The Hamptons are filled with romantic vistas. It has many beaches, trails, lighthouses, and old country farm roads. It was easy to pick spots to write about because there are countless scattered all over the East End.
For example, Camp Hero, in Montauk, is an easily attainable romantic spot—specifically, the trail heading from the parking lot east toward the bluffs overlooking the Montauk Lighthouse. Many couples have stood there for sunrises, moonrises, clear-night star gazing, not to mention mid-day ocean viewing. It’s a great romantic spot. The secret is to go there at unusual hours, increasing the chances of being alone. For anyone wondering Camp Hero honors General Andrew Hero, who was the U.S. Army’s “Chief of Coastal Artillery” in the 1920s. The camp was named for him after he died in 1942. He was born in Louisiana. He never actually saw the bluffs and Montauk Lighthouse from Camp Hero.
As for a romantic stroll hand in hand, what is more romantic than the Gerard Drive-Louse Point zone in the Springs? A favorite of locals who, in season, often bring a few chairs to the beaches with a bottle of wine and then watch the sun set as the ospreys fly past the setting sun. The roads and paths are perfect for scenic walks and especially stargazing. If you have a convertible, you can stop on the narrowest stretches of Gerard Drive, especially at the small bridge. Sitting on the top of the seats with the top down, one can search the night skies for shooting stars and perhaps some romance. Note: Until 1926, Louse Point Road was called Dog’s Hole Highway. Local property owners successfully petitioned the town to change the name. The tip known as Louse Point has its own story. Legend has it the original settlers called it that because “it was so barren it wouldn’t support even a louse!”
A similar type of experience can also be had on Ram Island Drive on Shelter Island. In the off-season, it is the ultimate place for stargazing with the road slicing through Coecles Harbor and Gardiner’s Bay with a priceless view of Bug Lighthouse. At one spot, both the harbor and the bay are less than ten feet from the road. Under a full sky of stars, in the off-season, this place is as romantic as it gets anywhere on earth. The road was built to connect Little Ram Island and Big Ram Island to Shelter Island.
The Hamptons’ Ocean Beaches are perfect for romantic walks. Just stroll a few hundred yards east or west, and boom, you are basically alone, looking at stars and listening to the cadence of the ocean’s waves breaking on the shore. There is always a strong, romantic, magical feeling when you are on an ocean beach after hours. For romance, Ditch Plains beach with the bluffs and all those rocks provides a unique, un-Hampton’s beach feeling. Since it’s a popular beach with surfers, there may be others feeling romance at this location at any time, all year round.
Last but not least is Conscience Point, Southampton. This is the site of the original settlers’ landings in 1640. The spot is easy to drive to off North Sea Road. It has a short, wonderful shell-covered trail to the big rock with a plaque on the water’s edge. The bronze plaque states that this is the actual designated area where the folks from Lynn, Massachusetts, then a colony of England for only 20 years, stepped ashore to establish the Hamptons. It was a June day, and the area was surrounded by Shinnecock Indians who lived around the harbor. When you are there, you can literally feel the spirits of the folks who inhabited that area for perhaps a few thousand years. It is a very romantic spot. The stillness is blissful.
Yes, there are so many other romantic locations in the Hamptons, often off trails with views. 2026 just might be the year you find or rekindle that magic of romance. This Valentine’s Day, get a card, get some flowers, do something romantic. The older you get, the more you realize how powerful love is.
