The best things to do at Rockaway Beach

This ocean-front park features a number of nature walks, as well as remnants from its military past. Its fortifications were built in 1917 to protect New York Harbor from air and sea attacks. The beach is a part of the 26,000 acre Gateway National Recreation Area that runs through Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island all the way into Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Despite the kitschy delight of eating takeaway tacos off a knee-balanced plate at Rockaway Taco, the sit-down setup at this offshoot housed inside the Rockaway Beach Surf Club is a much-welcome upgrade. Like at that OG taco shack, chef Andrew Field is fueling off-duty surfers and beach-bound locals with exemplary beer-battered fish tacos and watermelon juices, but Tacoway boasts one major feature its forebear was missing: alcohol. Now you can wash down that taco feast with margaritas and a range of ice-cold canned brews (Modelo, Founders All Day IPA). Booze + tacos + beach = heaven.

Encompassing more than 170 acres of sand, this family-friendly beach attracts New Yorkers from all five boroughs. Seven playgrounds keep kids happy while wave riders enjoy the city's only surfing areas. Fishing, skating, volleyball, sunning and, of course, swimming are also favorite activities. In addition, Rockaway Beach is an excellent place to test your surfing prowess. If you're a novice, summer is the ideal time to start riding low waves, while more experienced boarders should savor hurricane season (September and October).

The luxurious and design-forward Rockaway—which has 53 guest rooms and eight long-stay residences each with Atlantic Ocean or Jamaica Bay views—boasts more than just a short, one-minute walk to the ocean. The locale, which sits on 108th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard, has a spa on site, daily wellness classes (yoga, Pilates) and, during the summer season, live music on its rooftop (Schwayze, Ripe, Badfish) and outdoor movies you can watch right from the hotel pool. 

Breezy Point’s small store is jam-packed with merchandise, so it may be a bit overwhelming, but it’s worth enduring for the shop’s giant selection of Reef and Rainbow flip-flops and sandals. Also worth checking out: Their popular Locomotion boogie boards with fiberglass skin and stellar graphics cut a stylish figure in the water. While you’re there, you may as well pick up a traditional shark-tooth necklace and protective Breezy Point Surf Shop UV shirt.

The Rockaway boardwalk wouldn’t be the same without Rippers. Launched in 2011 by the crews behind Roberta’s and the Meat Hook, this rowdy, neon-hued snack shack immediately attracts folks fresh off the A train. Huddle under galvanized-steel shade structures for juicy, grass-fed burgers on Martin’s potato buns, snappy, all-beef Meat Hook franks with zippy kraut and cold pineapple-coconut smoothies. The patty-joint fare demands a bit of a wait—potatoes are cut right before frying—and lines regularly wind down to the sand, but a kitschy ’80s soundtrack (the Go-Go’s, the Buggles) and a communal beer funnel keep spirits sunny.

The Rockaways haven't had an operating movie theater since 1996, but the community's movie lovers graciously still have an outlet to see a broad spectrum of cinema on the peninsula thanks to the Rockaway Film Festival, which was founded in 2018. The nomadic festival organizes screenings throughout the year. The latest summer 2023 lineup will take place between August 19 and 27 at the Arverne Cinema and will include shorts, dance films, animated titles and an advance screening of the How to with John Wilson season 3 finale. 

If you need to escape the city scene, venture to this sandy spot, which is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. Leave your picnic basket at home, for there are many concession stands and tasty eats to enjoy while you're soaking up some much-needed Vitamin D. 

Owner Tom Sena opened this tucked-away surf shop more than 40 years ago and was building boards well before that (since 1969). The family-run business stands as New York’s oldest surf shop and one of the oldest on the East Coast. Specializing in handmade surfboards, fiberglass skimboards and boogie boards, as well as accessories like surfboard leashes and wetsuits, this will be your reliable go-to spot for all your basic surfing needs. Can’t catch a wave? Surf lessons are available.

What’s a beach day without booze? (We wouldn’t know—we’ve never tried it). Stock up on rare and low-cost bottles of vino—some of which are exclusive to the peninsula—inside this beautifully crafted wood-lined shop that is reminiscent of being on a boat. The joint is known for hosting wine tasting nights, in case you want to become an expert sommelier (or get really tipsy for the ride home).