Address
88 West Avenue, West Sayville, NY 1796
Phone Number
(631) 854 - 4974
Date Visited
09/05/2017
Website
Long Island Maritime Museum
Description
The gravel parking lot does not have any dedicated handicapped (van)-accessible, spaces. Handicapped-spaces can be found at the golf course parking lot next door. From here, one can enter the museum’s grounds through an open gate. This is a multi-building venue with no official entrance. One simply walks onto the grounds.There are five buildings, each of which is handicapped-accessible, whether because it is street-level, or has a ramp to enter. The bayman’s cottage is quite small inside, making it rather difficult to navigate. The Museum Building has a combination of tile, wood and flat carpet, as well as ramps. The only seating in this building is in the library. Walking among the buildings and to the boats is by paved or gravel paths, wooden ramps, or over the grass. A large picnic area (tables and benches) is located near the cottages. There are benches close to the Great South Bay and near the dock.
Multi-stall, handicapped-accessible (only two stalls) restrooms are located in a free-standing building in the parking area. There are no baby-changing facilities.
There is a gift shop in the Museum building. There are no food services on the grounds.
- Surface of lot: gravel
Distance to venue: close
Transportation to venue offered: o
Terrain: a bit uneven
Places to rest: none in parking lot
Paths and walkways: paved and gravel
Doors: this is a multi-building venue, Museum building has street-level, double doors, other buildings have variety
Number of floors: 1
Elevators: none
Ramps: to each building and in Museum building
Steps and staircases: to entrance of each building
Width of aisles: **notes
Places to sit: picnic tables and benches, benches near the water
Location of restrooms: in parking area
Type of restroom: small, free-standing bulding, multi-stall, with small, handicapped-acessible stall
Ease of entry and exit: OK
Baby changing station: no
Available food services: none
Friendliness of staff: very pleasant and knowledgeable
Notes: * no dedicated, handicapped spaces in parking lot. Handicapped spaces can be found in the golf course parking lot next door. One can enter musuem grounds through an open gate** bayman's building is quite small inside
Once again I had the opportunity to visit a venue I had not been to in quite a few years, the Long Island Maritime Museum. A lovely September day gave my husband and me the opportunity to revisit this unique destination with “Destination:Accessible” eyes. “The collections of the L.I. Maritime Museum encompass far more than paintings, books, boats and artifacts. All of the buildings on the Museum grounds are living pieces of history, each offering a glimpse of different aspects of 19th century life. The Museum grounds… encompass fourteen acres of West Sayville’s historic waterfront.” (brochure)
As we pulled into the gravel parking lot we could not find any handicapped (van)-accessible spaces (there are none). Being a weekday we had no problem parking close to the Museum grounds. I’m not sure what happens on nice weekends. There is no official “entrance,” just a sign welcoming us. We were able to walk the paved and gravel paths to view the various buildings and boats without paying a fee. The only admission fee was at the Museum Building itself. As we walked the paved and gravel paths, and over the grass we found five, free-standing buildings, each of which offered something different. The Bayman’s Cottage has many interesting artifacts, circa 1890. “The Rudolph Oyster House is typical of the oyster culling houses that once dominated the south shore of Long Island.” (brochure) I was able to get a quick history of oysters in the Great South Bay in here. “The Frank E. Penney Boatshop is the center of the Museum’s boat building and restoration programs.” (brochure) “The Everitt-Lawrence Small Craft Exhibition Building (30 boats are on view), displays the work of some of Long Island most important designers.” (brochure) A number of boats, used for a variety of activities, are docked close by. Wooden walkways got us close to take a look. All of the buildings have a wooden ramp, as well as steps, to enter. Some look a bit more worn than others. The Main Building (Museum), with street-level, double doors, houses a classroom and extensive reference library , as well as permanent and rotating exhibits. A number of interactive screens in one of the exhibit rooms, offer interesting activities for adults, as well as kids. It was amazing to me to see how many wrecks there have been along the coast of Long Island. This building is accessible, with ramps where needed. The floors are a combination of tile, wood and flat carpet. Unfortunately, except for the library, there are no seats in this building. Outside, near the cottages we were happy to be able to rest at the large picnic area. For more of a view, if you can manage it, walk through the grass to the benches near the water.
Unfortunately, the only restrooms are located outside the official entrance, in the parking area. These are multi-stall (only two stalls) with a small, handicapped-accessible stall in each. There are no baby-changing facilities. We were told that it might be a better idea to park at the golf course parking lot next door, where there are many handicapped spaces, and walk through the open gate to the museum grounds. It was suggested that we might want to use the restrooms there as well.
This is a very interesting venue that also offers a classes, summer camp, group tours and annual festivals. Check the museum’s website for more information.
As always, we at Destination Accessible advise you to visit a venue’s website, www.limaritime.org, when planning a visit, to “know before you go.”
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