Wantagh Park

has everything you need

Wantagh Park has something for everyone. Located on 1 King Road, right off of Merrick Road and the Wantagh Parkway, Wantagh Park is centrally located for residents of Wantagh, Seaford and all neighboring towns. Merrick Road essentially serves as Long Island’s “South Shore Expressway,” and therefore all residents of Long Island can get to Wantagh Park rather easily.

Among Wantagh and Seaford’s vast array of summer-friendly waterfront activities, Wantagh Park might be considered the next best thing to Jones Beach itself.

Wantagh Park truly has it all. Do you like to play sports? Wantagh Park has a number of large fields, which are perfectly suitable for soccer, football, baseball, and the like. In addition to these wide open fields, there is a basketball court, a tennis court, baseball fields, and a roller rink.

Do you like to fish? Wantagh Park has an area designated for fishing, and sometimes you will even see people crabbing there, pulling in bunker, bluefish, blue crabs, fluke, and pretty much anything that calls the Great South Bay its home.

Want to swim? While Wantagh Park does not have a beach designated for swimming, it makes up for it in having one of the best public pools on Long Island — it has an Olympic-sized pool, a diving pool, a training pool, and a kids’ pool. There is also a large

Tim Baker/Herald photos Top: King Road essentially functions as the park’s own road. It does not run outside of the park at all, but goes through it instead, with easy access to all points in the park.

slide and lounging areas in the public pool section.

Do you like to walk or jog? There are one-mile and twomile paths that go through and around the park.

Do you own a boat? Wantagh Park has a huge marina, with designated parking spaces for boaters only, and overall great access to the Great South Bay for boaters.

Finally, all wide variety of activities appeal to all ages. Not too long ago, Legislator Steve Rhoads and the Wantagh Chamber of Commerce began drive-in movies in one of the fields as a pandemic-friendly activity. It was so popular that it turned into an annual August tradition. And there's so much more, including summer camps, boating parties, plenty of fun all season long.

If you want a place to go near Wantagh-Seaford that’s somewhat less bustling than Jones Beach but still has a lot to do, Wantagh Park is the place you’re looking for. — Michael Malaszczyk

Tim Baker/Herald photos Top: A popular destination for boaters, the park offers a large and fully functional marina.

Courtesy Kendra Wetterhahn Middle: Wantagh Park also has a large public pool, along with playgrounds and slides that are popular with families.

Bottom: The marina gives boaters easy access to the bay side of Jones Beach, so Wantagh Park is a great place to store your boat.