Plan Your Trip to Fire Island
Getting there, where to stay, feeding the house, and where the week actually happens. The car-free island, explained by the people who spend their summers on it.
Fire Island is a barrier island off the south shore of Long Island, and the two communities at its heart, Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove, have been home to the queer community for generations. There are no cars. You arrive by ferry, you get around on foot and by wagon along boardwalks, and almost everything you bring, from luggage to groceries, comes over on a boat. None of that is a hassle once you know how it works.
The trip from the city
From Manhattan, the city-to-island trip runs roughly two and a half to three hours. It's actually quite simple: Get to the station, Train to Sayville, Shuttle to the dock, Ferry to the island.
Plan the whole trip with Ferry Finder. The Ferry Finder app maps the full run from the city to the Pines, train and ferry together, with the Babylon change and the connecting boat already lined up.
Check trains with TrainTime. The MTA's TrainTime app has live LIRR schedules and lets you buy your ticket on your phone, so you board without stopping at the machines.
Get to the station
Your LIRR train to Sayville leaves from Manhattan or Brooklyn. Start at whichever is closer to you. The subway reaches both. With a group and a pile of luggage, an Uber or taxi to the door saves the stairs, and it is an easy walk if you are staying close.
Moynihan Train Hall
The LIRR now runs from Moynihan Train Hall, the bright glass-roofed hall in the Farley Building, across 8th Avenue from the old station. Use the LIRR entrance on West 33rd Street: it is calmer than the cramped 7th Avenue corridors and closest to the tracks. Tracks are posted only a few minutes before departure, so watch the boards or the TrainTime app, then head down to your platform.
Moynihan Train Hall · 350 W 33rd St, LIRR entrance · ManhattanAtlantic Terminal
Starting in Brooklyn? Board the LIRR at Atlantic Terminal and skip the backtrack into Manhattan. It sits right on the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center subway hub (2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q, R, W, with service varying by line and time of day).
Atlantic Terminal · Atlantic & Flatbush Ave · BrooklynTrain to Sayville
The Long Island Rail Road runs from Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal to Sayville in about 90 minutes to 2 hours, costing roughly $15 to $20 each way. Most trips include a train transfer at Jamaica or Babylon.
Shuttle to the ferry terminal
Colonial Transportation meets the train and runs to the Sayville ferry terminal, about $6 one way, cash only. In summer they wait at the station, no booking needed; otherwise call (631) 589-3500. A taxi or Lyft works too. The terminal is at 41 River Road, Sayville.
Ferry to Fire Island
Sayville Ferry Service runs to the Pines and Cherry Grove, about $20 round trip, roughly 20 to 30 minutes. Credit cards are accepted up to five minutes before departure, otherwise cash only. Check the schedule on their site before you travel.
Coming from the airport
JFK:
AirTrain to Jamaica Station, then LIRR to Sayville.
LaGuardia:
taxi or the free Q70 bus to Woodside or Jamaica, then LIRR.
Newark:
AirTrain and NJ Transit to Penn Station, then LIRR.
Islip / MacArthur (ISP):
the closest airport, about 15 minutes to Sayville by taxi or Lyft.
Car services like Carmel run roughly $125 one way from JFK or LaGuardia if you would rather skip the train.
Getting around once you're here
Between the towns: the Pines and Cherry Grove are a 20-minute walk apart, along a stretch of beach and dune known as the Meat Rack. The Fire Island Water Taxi and H2O Limo also run between the two harbors.
Parking: long-term parking is available at the Sayville terminal. Party arrivals: Kiki Rides runs a curated party-bus service from the city for day trips and overnight partying, use code Boysoffireisland for a discount.
The Pines or the Grove?
A mile apart, sharing one beach, with two distinct personalities. Most people fall in love with one, then spend years getting to know the other.
The Grove
- The island's original queer community, very close-knit
- Has a walkable commercial strip with bars, drag shows, and dining right off the dock
- Smaller cottages, cosier shares, fewer private pools
- A two-minute walk to the beach from almost anywhere
- Big-room entertainment: the Ice Palace, Cherry's on the Bay, Island Breeze
The Pines
- Larger lots and houses, often three to five-plus bedrooms
- Bigger pools and a strong house-and-deck culture
- Home cooking is the norm, dining options are more limited
- Focused, high-energy nightlife: Low Tea, Sip N Twirl, the Pavilion
- Architecturally storied, mid-century modern beach houses
Finding a place
You can rent by the night, the weekend, the week, the quarter-share, the half-share, or the full season, and you can take a single bed, a room, or a whole house. Here is the honest map of who to go to, listed alphabetically and without preference.
Guest houses & hotels rooms by the night
- Belvedere Guest House for Men Cherry Grove
- Grove Hotel Cherry Grove
- The Madison The Pines
- Pines Point The Pines
A new hotel in the Pines is expected to reopen in 2027 or 2028.
Rental brokers & agents houses & shares
- BēKin Pines & Grove
- Bob Howard Real Estate The Pines
- D. Katen Fire Island Properties Pines & Grove
- Pines Harbor Realty The Pines
- VP Fire Island Pines The Pines
This guide, including the list above, is written and maintained by BēKin, a licensed New York real estate brokerage and one of the brokers listed. Every broker is listed alphabetically and without preference, and no business paid to appear. More on how Boys of Fire Island and BēKin work together.
