Get to know Westhampton Beach

Suppose you want to learn about Westhampton Beach’s history. In that case, the best place to do so is at the Westhampton Beach Historical Society, which serves to preserve the village’s past and provides exhibitions and education toward that goal. Believe it or not, this tiny village is home to three buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. One is the Cape Cod-style Foster-Meeker House, the oldest surviving building in Westhampton Beach, c.1835. Unfortunately, the event that most impacted the village’s story happened in 1938, when the Great New England Hurricane destroyed homes, submerged the downtown, and carved the Shinnecock Inlet. But it’s certainly not all doom and gloom; the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center has been an institution since 1932, bringing all varieties of performers to the village’s sandy shores.

Perfectly accentuating its small-town atmosphere, the main street of Westhampton Beach is called, simply, Main Street. It is there where you’ll find unpretentious shopping options and the largest cluster of local eateries. Comfort foods beckon, as do hearty breakfasts and tasty pastries. Considering the village’s placement on the water, it should go without saying that seafood is prevalent. The same can be said of the ability to get distracted while eating because you’re too busy enjoying the sunset. And for those who believe that no summer day spent by the ocean is complete until you have ice cream, rest assured Westhampton Beach feels the same. Grab yourself the biggest cone you can manage, and reflect well on a day well spent at the beach, out on a boat, and now trying to finish that ice cream before it melts all over your hand.