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Atlantic City
The Jersey shore is where the good folk of New York City head when summer heats up and the big apple gets a bit squishy. The New Jersey coast stretches 127mi (205km) from Sandy Hook in the north to Cape May in the south. The towns along the coast offer something for everyone, from public drunkenness to Victorian gentility.


Belmar
Belmar is the quintessential party town, although things have quietened down somewhat in recent years since one giant beach party turned into a full-scale riot. All bars now close at midnight and the police take a hard line on loud parties and drinking in public.

Spring Lake, also known as the Irish Riviera, has a bevy of quiet and charming Victorian inns, B&Bs and hotels, and is one of the most expensive towns on the Shore. Bay Head, at the terminus of the North Jersey Coast train line, is the quietest town on the coast. There's public access to the beach, which is lined with Cape Cod-style homes, but no boardwalk. Belmar has good fishing, Long Branch (about 15 miles/10km north of Belmar) is good for surfing, and Bay Head and Belmar have the best swimming.


Hamptons
The Hamptons, in Long Island's far east, are the hot summer spot for the West Coast movie crowd. Although soaking up the glitzy atmosphere is half the fun of a visit here, you can also have a look at the Whaling Museum in Sag Harbor, the impressive Parrish Art Museum in Southampton or play a round on the fine Montauk Downs golf course. East Hampton is the heart of the Hampton scene, and worth a visit if you enjoy envying the lifestyles of the rich and famous. It also has some excellent restaurants and nightspots.


Hudson Valley
Just north of New York City, the Hudson Valley is littered with charming towns. The area is particularly beautiful in autumn, and many New Yorkers head up this way just to see the leaves change colour. For a scenic drive, take Route 9 along the eastern side of the river, or take the Taconic State Parkway if you're in a hurry. Trains run here from Grand Central Station, or you can take a boat tour of the Hudson River. There is very little reliable public transport around the valley, but it's a lovely spot for cycling.

On the river's western bank, Harriman State Park is a good place for a hike or a swim in one of the park's three lakes. Adjacent Bear Mountain State Park, popular with New York's nature lovers, with hiking, wildflowers, swimming, fishing, cross-country skiing, sledding and ice skating. West Point, to the park's north, has been grinding independent thought out of cadets since 1802. Military luminaries such as Grant, MacArthur and Eisenhower did their training here (and so did the slightly less successful Edgar Allen Poe). The campus is an impressive collection of red-brick and graystone Gothic and Federal buildings set in rigidly formal gardens.


Hyde Park
Overlooking the river from the eastern bank, Hyde Park is something of a Roosevelt theme park - this is where FDR had his summer White House. The Franklin D Roosevelt Library and Museum has old photos, tapes and the Pres' specially made Ford Phaeton. FDR and the first lady are buried in the grounds. Because the President's mother lived at Hyde Park, Eleanor Roosevelt (who wasn't a big fan) set up house two miles east of Hyde Park at Val-Kill, now the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. Two miles (3.2km) north of Hyde Park, the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is a spectacular Beaux Arts mansion - a mere summer cottage for the railroad dynasty.


Jones Beach
Jones Beach is the least exclusive beach area on Long Island. Tens of thousands of people converge on its 6 mile (10km) stretch of ocean, and there's parking for nearly 25,000 cars. Nevertheless, the sand is clean, and it can be a welcome respite from a sweltering city summer. Robert Moses State Park, to the east, is almost as crowded. The neighboring villages of Fire Island, accessible only by ferry, make up the country's leading gay resort area.

Long Island
From bustling, booming Brooklyn and the beachy nostalgia of Coney Island to the sophisticated wineries of North Fork, Long Island is a study in geographic and economic contrasts. For most visitors, crossing the East River from Manhattan means a trip to the beach, whether the destination is crowded Jones Beach or Fire Island in Nassau, quiet Shelter Island or the showy Hamptons. You can get to Long Island on the Long Island Expressway from Manhattan or catch one of the many buses running from the East Side (the bus drivers know all the short cuts and may well get you there quicker than driving). A train also runs between Long Island and New York's Penn Station. There's plenty of public transport once you get there.


Wine District
In one of life's ironic twists, the wine district is the only part of Long Island where you'll need a car to get around. Thirteen wineries are clustered together on Long Island's North Fork, mostly around the town of Cutchogue. Pindar Vineyards is the largest, with frequent tours, daily tastings and wine festivals throughout the year. When your cup runneth over, head for the charming 17th-century town of Orient at the eastern tip of the North Fork. It's a very pretty collection of white clapboard houses and former inns, with a nearby beach and oyster ponds.