Greenlawn, NY Outdoor Activities

Manning a fleet of boats that range in size from 24 to 42 feet, CharterMySeaRay’s staff of Coast Guard–certified skippers and first mates usher guests across the glittering waters of Norwalk Harbor and beyond. Onboard crafts equipped with running water, bathrooms, and iPod docks blasting hits off of The Little Mermaid soundtrack, passengers kick back and enjoy bottles of champagne and complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Charters lasting anywhere from one hour to a full day travel along aquatic arteries past Ziegler’s Cove, Pecks Ledge Lighthouse, or voyage to Manhattan to see the Empire State Lighthouse.

Many consider scuba diving a hobby or fun activity to do on vacation, but for Capt. Saam, it has become a lifestyle. He learned to scuba-dive more than 35 years ago and has gone on to not only establish his namesake scuba school but also obtain a US Coast Guard master license, teach scuba diving in Hawaii, and make regular tropical-dive trips. All of his scuba-diving and maritime experiences have pooled into a vast reservoir of knowledge which he passes on to his scuba-school crew—all of whom are NAUI- and PADI-certified instructors and dive masters. Together they immerse students in aquatic classes––both group and private––modeled after those practiced by police and fire-department scuba teams. They keep group lessons small—no more than seven students per session—to ensure personalized instruction and each student's safety.

Students develop their passion and ability to explore subaquatic terrains while also learning survival skills. They learn procedures to calmly handle accidents during first aid and safety courses, train to become lifeguards, or master the art of prying a friend out of a whale’s baleen. Those looking to clock in more hours exploring the ocean can opt for a local dive charter, which ferries 18-25 scuba divers and snorkelers aboard Capt. Saam's 34-foot Thompson Trawler as it sets sail to a variety of diving locations, from Smith's Reef and Sheffield Island to Gwendolyn Steers Wreck.

Though Capt. Saam's is a scuba school first and foremost, the center also offers equipment rentals and tank fills at its full retail dive shop, tropical-dive trips to the Caribbean, and a ground aviation-training course that teaches students the basics of flight.

St. James 1st Tee Fitness & Performance guides golfers through a complete golf fitness and performance program that focuses on injury prevention and swing consistency. Titleist Performance Institute-certified fitness instructors teach the principles of mobility and stability, ideals that help a player generate swing speed while correcting bad posture or a tendency to sneeze out lunch during a backswing. The instructors begin by assessing a golfer's physical health and limitations as well as their swing style, then design a fitness program to address these issues. Golf-specific stretches and exercises focus on improving balance, endurance, and pre-tap-in ribbon dances, ultimately increasing the consistency of the swing plane and improving the ability to hit the sweet spot. Rehabilitated golfers can practice their new swings on the in-house golf simulator, which provides a respite from bad weather and the expensive greens fees associated with the real versions of famous courses, such as Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, and Bethpage Black.

Hand-painted murals of surreal city skylines, rolling fields, and sunrise-speckled ocean views surround customers inside The Hub, a full service bicycle shop and service center. In the midst of the modern artwork, a dedicated crew works to equip riders with gear for pedaling past similar scenes in the natural world, relying on expertise they’ve gleaned from working in development and design with K2 bikes to maintain and repair rides. The knowledgeable staff guides cyclists through expansive show-room floors filled with parts, helmets, and bicycles of various styles including BMX, road bikes, mountain bikes, and beach cruisers from brands such as BMC, Kona, Bianchi, and K2. Bike riders themselves, the staffers work to educate each customer who walks through the door, championing the environmentally friendly form of transportation beloved by small, lazy dogs in baskets everywhere.

Cedarbrook Country Club incorporates the rustic beauty of the New York countryside with a 6,658-yard golf course lined with mature trees and vibrant landscape features. Each fairway bottlenecks through groves of timbers, requiring golfers to exhibit accuracy off the tee and keep claustrophobic golf carts from fleeing to the open driving range. Slow-starting swings can work their kinks out early in the round, as an errant shot on the first hole—a 490-yard par 5 that gently doglegs left—won't necessarily derail a chance at saving par or sneaking a quick snooze in the long grass.

Before rounds, golfers can loosen up at the multifaceted practice facility, where practice balls soar over the driving range and roll over a practice green. Class A PGA instructor Tom Herzog runs the pro shop and teaches private and group lessons.

Racket-wielding guests can slide and shuffle across the soft, Har-Tru surface of the club's 13 tennis courts or hit flush forehands off the walls of two racquetball courts. The private establishment also encompasses a 300-seat ballroom, cocktail lounge, and a swimming pool for those who prefer chlorine-rich libations.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par-72 course
• Length of 6,658 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 72.4 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 126 from the farthest tees
• Three tee options
• Scorecard

As a PADI Five-Star scuba-diving center, Seascapes USA’s PADI-certified instructors and dive masters dedicate themselves to providing fun, thorough, and individualized scuba instruction. They lead recreational courses such as open-water and advanced open-water certification, as well as professional courses that include dive-master, instructor-development, and master scuba-diver-trainer courses. Instructors also teach specialty courses in subjects such as boat diving, night diving, wreck diving, and getting sand out of hard-to-reach places. The scuba center houses a heated indoor pool in which aspiring divers fulfill their training, as well as a shop that sells and repairs equipment.