 minutes before the ferry departs (then they only take cash), and it’s $20 r/t (subject to change). The ferry schedule is posted here, and changes throughout the season.

Once you're on the island, you can utilize Fire Island Water Taxi or H20 Limo to get back and forth between Cherry Grove, Fire Island Pines, and other Fire Island destinations. You can also walk between Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines - it's about 20 minutes between the two towns, depending on where you are starting and where you're going!

Car Service / Driving

You can drive directly to the Sayville Ferry terminal and park your car in their paid parking lot. The address is 41 River Road, Sayville NY 11782. Lyft/Uber can get you to Sayville with no issue, but just beware that Long Island traffic on the weekends can be really bad, so taking the train is usually faster than driving, and certainly a lot cheaper. 

Making a Fire Island trip from outside of the city is not as daunting as it sounds. Once you’ve arrived at LGA, JFK, EWR, or Penn Station, you can basically follow the instructions above. 

See below for details from each airport.

If you can find a good flight, Macarthur Airport in Islip (ISP) puts you 15 minutes away from Sayville, and the best part is you fly right over Fire Island and get an incredible view of the beach!

JFK Airport – JFK is very well-linked to Jamaica Station via the Air Train, after which you can take an LIRR train direct to Sayville.

If you're at LGA, your best bet is to take a cab or Uber/Lyft to Jamaica Station or Woodside Stations, where you can catch the LIRR to Sayville. The Q70 bus from LGA will connect you to Woodside Station for free, which is also a good option.

EWR Airport – take the AirTrain and connect to NJ Transit into Penn Station, and connect there to an LIRR train heading to Sayville!

Penn Station – If you’re taking Amtrak into Penn Station, all you have to do is walk over to the LIRR tracks and get on a train to Sayville!

Macarthur Islip Airport – As mentioned above, the airport is very close to Sayville. Hop in a taxi or Lyft and you’ll be at the ferry terminal in 15 minutes.

You can take a car service directly from LGA or JFK for about $125 one-way using Carmel Limo. An uber from the airport to Sayville Ferry  can be quite expensive!

SO YOU’VE MADE IT TO THE ISLAND. NOW WHAT?

Clearly the big draw of Fire Island is the beach. From the ferry terminal in Cherry Grove or the Pines, you’re no more than a 5 minute walk directly to the beach! What’s the beach like? Imagine clean, warm, beautiful sand and the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean! Since there are essentially no cars on the island, the beach is immaculate, and the water is beautifully clear.

Of course there’s much more to Fire Island than just the beach. In ‘town’ in Cherry Grove and the Pines, you have a variety of options for food and drinks, with Cherry Grove offering a wider variety of options to choose from.

This might be the most complicated aspect, or the easiest aspect, of planning your trip. 

If you're looking for an easy hotel solution, here are a few suggestions for hotels and large homes that rent on a daily or weekly basis:

• Madison FIP
• Pines Point FIP
• Grove Hotel Cherry Grove
• Belvedere Hotel Cherry Grove
• Note - the hotel in the Pines is closed but should be re-opening in 2025

Additionally, there are many owner-occupied and broker-managed homes on the island that rent daily, weekly, quarter share (rent one week per month for the summer), half share (rent two weeks per month for the summer), and full season rentals. These homes will rent individual beds in a room, a full room, or even the house house!

Your first step should be to check out our new collaboration with BēKin, aptly named BoFI x BēKin Rentals, where you can find open beds or rooms in share houses, or list your own availability for others to find!

You can also search using one of the brokers on the island, contact the owners directly from their websites, or try your luck with airbnb.

This list is not exhaustive, and is not meant to show favoritism toward any owner or broker. 

Some brokers on the island:

Doreen Katen Realty

Pines Harbor Realty

BēKin Rentals

Bob Howard Real Estate

VP Fire Island Pines

Some homes to consider:

• Froot Falls FIP
• Naughty Pines FIP
• Cedar Dunes FIP
• Reflections FIP
• Pines Point FIP
• Casa LowKiki FIP
• Casa Con Altura FIP
• McKenna Oasis FIP
• The Blue Dove CG
• Cherry Grove House Share CG

Both Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines have small commercial districts with food and drinking options, including grocery stores in each town. That being said, these towns are small, so options are limited. 

Cherry Grove:

• Island Breeze - open for lunch and dinner
• Cherry's on the Bay - open for brunch lunch and dinner
• Floyd’s - famous spot for breakfast
• Cherry Grove Pizza - casual pizza place with takeaway and full service restaurant
• Top of the Bay - full service restaurant and bar
• Sand Castle on the Ocean - full service restaurant open for lunch and dinner
• Ice Palace - light bites
• Grove Market - grocery store with deli counter with sandwiches, prepared food and meals to take home and reheat.

