Village of Sea Cliff · Long Island’s North Shore
One Square Mile of Coastal Charm
Looking for the best parks and beaches in Sea Cliff, NY? This charming North Shore village is packed with scenic waterfront spots, family-friendly parks, playgrounds, and peaceful places to walk, picnic, and catch a breathtaking sunset. Whether you are planning a summer beach day, a casual stroll with harbor views, or a fun outing with the kids, Sea Cliff offers a mix of local favorites and hidden gems worth exploring.
Overlooking Hempstead Harbor on the Gold Coast, the Village is known for its small-town character, Victorian charm, and beautiful public spaces. From the resident-favorite Sea Cliff Beach to the legendary sunset views at Veteran’s Memorial Park, this one-square-mile village invites you to slow down, look around, and enjoy the natural beauty of Long Island’s North Shore.
On the Waterfront
Sea Cliff Beach is the Village’s beloved municipal beach on The Boulevard and one of the most popular warm-weather destinations in town. It features a sandy shoreline and a pavilion with restrooms, first-aid and shower facilities, seasonal refreshments, and boat racks for small watercraft such as Sunfish and Sailfish.
During summer the beach is staffed by certified lifeguards, and swimming lessons are offered for Village children. It’s a great place for a classic beach day with a genuine neighborhood feel.
Good to know: Daily entrance fees and seasonal memberships are available, with resident and non-resident options. Beach access, fees, season dates, hours, and rules can change year to year, so check the official Village website before planning your beach day.
Best for Beach days, harbor views, summer recreation, families & waterfront relaxation.
Veteran’s Memorial Park — known to locals as “Sunset Park” or “Hippie Park” — is one of Sea Cliff’s most scenic public spaces. Located at Prospect and Sea Cliff Avenues, it offers sweeping views of Hempstead Harbor, Long Island Sound, and the distant New York and Connecticut shorelines.
Dedicated as a memorial to veterans of all wars, it remains one of the Village’s most meaningful gathering places. In the warmer months, residents and visitors come for sunset views, quiet reflection, and community events such as the Sunset Serenades concert series. If you have time for just one outdoor stop in Sea Cliff, make it this one.
Best for Sunsets, scenic views, quiet moments, photography, music events & community gatherings.
On Shore Road at the foot of Littleworth Lane, this Town of Oyster Bay complex adds an outdoor pool, playground, picnic areas, refreshments, kayak racks, and a large public marina with boat ramps — a full day of water-oriented recreation just beyond the Village. Good to know: parking and access rules are set by the Town, and a seasonal parking pass may be required. Official Tappen info →
Best for Beach & pool recreation, picnicking, playground time & boating.
A quiet waterfront setting along the harbor, Rum Point Park reflects the Village’s close relationship with Hempstead Harbor. It’s a lovely, low-key spot to take in the natural beauty of the shoreline.
Best for Waterfront views, peaceful walks & quiet harbor appreciation.
A scenic natural area that adds to Sea Cliff’s environmental character. Part of the Village’s broader connection to Hempstead Harbor, it provides a peaceful setting that supports local wildlife and the natural landscape.
Best for Nature appreciation, scenic walks & quiet outdoor time.
Green Space in the Village
Clifton Park is one of Sea Cliff’s most important public green spaces — roughly five acres in the heart of the Village, bounded by Glen, Sea Cliff, DuBois, and Locust Avenues. Along with its open lawns and playground, the park holds memorial features including the Memorial Rock and Memorial Oaks, honoring those who died in World War I, and is connected to the Tilley Memorial Foundation, created in memory of Mayor Arthur Tilley.
It’s a valued gathering spot for residents and a well-loved setting for outdoor events and summer music traditions.
Best for Families, playground time, neighborhood recreation, open space & local history.
Elm Park, affectionately known as “Spooky Park,” is one of Sea Cliff’s most distinctive green spaces, tucked on Dayton Street between Elm and Cedar Places. The nickname comes from an earlier era when the park featured a yew maze that children found mysterious and fun. During World War II, the site hosted victory gardens sponsored by the Sea Cliff Garden Club.
