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 thin barrier-beach island off the south shore of Long Island, and the two communities at its heart, the Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove, have been home to queer summers for generations. There are no cars. You arrive by ferry, you move on foot and by wagon along wooden 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. This is how it works.
The trip from the city
From Manhattan, the door-to-dock trip runs roughly two and a half to three hours. The spine of it is simple: train to Sayville, short shuttle to the dock, ferry across.
Train to Sayville
The Long Island Rail Road runs from Penn Station or Atlantic Terminal to Sayville in about 90 minutes to 2 hours, roughly $15 to $20 each way. Many trips connect at Jamaica or Babylon.
Shuttle to the dock
Colonial Transportation meets the trains and runs to the Sayville ferry terminal, about $6 one way, cash. A taxi or Lyft works too. The dock is at 41 River Road, Sayville.
Ferry across
Sayville Ferry Service runs to the Pines and Cherry Grove , about $20 round trip, roughly 20 to 30 minutes. Cards accepted up to five minutes before departure. Check the live schedule 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 boardwalk 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, use code Boysoffireisland for a discount.
The Pines or the Grove?
A mile apart, sharing one beach, with two distinct personalities. Most people fall for one, then spend years getting to know the other.
The Grove
- The island's original queer community, theatrical and close-knit
- A walkable commercial strip with bars, drag, 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
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, 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.
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 other ways in
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 good businesses
A car-free island can only support so much, so the Pines and the Grove run on a handful of family-owned shops that reopen every spring and carry the community through the season. The people behind the counter ride the same ferry home that you do. 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
The Pines' only grocery store, and far more than a corner shop: a full grocery with a deli, butcher, fish counter, bakery, and a hardware and homegoods aisle. It is the first stop on a first morning and the fix for anything you forgot.
Pines Liquor Shop
Family-run on the harbor next to the Pavilion, 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 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 Jalson 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: between the Pantry and a couple of freight routes, feeding eight people for a week is very doable once you know the channels.
Start at the Pantry
For your first morning, for fresh meat and fish, for the things you forgot, walk into Pines Pantry. For cases, 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 before a late run. In Cherry Grove, Grove Market plays the same role.
The big mainland shop: Stop & Shop to Coastline Freight
For a full week's groceries at mainland prices, order from Stop & Shop(the service that absorbed Peapod). 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.
Anything else from the mainland: Instacart, and which boat it takes
Instacart delivers from most stores around Sayville, Target, Costco, Stop & Shop, and more. 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 rooms; the Grove has the denser strip. 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 the drag and the 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. Worth a slow walk through on a quiet afternoon.
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.
By night
The parties are themed and people commit. If there is an outfit you have been waiting for an excuse to wear, this is 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