Things to Do in Suffolk

Through a wide-angle lens, a digital SLR camera in a Valentine Photo Booth snaps shots of revelers, and then develops lab-quality prints in eight seconds. The tasteful black booths, lit by flattering rays from a built-in soft box, come equipped with video capacity and are run with touchscreen controls rather than keys that can only be obtained by chasing down a mischievous leprechaun. Attendants tend to technological responsibilities and keep attendees’ party mojos in full gear throughout the night. The spacious booths can accommodate large groups and patrons in wheelchairs, and their modular setup allows technicians to move them easily, and even set them up in outdoor, outlet-free venues. Hosts can also activate optional greenscreen backgrounds for effects far more advanced than the sketch-artist booths that came before them.

The Quilting Bee delights needle workers of all abilities with an assortment of stitch-ameliorating merchandise and a variety of classes. Expert instructors schedule the individualized 2.5-hour table-runner class around students’ busy timetables, allowing seam assemblers to craft a 16”x40” table runner for bare-midriffed buffets in between meetings, family outings, or sustainable needle harvesting. No previous sewing or thimble-modeling experience is necessary to attend the table-runner class thanks to adroit thread tutors who answer any questions and guide pupils through the perils of needle-based fabric taming. Since The Quilting Bee provides a pre-cut fabric kit to all class takers and lends sewing machines to those who don’t have their own, students can leave their spinning jennies and gold-plated bobbins at home.

Aided by more than 40 years of competitive-riding and training experience, Sharon Golesh built East Coast Equestrian Training Center, a full-service training, boarding, and breeding facility. Hidden under an expansive, baby-blue roof are 54 stalls that stay packed all year long with equine boarders and in-house horses ready to run through guided rides and lessons. Students learn the equestrian arts within [facilities] (http://gr.pn/n2lU5n) that include an exterior riding ring and dressage ring complete with mirrors and a pack of paparazzi sheep hounds. East Coast Equestrian Training Center also oversees the birth of future first-place finishers through its extensive breeding operation, which includes a 2,200-square-foot boarders’ lounge and 19 pastures ready to set the scene for equine matchmaking.

The team running Happy Winds Kiteboarding & Water Sports knows board sports like Bo Jackson knows all other sports. Garnering experience in the competitive circuit of snowboarding and chasing the best winds around the globe to engage in the most extreme kiteboarding possible, the staffers have the need for adventure coursing through their veins. In between taming waves, they like to fill their time sharing their knowledge of kiteboarding and sailing with others through organized lessons and training sessions. Aside from lessons, they offer equipment for sale and rental, including everything from standup paddleboards and kayaks to aquacycles, wakeboards, chairs, umbrellas, and cabana sets.

Great White Water Sports creates a harmony with the gentle crash of waves, the powerful growls of jet skis, and the excited yelps of families as they launch a variety of jet-ski rentals right from the sands of Chesapeake Bay. Backed by favorable attention from USA Today, their lifeguard-trained team also saddles up jet skis. In waters warmer than the Atlantic and with smaller waves, they bring people right alongside the porpoises as they leap from the bay during slam-dunk contests. Their jet skis are not equipped with any speed-restriction devices, allowing guests to rev up their engines and feel the wind hit their faces as they send wake waves rolling shoreward.

The experienced guides at Ocean Eagle Kayak Adventures maintain a thorough knowledge of their local waters, allowing them to usher visitors through the Atlantic surf or secluded groves of shady water plants. On tours, they guide their participants to get up close with local wildlife and navigate alongside dolphin pods. On kayak fishing trips they help anglers ensnare a roster of seasonal fish. Groups paddle aboard sit-on-top ocean kayaks, and guides always prep them with ample paddling training and advice on how to recognize a fish's turn signal in heavy traffic. When not leading tours, staffers conduct fitness training atop the same kayaks, helping guests during interval training to build paddling power, sweep, and maneuvering skills.