Community & direct
The Boys of Fire Island Facebook group is where shares, sublets, and last-minute beds get posted all season. You will also find houses on Airbnb and on individual owners' own websites. Whoever you book through, confirm the calendar and the price in writing before you send a deposit.
The island runs on a few great businesses
The Pines and the Grove run on a handful of family-owned businesses that reopen every spring and carry the community through the season. Many of the families behind the counter make this island their home, the same as the people you're visiting. When you provision at the harbor instead of hauling everything from the mainland, you are not just saving yourself a logistics headache. You are the reason these places are still here next summer.
Pines Pantry
A family business and the Pines' only grocery store, far more than a corner shop: a full grocery with a deli, butcher, fish counter, bakery, and a separate hardware and homegoods store upstairs. The owners live in the Pines, this is their home, and it's the first stop on your trip and where the house gets fed all week.
Pines Liquor Shop
Family-run on the harbor next to Pines Pantry, with a deep rosé and natural-wine selection. Free delivery across the Pines, case discounts, and they will take back the unopened leftovers from a party order. If they are closed and you are stuck, email them, the owners are often on-island and will open up.
Grove Market
Cherry Grove's grocery and deli, the Grove's answer to the Pines Pantry for staples, sandwiches, and the daily run. The reason you do not have to leave the Grove for a carton of eggs.
The island's shops
TOLA., The Visitors Center, and CAMP in the Pines; FIG, Coastal Roots, and Jalston in the Grove. Swimwear, flowers, housewares, art, and gifts, all of it carried over by the same people who keep the lights on out here.
Groceries on a car-free island
There is no driving to the store and loading up the trunk. Everything arrives by boat and moves by wagon. The good news: start at the Pantry in the Pines, and feeding eight people for a week is very easy once you know how the island works.
Start at the Pantry
Do your real shopping here. For fresh meat, fish, and vegetables, and the staples that feed the house all week, head to Pines Pantry, a family business and the only grocery in the Pines. For water, beer, mixers, and ice, they deliver across the Pines for a flat $8, just call (631) 597-6200. Hours shift through the season, so check the current schedule. In Cherry Grove, Grove Market plays the same role.
For the big-volume haul: freight from the mainland
Once the house is provisioned at the Pantry, a large group sometimes wants to bring over a bulk load: cases of water, paper goods, the freezer fill. For that you can order from Stop & Shop(the service that absorbed Peapod) and freight it across. A few things that trip up first-timers:
The order rides over with Coastline Freight, the island's grocery freight carrier. You need a Coastline account first, set it up by calling (631) 563-1997 , not on their website, and a credit card on file. Then make an appointment, nothing is sent to the Pines without one. Cost is $5 per pod at the dock, $10 per pod delivered to the house ($25 minimum). Time it to land on the first morning boat of your check-in day.
In Cherry Grove, Coastline is dock pickup only, $5 per pod, no home delivery.
Getting anything else over: Instacart and the freight boats
For the non-grocery odds and ends, a fan, beach gear, a forgotten charger, Instacart can deliver to the freight dock. The one thing to get right is which freight route it takes, because that depends on whether the order is perishable.
Sayville Ferry Package Boat
Anything cold or time-sensitive goes on the Package Boat. Have Instacart deliver to:
Sayville Ferry Service · 41 River Road, Sayville, NY 11782Hard cutoff: delivered by 11:30 am, Monday to Friday. Miss it and cold goods are refused, not held. Call the ferry at (631) 589-0810 to confirm they have it and which boat it's on.
Coastline Freight
Housewares, hardware, a fan, beach gear, anything that won't spoil can go to Coastline instead:
Coastline Freight · 68 River Road, Sayville, NY 11782Coastline batches freight by space and can take a day or more, so it is fine for dry goods, wrong for groceries. Same account by phone at (631) 563-1997, request a delivery date.
Hours, prices, and schedules belong to the businesses and ferry services named here and change through the season. Everything is current as of writing. For the authoritative version, check each business directly and the Sayville Ferry freight policy.
Where to eat
The Pines leans on home cooking and a few good options; the Grove has more options to consider. Between them you are well covered.
In the Pines
In Cherry Grove
The rhythm of the day
The Pines runs on tea dances that move through the afternoon and into the night. The Grove brings drag shows and big-room parties. A classic day flows from one to the next.
In the Pines
In Cherry Grove
Browsing the harbors
Small, well-curated, and local.
In the Pines
In Cherry Grove
Bring this, leave that
By day
Swimwear is the uniform, from a speedo to whatever you are comfortable in. A tank and shorts for Low Tea. Pack a hoodie and a small umbrella, the weather turns. Groups often come dressed up in a theme to Tea. Expect to see some incredibly smart and funny costumes.
By night
The parties are themed and people commit to looking sharp. If there is an outfit you have been waiting for an excuse to wear, this is the time to wear it. Check the weekend's events before you pack.
The essentials
Sunscreen, your toiletries, and cash. ATMs are on-island and most venues take cards, but a few events and cash-only moments still come up. Wagons help with the haul from the dock, ask if your house has one.
See you on the island
Questions a guide can't answer? The community is the best resource there is. Drop into the Facebook group, or reach out, someone has almost certainly solved your exact problem before.
About this guide: researched and written by BēKin, a licensed New York real estate broker (license 10491212788), and reviewed by Boys of Fire Island before publication. Read more about Boys of Fire Island and BēKin. Hours, prices, and schedules belong to the businesses named and change through the season. Corrections and additions are welcome: boysoffireisland@gmail.com