Hamptons, New York

The Hamptons: Bridgehampton

Named for the bridge built by Ezekiel Sandford in 1686 that connected Sagaponak with Mecox, Bridgehampton is one of the more relaxed areas in the Hamptons.

The scenery is beautiful and the aura is quaint. The perfect in-between for a hectic week and a party weekend.

This traveler's guide includes Bridgehampton, including Wainscott and Sagaponack.

Restaurants

• Alison, 95 School, Bridgehampton, 631-537-7100
• Almond, 1970 Montauk Hwy., Bridgehampton, 631-537-8885
• Bobby Van's Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton, 631-537-0590
• Bridges, 964 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Tpke., Bridgehampton, 631-537-9105
• Pierre's, 2468 Main St., Bridgehampton, 631-537-5110
• World Pie, 2402 Montauk Hwy., Bridgehampton, 631-537-7999
• Saracen, Montauk Highway, Wainscott, 631-537-6255

Beaches & Parks

Beachgoers must buy parking permits, available at town beaches daily beginning June 19 or on weekends as listed below.

Seasonal fee is $20 for residents, $10 for resident seniors older than 60 and $150 for nonresidents. Nonresident daily parking permit $15 (limited number). Some town beaches (noted below) are restricted to resident permit holders. Call 631-728-8585.

Mecox Beach
Jobs Lane, Bridgehampton
Beachfront: 250 feet on ocean
Lifeguards June 19-Sept. 6, daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Facilities: Showers, rest rooms, sun deck, mobile food stand, volleyball courts.

W. Scott Cameron Beach
End of Dune Road, Bridgehampton
Access: For Southampton town residents only.
Beachfront: 300 feet on ocean.
Lifeguards: June 19-Sept. 6, daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Facilities: Rest rooms.

Bars & Clubs

Saracen, 108 Montauk Hwy., Wainscott. 631-537-6255
An Italian restaurant that normally closes around 10 p.m., Saracen is the antidote to Hamptons glitz: no doorman, no DJ, no cover. On weekends the modest bar stays open late, somebody finds a dance station on Sirius satellite radio and next thing you know you've got a crowd.

Star Room, 378 Montauk Hwy., Wainscott. 631-537-3332. This longtime club is getting an overhaul from New York designer Isabella Wolfe. Expect an "ethereal forest" theme with imported, 15-foot birch trees around the dance floor, Morroccan mirrors and hand-painted butterflies made of feathers dotting the walls. Outside, pink sand from Bermuda will provide a beach feel. An even more welcome addition: an additional acre of parking.

Hotels

Bridgehampton Inn, 2266 Main St., 631-537-3660
bridgehamptoninn.com
The windows were being painstakingly washed on the day of our visit to this historic structure, built in 1795. Rooms are functional and refreshingly spare rather than choked with country-cute antiques and piles of knick-knacks. Treat yourself to a cooking class in the inn's kitchen as part of the Loaves & Fishes Cooking School (details: LoavesandFishesCookshop.com). Stroll to shops, restaurants and galleries nearby or visit the beach, a five-minute drive south. $$$

Enclave Inn, 2668 Montauk Hwy., 631-537-2900
enclaveinn.com/tour_bridge.ihtml
Retro outside, nouveau inside, the motel has 10 rooms, all containing sleek furnishings, wall-mounted plasma TVs and stainless steel bathroom vanities. Beyond the privet out front are Bridgehampton High School and endless traffic. But the noise is lost amid the thick lawns and sparkling blue pool set back from the highway. $
(In addition to the property in Bridgehampton, there are Enclaves in Southampton and Wainscott.)

• All hotels in the Hamptons Museums & Galleries

Dan Flavin Art Institute in Bridgehampton
Corwith Avenue off Main Street
631-537-1476
This unusual single-artist museum, built by and for Flavin and run by the Dia Foundation, also offers a permanent, nine-work overview of the artist's 20-year evolution, from 1963 to 1981. Flavin died in 1996.

Corwith House
Montauk Highway
631-283-0527
The Corwith House is a historic 1820s home that contains exhibits of colonial, empire and Victorian furniture. Operated by the Bridgehampton Historical Society.