About Long Island

A Beautiful setting with exciting offerings

The Stony Brook campus encompasses 1,100 acres of lush green foliage set on the North Shore of Long Island. Nearby are historic colonial era villages as well as nature preserves, sanctuaries and woodlands. Surrounded by water, the Atlantic Ocean to the South and Long Island Sound to the North, we enjoy a much milder climate than our lattitude would suggest.

For those interested in outdoor life, Long Island's flourishing ecosystem is home to plants that range from prickly pear cactus to wild orchids, and rare trees, such as the Atlantic white cedar and the sweet bay magnolia. Hikers have spotted more than 100 species of birds, and the waters surrounding the island abound with sea life.

Long Island sports beautiful Atlantic beaches within easy striking distance of the campus. In season, the very nearby Long Island Sound, with its pebbled North Shore, is filled with sailors, surfers and swimmers. The eastern end of Long Island, less than 50 miles away,divides into a North Fork, home to thriving wineries of increasing reputation, and the South Fork, where the rich and famous gather in the Hamptons.

Indoors, the Stony Brook community sponsors cultural events, films (our Staller Center for the Arts has a 40-foot movie screen) concerts, readings and lectures. And the School of Medicine's Center for Medicine in Contemporary Society offers special programs, including a selection of musical interludes for medical residents and other faculty. Stony Brook's extensive sports complex with indoor track, pool, squash and racquetball courts, a weight room, and 20 outdoor tennis courts, is home to baseball, football, tennis and track and field teams, among others. Stony Brook has moved to NCAA Division IA with it is new football stadium almost completed. And, of course, one the greatest cities in the world, New York City with its multitude of theatres, museums and restaurants, is within a 60 mile drive or a two-hour train ride. A Long Island Rail Road station is located right on campus.

Selected links to the area's attractions: Long Island Guide New York City New York State