Pines:

• Pines Bistro - full service restaurant open for dinner
• Blue Whale - open for lunch and dinner
• Canteen - casual spot for breakfast lunch and dinner
• Pines Pizza - open for lunch and dinner
• Pines Pantry - grocery store with deli counter with sandwiches, prepared food and meals to take home and reheat.

Head to our Events Calendar to start planning your time on the island! 

We have almost every event online, though lots of house parties and pool parties happen through word of mouth...so make friends on the island and see where the day (and night!) take you.

Cherry Grove:

• Cherry’s on the Bay – great bar sitting right on the water. Drag shows throughout the week are held here!
• Island Breeze - weekly drag shows, special dinner nights, etc.
• Ice Palace – host to the weekly underwear party, big drag events, and conveniently attached to the Grove Hotel.

Pines:

• Blue Whale (Low Tea)
• Pines Pool Deck (Fun Tea)
• Sip N Twirl (Daddy Tea / Late Night Dancing)
• Pavilion Nightclub (Jockstrap Party, Saturday night parties, weekly drag shows)

Clothes

Packing for a trip to the Pines can be as complicated or easy as you want.

Day time at the pool or the beach requires whatever you’re comfortable wearing, or not wearing anything at all (parts of the beach are nude-friendly!). Most are in a speedo or swimsuit, but there is no official dress code for the beach!

Most people show up to Low Tea (aka the first hours of happy hour) in something a bit more ‘formal’ – think shorts and a tank top or t-shirt, but that’s about as formal as you need to get. That being said, Tea (Low, Middle and High) is your best chance to see and be seen, so if you brought your new heels or mesh crop top, this is your time to wear it.

Throughout the summer, there are a variety of theme parties and events that you’ll want to dress up for, and you’ll almost always catch a house full of boys showing up to tea in coordinated crop tops or a very un-planned drag outfit of clothes and wigs from their house’s drag closet (yes, almost every house has a closet full of drag outfits!).

And because the weather can go from sunshine to rain in under a minute, bring a hoodie and an umbrella along just in case…

Essentials

The Pines Pantry and the Grove Market in Cherry Grove stock basically anything you might need, from avocados to sunglasses, however, essentials can be much more expensive than on the mainland. Bring your sunscreen, toiletries, and other essentials from home if you can, and bring a decent amount of cash as well. There are ATMs on the island, and all of the venues accept credit cards, though on some occasions (like the 4th of July) the bars go to cash only. Other services like the Fire Island Water Taxi and H2O Limo accept venmo or uber cash, as well as cash.

Food

Check out our page on restaurants and dining options. If you’re planning to stay in one of the hotels, or just are too lazy to cook, you have a few options for food, with the best option by far being the deli inside the Pines Pantry in the Pines. If you’re staying in a house and know how to cook, you can buy very good produce and groceries on the island, though at a slight markup from mainland stores (everything is imported!).

You can also get Peapod delivered to the island, which is actually quite easy. You set up an account on Peapod, have the groceries delivered to Coastline Freight, and they’ll bring it across from Sayville to Fire Island on one of their scheduled ferries. You can pick up your groceries yourself at the harbor, or pay extra and have Coastline Freight deliver everything all the way to your house. Just be careful to set up your delivery date as far in advance as possible, to make sure they don’t run out of spots on the boat.

Liquor

The Pines Liquor Shop is right next to the Pantry (everything in the Pines is right next to each other) and the Cherry Grove Liquor store is right in the middle of town. Both are well-stocked, with fair prices on alcohol. The Pines Liquor shop will often give a discount if you purchase a case, and will deliver direct to your house.

Another option is to have liquor delivered from Sayville or one of the neighboring towns. The local stores will often deliver to the ferry directly, and you just have to meet the ferry and pay the transport fee (in cash) to pick up your liquor. This can be a cost-savings if you’re planning to order a lot of bottles.

You can't go on vacation and not plan to bring back at least a few mementos!

Pines:

• TOLA. – BoFI's favorite store on the island, full of knick-knacks, decor for the house, swimsuits, and a whole lot more! TOLA. carries the entire line of Boys of Fire Island merchandise!
• General Store – A wonderful store under the the Hotel, selling swimsuits, clothing, sunglasses, jewelry and lots of fun things for the house.
• Ron Dorff– Great little swimwear shop next to the Pavilion
• CAMP – Outdoors-themed shop for cute housewares and fresh-cut flowers. A cute grizzly bear out front for a selfie!

Cherry Grove:

• FIG – Fire Island Goods – Great store for clothes, swimwear and fun stuff for the house. Really well curated collection!
• Coastal Roots - Wonderful florist and nursery