Things to Do in Massapequa

Typically, you can only see Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, and Yankee Stadium in less than an hour while leafing through a stack of New York postcards. However, Zip Aviation confounds expectations, whisking tourists over those landmarks and more on one of three helicopter tours in 12–30 minutes. Helmed by a team of pilots with an impeccable safety record, the tours grant passengers a bird’s-eye view of the city aboard either their AStar or Bell helicopters, which have never once caused sea sickness. The aviation company complements its sightseeing excursions with an array of other transit services, including private charters and special-event transportation options.

Creative Corner Pottery's shelves brim with stamps, stencils, nontoxic paints, pre-cut glass-fusing projects, and more than 200 different pieces of unpainted pottery, providing patrons with all the tools they need to create inspired crafts in a low-stress environment. After choosing a piece from the wall, visitors can take it to one of the dark wooden worktables and personalize it by either painting a custom design or their own genetic code. The glass-fusing kits include pre-cut shapes or easy-to-use tools, which allow customers to cut their own pieces and design a unique picture frame, bowl, or piece of jewelry. Once finished, the studio's staff will glaze and then fire the crafts in the kiln, typically having the finished works ready for pickup in 7–10 days.

Adopting the mantra "from Mommy & Me to the SAT," the yearly All Kids Fair intends to enrich the lives and the potential of young people through high-school age with a day's worth of educational exhibits and family-oriented diversions. Youths enjoy entertainment that includes balloon-twisting clowns, kid yoga classes, and special appearances by engaging guests. Meanwhile, parents and guardians collect valuable strategies for parent-child success from informational booths and expert presenters on such topics as financial planning for children, navigating socialization and therapeutic services, and paying for college. Each year attendees leave with new developmental wisdom and tips on staying healthy via the fair's array of screenings for common youth conditions, such as scoliosis, ADD, and text-message cooties.

Muses flit among Riebe's Artist Materials Inc's bouquets of brushes and kaleidoscopic sprays of pastels, whispering lore accumulated during the shop's 89 years in business. Managers Bob Riebe and Bryan Di Bartolomeo pilot artists of all levels through a sprawling prairie littered with gear including drawing tables, easels, and brushes. After spotting acrylic paints from brands such as Golden Artist Colors, Inc. and Liquitex, rainbows rush off to change outfits, stomping past an armory of clay-modeling tools and drafting templates.

Katrina Wells was frustrated. The new mother loved spending time with her child but still longed for a place to relax and sip coffee. Family-friendly play centers had been widespread when she lived in South Florida, but they seemed entirely absent from her new home in Long Island. Undeterred, Wells took initiative and designed a business that would cater to children and their parents.

Across Le Play Cafe Indoor Play Area & Coffee Lounge's 2,000 square feet, imaginations spring to life at performance stages, dress-up areas, and pretend kitchens. A climbable play structure helps little ones to develop gross motor skills, and age-appropriate toys delight toddlers. On the other side of the play center, scents of fresh roasted coffee fill the café as parents relax, socialize, and share photos of their baby dolls. In addition to cheering children and adults, Wells' brainchild also puts a smile on Mother Nature's vine-covered face. Her eco-friendly facility boasts LED lighting and oversize windows that help to reduce energy costs.