It was a really awesome place to visit, located in Smithtown it was once the property of Caleb…read moresmith the founder of Smith Town and later on turned into a private hunting club in an area which would have been largely rural at the time. It was a nice experience to walk the grounds near the water features which at one time where old mills. If you enjoy some mild hiking in a controlled environment with plenty of signage to lead you back to the parking area I recommend this place. Some of the hiking trails were pretty to traverse and I truly felt like I was in the forest.

Nice quiet park with shade. There's a place to sit also. It's a small park good for families and…read morecouples.

Purchased in 1885 by kings county asylum of Brooklyn, the property went on to become a self…read morecontained community of sorts offering mental help and care as well as a home to the patients that lived here. Being completely self sufficient, Kings County Asylum boasted its own Vegetable gardens and dairy at its height, it also supplied its own power through a small private electric plant on the premises. Eventually through modernization and improvements in medicine and health care the property eventually started to decommission buildings and no longer took on new patients. Completely closing around 1996 it eventually was turned over to the state becoming a park in 2000. I found Nissquogue river state park to be a very interesting park to visit, the north end of the park offers a nice walking trail as well as beautiful views of the Nissquogue river with over looking bluffs and a small beach front not for swimming. You will find a marina on the property offering boat slips as well as a boat launch if you choose to trailer your boat in for the day and many places to launch your kayak from and travel the river. Most of the property appears to still be in a developmental stage as far as parks go. Walking the property is an explorers delight allowing you to check out the decommissioned hospital buildings and infrastructure some of which dates back to the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Beautiful state park. Free now but use your Empire pass or pay $8 or $10 per car during the summer…read more Was a mental hospital for veterans in its early years. The abandoned buildings and sad history may turn off some. It's not as popular as other nearby parks probably because of its history but the wraparound water views and green make this place a gem. Bathrooms open daily until sunset. Clean and well maintained. On a Spring rain day, I dined Al fresco with a friend and enjoyed being outdoors under cover.

I have no idea why I'm reviewing an iron (or whatever) bull; then again, this isn't just a bull,…read moreit's an oasis. For some reason when we were younger and all we did was drive around in the good il' days, listening to music, hitting record shops, finding cheap food, this. I'll represented our independence. This bull was always a strong reminder of feeling a little freedom. I've taken plenty of photos with this bull, from drunken escapades to somber and sober reminiscence... they will never be public Ah the Smithtown bull; now let's go to the famous duck!

Statue The Smithtown…read moreBull- everyone knows this landmark, conveniently located across from the worst strip club around; but I digress... This bull represents the bull that Captain John Smith rode in the Kentucky derby only to lose to Sea Biscuit, because Pocahontas was too heavy... Or, alternatively, this represents the bull that Richard Smith rode as far as he could in one day in order to gain as much land as he could from the chief of the Wyandanch Indians, in said ride. I like the 2nd version personally but no matter how much you suck at American History, you can rest assured that if you use this magnificent beast as a landmark, everyone will find their way to your house. Anatomically correct? You betcha - bronze junk and all.

I like urban legends and supposed mysteries, so the Lake Ronkonkoma story caught my eye. It's…read morerelatively nearby, and a nice drive out to Long Island if anything. So I made a trip out there with my boyfriend to see the lake and the mural specifically. Not that I was expecting anything phenomenal, but I was still disappointed. There's nothing inherently special about the mural, other than the fact that it gets repainted every so often. It's just a mural on the side of a deli. Drive up, park, look for 50 seconds, go grab lunch, leave. Eh. And I like to spend time looking at art, so for me to shrug and move on, you know it's nothing really to sneeze at. What would be more interesting is if someone made a little gallery showing every face change over the years. I wonder if the deli guys have one. The lake was better. Still nothing particularly special, though watching the Weird U.S. YouTube video Craig linked about the lake helped with appreciating it.

There's a legend, or urban myth, about Lake Ronkonkoma. There are plenty of variations of this but…read morethe basic idea is that a disgruntled Indian princess cursed the lake so that each and every year a male will drown in it. Supposedly this is true that every year a male does in fact drown. I can't back this up with any real figures. So in the last few years someone has begun to paint a mural of this princess on the side of the Lakeside Deli in Ronkonkoma. This mural generally gets repainted every now and then with a slightly different mood or variation on this theme. Sometimes the princess looks sad and you can see a tear, sometimes she looks angry and sometimes she just looks like a princess. So it pays to come see this since you never know when it'll be changed and you'll miss out on the previous one forever. You don't want that, don't piss off the princess. She seems to hold a grudge. If you're interested in this lore, here are some links: http://wotan.liu.edu/~esenig/myth.html http://www.geocities.com/aardduck/lady.html WEIRD U.S.: The Curse of Lake Ronkonkoma http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhkRpyRn6xM

On the eastern shore of the Lake, across the water from the Indian Princess Mural…read more(http://www.yelp.com/biz/lake-ronkonkoma-indian-princess-mural-ronkonkoma#hrid:9wGDEqAyApGtY0Np_8oo7g) there lies a sprawled-out, eccentric and odd collection that comprises an ever-changing roadside tribute; it's laid out on a hillside, located midpoint on a dead-man's curve. Assumably, this locale is a tribute to a young couple who were killed here in an accident several years ago, when the driver took around the bend too quickly and collided with an oncoming van. This memorial is informal and has no written dedicaton or explanation for its being, but it is obviously a spiritual place and is a point of interest amongst the locals. Not much to review, but I posted some pics if anyone wants to take a look.

The playground here is awesome for kids but the sandy area around the lake is littered with broken…read moreglass EVERYWHERE. So dangerous.

I have always gone here with my family ever since I was a young child. I always associated it as…read more"the place where we get the duck food". Still to this day I am able to get the duck food so that I can go across the street and feed them! This never seems to get old to me and I really appreciate how genuine and aged this place is. I have only bought duck food here but I would definitely love to come back and check it out more so I can learn more about the area that I have grown up in. Supposedly this place is haunted and it adds to the cool, old effect of visiting such an old grist mill. Definitely recommend, just beware of the very limited hours!

I didn't know this place was a store until today. Nicole and I visited Avalon and stopped by to get…read morebird seed. They sell it by two pounds for $1.50 which is a great deal. Not only is it cheap but it is healthy for the ducks and geese. This place also provides tours on weekends. It is a functional mill and a great historical landmark. I often see swan in the area and they would often make nests in the lower basin outside. Overall this is a really cute place to stop by and please get the bird seed as bread and other human food are bad for the birds.

Stamp #7 on my Suffolk County Public Libraries 2023 Summer Tour…read more Growing up in the area, this lovely library was the main ONE of the four that my family frequented. The Smithtown Library also has three smaller branches (Kings Park, Commack and Nesconset) under it. It has changed quite a bit since I was a kid, but it such a beautiful way. For me it personally it brought back so many fond memories! This Library (And the Kings Park branch) helped opened my world to wonder, curiosity and discovery. EVERYONE should be so lucky!! I recommend "checking out" this public library. You'll be in for a treat.

Fantastic heritage and memories from my childhood in the 1970s and 80s…read moreIt is where I did my first summer reading program in 1972. We also would watch movies in the basement. I have visited many times over the years and it has always been inspiring.