Today it remains a charming pocket park with a natural stage area that has hosted Shakespeare in the Park — a fun stop for anyone who enjoys arts, culture, and neighborhoods with real personality.
Best for Local history, neighborhood charm, outdoor performances & a quiet pocket-park experience.
At Central and 14th Avenues, this welcoming neighborhood park offers tall trees, paved walks, swings, and playground equipment — a classic Sea Cliff green space for children and families.
Best for Children, playground time, short walks & family recreation.
Between Franklin Avenue and Adams Street, Roslyn Park is a playing field for junior baseball and softball. It has also hosted community traditions such as the Victorian Family Social and Pot Luck Picnic.
Best for Junior baseball, softball, recreation & community events.
A valued public space near the heart of the Village, Pirie Park adds to Sea Cliff’s network of neighborhood greens and its walkable, community-centered feel.
Best for Neighborhood green space, downtown walks & casual outdoor time.
Small Spaces, Big Character
Plaza Park sits at the intersection of Roslyn and Eighth Avenues. Also known as Geohegan Park, it contains a monument dedicated to John Henry Geohegan, Sea Cliff’s only veteran of the Spanish-American War.
Its playful nickname, “Headless Park,” comes from a time when the statue’s faded paint gave the figure a headless appearance. Today it’s one of the Village’s more distinctive small parks and a fun point of interest for history lovers.
Best for Local history, neighborhood character & Sea Cliff’s most memorable park nickname.
Tucked-away greens and triangles give Sea Cliff its distinctive, storybook streetscape.
On Prospect Avenue between 14th and 15th Avenues, this quiet green carries a touch of local history — the famous Sea Cliff Hotel once stood on this very site.
Best for Local history, neighborhood green space & a quiet Village walk.
Sometimes called simply “The Circle,” this recognizable Village green reflects Sea Cliff’s historic development pattern and enduring neighborhood charm.
Best for Village character, local history & scenic neighborhood walks.
Also known as Triangle Park, this small but meaningful public space is part of what gives the Village its distinctive, walkable feel.
Best for Local charm, neighborhood character & casual exploring.
Referenced in some local histories as Central Triangle, this pocket of green helps define Sea Cliff’s character and adds visual relief to the streetscape.
Best for Walking, neighborhood charm & Sea Cliff’s historic layout.
A public gathering area that supports Sea Cliff’s civic and pedestrian life, Village Plaza is part of the everyday rhythm of the Village’s small-town, community-centered atmosphere.
Best for Community gatherings, walking the Village & downtown character.
Many of Sea Cliff’s parks and public spaces are closely connected to Hempstead Harbor. Keeping these areas clean helps protect the harbor, wildlife, beaches, and scenic waterfront views that help define the Village.
Whether you’re a resident, a day-tripper, or a first-time visitor, take a walk, watch a sunset, enjoy the harbor breeze, and help keep these special places welcoming for everyone.
Step Into History
Long before cars, Sea Cliff’s steps and walkways helped residents and summer visitors travel between the hilltop neighborhoods and the waterfront below. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Sea Cliff was a popular summer resort: visitors arrived by train and steamboat, came for Methodist camp meetings, stayed in hotels and boarding houses, walked the boardwalk, and climbed the Village’s steep pathways to reach cottages and scenic overlooks.
Today these routes remain a beloved part of Sea Cliff’s character. Some are well known, some feel tucked away, and some are best appreciated as pieces of living history.
The Bathway Steps are among Sea Cliff’s most recognized historic stairways. Located near the waterfront, they help connect the upper Village with the beach and harbor below. The name “Bathway” reflects Sea Cliff’s resort-era beach culture, when summer visitors came to bathe, boat, and stroll along Hempstead Harbor.
They remain one of the signature pedestrian routes tied to Sea Cliff’s beachside history — and a beautiful reminder of the Village’s steep hillside character.
Best for Historic walking, waterfront access, beach-area exploration & Sea Cliff’s steep hillside character.
