Discover Hamptons History with East Hampton Historical Society’s Guided Tours

We all know that September is the best month in the Hamptons. The summer renters have mostly gone (we’ll miss you!). The weather practically demands that you go out for a walk. Maybe you’ve been too busy at the beach or planning activities for the kids, but now that it’s September, take a stroll, stretch your legs, and explore the rich, beautiful history around the Hamptons.

The East Hampton Historical Society is hosting Guided Walking Tours around the Hamptons all September long, so stay a while and listen.

I love walking tours not just because of the guides, who are great storytellers, but the company and conversations sparked with other attendees. We’re the kind of people you’ll see, hands on hips, squinting to read the well-worn plaque on a historical monument. The people who read those brown signs, who pick up and read the local leaflets at a museum or hotel lobby. 

I won’t believe you if you haven’t been intrigued to discover what’s happening behind the bold, amber-colored farmhouse by the windmill in East Hampton Village. They’ve been renovating it based on strict Village codes (honestly, that alone is enough of a draw for me). Inside, you’ll explore the original woodworking shop where the Dominy family produced clocks in the late 1790s.

Are history buffs all know it alls? I don’t know about all that, but you’ll definitely be around a wealth of knowledge. In fact, you can become someone who knows something! Okay, hard sell aside, if you’ve never been on a Guided Tour with the East Hampton Historical Society, you’re missing out on a side of the Hamptons you might otherwise miss. 

Sure, you know about the Pollack Krasner House, that’s meat and potatoes! Let’s go a little deeper—Have you been in the Moran Studio? The OG, the FIRST artist’s studio in the Hamptons, this quirky Queen Anne cottage was built in 1884.

The general pace for the walking tours is easy-going, making sure you have enough time to take in all the information and local lore.

Register HERE. All tickets are FREE for Members and $12 otherwise. 

Tour Dates

Tours of the Dominy Shops Museum ($12)

Saturday, Sep. 16 @12pm

Friday, Sep. 22 @ 11am

Saturday, Sep. 23 @10am / 12pm

Friday, Sep. 29 @11am

Saturday, Sep. 30 @12pm

Tour of the Thomas and Mary Nimmo Moran Home & Studio  ($12)

Saturday, Sep. 16 @ 10am – Meet at 229 Main Street, East Hampton

Sunday, Sep. 24 @10am

Tour the East Hampton Town Marine Museum ($12)

Sunday, Sep. 17 @10am – Meet at 301 Bluff Road, Amagansett

Tour with EHTPS: A Special Visit with Edwina Von Gal ($12)

Wednesday, Sep. 20, 2023, @ 10am – Meet at 962 Springs Fireplace Rd, Springs

A Special Visit with Edwina Von Gal Landscape designer and Perfect Earth founder Edwina Von Gal will give us a private tour of Marshouse, her extraordinary personal gardens. Edwina will tell us about the Perfect Earth mission and why natural, sustainable gardens have been the focus of her career. We will walk the boardwalk of her 11-acre property into Accabonac Harbor, an indescribable experience. 

Tour with EHTPS Moran Studio and Ocean Avenue, East Hampton. 

Saturday, September 23 @ 12pm 

(1.5 miles, easy pace). Beginning with a presentation by Mary Mallios of the East Hampton Historical Society at the home of painter Thomas Moran. Mary makes this fun-loving painter and his life come alive. (Who knew he was instrumental in Yellowstone becoming a national park?) Afterward, we will walk the historic Ocean Avenue district where we will see the gorgeous summer “cottages” of East Hampton’s original summer colony and hear the stories of the wealthy families who followed artists like Moran to the Hamptons and introduced the iconic shingle style of building here.  Leader: Irene Daria, 917-854-5296, [email protected] 

Tour with EHTPS: The Fascinating Story of Leisurama, with Montauk Historical Society

Wednesday, September 27 @10am

(2 miles) Executive Director Mia Certic leads this excursion through Culloden Shores. The community and beachfront are special, but it’s the Leisurama Story, buying a vacation house in Macy’s circa 1963, that steals the show.