DETAILS Riverhead, N.Y.

GETTING THERE: It can take as little as 1 hour 15 minutes to reach Riverhead, N.Y., by car from New York City and as much as two hours on weekends during the summer and fall harvest seasons. Take the Queens-Midtown Tunnel to the Long Island Expressway (495 east) and get off at the last exit, 73. Travel east on Route 58, which becomes Route 25, also called West Main Street, to reach downtown.

WHERE TO STAY: The Red Barn B&B (733 Herricks Lane, Jamesport, 631-722-3695, www.northfork.com/redbarn) is a restored 1877 farmhouse with three guest rooms with private baths, an upstairs parlor and main-floor living room with television and games. In addition to enjoying croquet and the view of surrounding orchards and vineyards, guests can survey the skies by renting telescopes and binoculars from proprietors Jim and Linda Slezak. Rates range from $150 to $250 per night and include breakfast.

Recently completed, the Inn at East Wind (5720 Route 25A, Wading River, 631-929-3500, www.innateastwind.com) offers 50 guest suites, including six luxury suites that are New York City-lavish rather than quaint country. Rates from $199 to $229 for a standard room, and up to $499 for the Ambassador's Suite; breakfast included.

WHERE TO EAT: Tweed's Restaurant and Buffalo Bar (17 E. Main St., Riverhead) offers American bison steaks and burgers, as well as rabbit, deer, duck and local seafood. Don't miss the Long Island clam chowder, made from owners Ed and Patricia Tuccio's family recipe. Dinner entrees range from $19 to $38. The Birchwood Tap Room (512 Pulaski St., Riverhead) offers an eclectic and casual lunch and dinner menu with Polish specialties like kielbasa and pirogi as well as burgers, pasta and Yankee pot roast. Dinner entrees run from $11 to $18.50.

The Cooperage Inn (2118 Sound Ave., Baiting Hollow) serves lunch and dinner including pasta, fish, chicken, steaks and chops amid charming country French decor. Don't miss the rosemary and mustard crusted rack of lamb, the semi-boneless duckling stuffed with dried fruit comfit, and the homemade desserts. Dinner entrees are in the $15 to $20 range.

WHAT TO DO:

• Martha Clara Vineyards (6025 Sound Ave., Riverhead, 631-298-0075, www.marthaclaravineyards.com) hosts year-round events, including harvest festivals and art exhibits. Currently Brian Gaisford is showing artifacts and furniture from his Hemingway African Gallery in Manhattan. Every weekend at 11 a.m. there are doughnut-making demonstrations and samples of Entenmann's baked goods and mulled wine.

• Visit a preserved turn-of-the-century homestead at Hallockville Museum Farm and Folklife Center (6038 Sound Ave., Riverhead, 631-298-5292), including a shoemaker's shop, a farmer's workshop, a smokehouse and a barn. The museum is decked out in Victorian holiday decor through December and hosts crafts fairs. Admission is $5.

• Max Moran's gallery (4250 Sound Ave., Mattituck, 631-298-8606, www.maxmoran.com), housed in his farmhouse, displays vivid paintings of local and Manhattan street scenes and works from Moran's "Rain" collection. It is open Sundays at varying times (call ahead). The tiny Blue Door Gallery (40 E. Main St., Riverhead, 631-208-8166) exhibits an ever-changing collection of works by local artists. Owner Sandi Woessner can often be found at an easel by the front window. In December, the East End Arts Council Gallery (133 E. Main St., Riverhead, 631-727-0900) holds a "holiday marketplace" and small-works show.

• Atlantis Marine World (431 E. Main St., Riverhead, 631-208-9200, www.atlantismarineworld.com) houses piranha, electrical eels, sea lions and seals and is open year-round except Christmas Day. Admission is $14.68 for adults, $12.50 for ages 3 to 11.

INFORMATION: Riverhead Chamber of Commerce, 631-727-7600, www.riverheadchamber.com. Town of Riverhead, 631-727-3200, www.riverheadli.com. Northfork.com lists regional events, accommodations, shopping, vineyards and other attractions.

-- Nicole Cotroneo