TRAVEL STORY: A DAY IN NORTH FORK, NY

We stumbled upon a fork in the road, and we chose the road less traveled.

My family and I were lucky to all have a weekend off at the same time. So what do we do? Travel, of course! We hopped into our car and headed to North Fork aka. the "un-Hamptons".

Most people take a long weekend to enjoy the area, but we only had a day to explore. And I think one day was pretty sufficient to enjoy the best of North Fork.

Here's a look at our day trip itinerary:

We decided to start at the Eastern-most tip of the island. The beautiful fields of Lavender by the Bay are picturesque. Unfortunately, they had already cut down all the lavender, but it was nice to browse their cute gift shop. If you want to enjoy their blooming fields, visit in late June into early July.

Then we headed to Kontokosta Winery. I fell in love with this winery and its view. It's set right by the ocean and they have a beautiful tasting room. Look at these floor to ceiling windows overlooking the vineyard! If you are looking for a place with indoor and outdoor space by the water to get married, I highly suggest this place! 

My favorite part about driving through North Fork are the flower and farm stands on the sides of the roads. Look at this gorgeous field of flowers behind one of the stands we stopped at. 

We lunched at A Lure Chowder House. They are set right on the water and offer delicious seafood. I highly suggest getting the clams on the half shell, the lump crab cake and the lobster roll. And you definitely have to finish your meal off with the Chocolate Bag dessert. It's an ice cream sundae in a chocolate bag! Perfect for a hot summer day!

   

Croteaux Vineyards was our next stop. They are known for their tasting barn, but since we didn't want to do any tastings, we decided to just walk around the grounds. In front of their vineyard was the cutest pig-nosed truck. The whole feel of the decor took my back in time and I loved it.

My favorite wines were found at Laurel Lake Vineyard. Their Moscato is delicious! They were setting up for a wedding ceremony when we arrived. It's a great location to have a slightly more casual wedding. 

We had some extra time before dinner, so we stopped at the Glass Greenhouse. Best decision ever! They have so many beautiful plants and for great prices! My mom has green thumbs, so she was in heaven. We even brought home our own lavender plants, so maybe we'll have our own lavender fields!

Then we finally made it to the place we were all most excited about. Our dinner at Jedediah Hawkins Inn. When we drove up, we all said our "oohs and ahhs". We knew we made the right decision. The interior decor is adorable and homey. But since we were expecting beautiful weather, we chose to sit outside when we made our reservation on OpenTable. 

The food was incredible! The tuna tartare was my favorite, but I also loved the seafood linguine and salmon. 

   

I can't wait to visit again! Have you been to North Fork before? Are there any other spots you would definitely visit on the island?