Sea Cliff is built on a bluff overlooking Hempstead Harbor — the name is very literal, as much of the Village rises sharply from the waterfront. Because of that dramatic elevation, early residents needed practical ways to travel between the beach and the upper Village. These pedestrian routes connected:
Part of the historic pedestrian network linking the Village’s upper streets with the waterfront below, the Central Steps offered a direct route through steep terrain in an era when walking was central to daily life and seasonal tourism.
Best for Historic walking routes & connecting residential streets to the waterfront.
One of the most scenic and historically important stairways in Sea Cliff, leading from the bluff toward the waterfront. Closely tied to the beach and boardwalk history, they offer a beautiful connection between hillside streets and harbor views.
Best for Harbor views, beach access, photography & resort-era landscape.
A treasured public walkway named in connection with Sea Cliff’s local history. The Tilley Steps preserve the feeling of an older Sea Cliff — narrow passages, steep climbs, waterfront views, and Victorian-era charm.
Best for Historic walking, scenic exploring & a classic Sea Cliff stairway.
Their name hints at their connection to the Village’s high ground. Historically, routes like the Pinnacle Steps helped people climb from the lower waterfront toward the upper streets and residential neighborhoods.
Best for Walking, local history, hillside views & hidden pedestrian routes.
One of Sea Cliff’s most atmospheric old paths, beginning near Summit Avenue. With the feel of an older landscape route shaped by natural topography, it adds to the sense of discovery that makes walking Sea Cliff so special.
Best for Hidden-path exploring, nature & hillside character.
Part of Sea Cliff’s informal, historic pedestrian network. These trails reflect the Village’s layered development, where small paths and shortcuts connected streets, slopes, and waterfront areas.
Best for Local exploring, hidden pathways & informal pedestrian history.
The Sea Cliff Boardwalk — sometimes called Lovers Walk — is one of the Village’s most beloved waterfront walks. It carries on the tradition of Sea Cliff’s larger resort-era boardwalk with beautiful harbor views and peaceful strolls along the water.
Best for Waterfront walking, harbor views, sunset strolls & photography.
This route appears on historic and local maps as part of Sea Cliff’s waterfront-connected pathways. Please note: do not assume it is publicly accessible today — respect all posted signs, private property, and safety barriers.
Best for Historic interest only, unless officially open and posted.
In the 1870s, visitors reached Sea Cliff by steamboat from New York City and other Long Island Sound communities, arriving at the waterfront below the bluff. Getting to the top was no simple walk — the hillside rose steeply from the harbor, and many visitors were bound uphill for the Sea Cliff Grove Methodist camp meeting grounds, cottages, and hotels.
To solve that, Sea Cliff once had an inclined cable railway — often described as a cable car — that carried passengers from the steamboat landing up the cliff to the village above. It connected the busy waterfront, where visitors arrived by boat, with the upper village where they gathered, stayed for the summer, and enjoyed the views from the bluff.
The cable car is long gone, but its story explains why Sea Cliff developed such a fascinating network of steps and walkways. When you climb one of the Village’s historic stairways today, you’re walking through the same hillside landscape early visitors experienced more than 150 years ago — the climb, the harbor views, and the feeling of discovery all remain.
These steps are more than shortcuts. They are reminders of the Village’s beginnings as a waterfront resort, Methodist camp-meeting community, and Victorian summer destination — of people arriving by steamboat, climbing toward cottages and hotels, and taking in the same harbor views that still define Sea Cliff today.
Whether you’re climbing the Tilley Steps, wandering near the Ravine Path, or strolling the boardwalk, Sea Cliff’s stairways invite you to slow down, look around, and step into the Village’s history.
Wander the Village
Use this illustrated Victorian map to trace Sea Cliff’s parks, greens, steps, and waterfront — and plan a slow, scenic walking tour of the Village.
For current beach rules, seasonal hours, fees, applications, and official park information, visit the Village of Sea Cliff Parks & Recreation page. Then take a walk, watch a sunset, and enjoy one of Long Island’s most charming waterfront villages.
Visit Parks & Recreation →