Getaways

Insiders know September is the best month to visit the Hamptons-that string of beach-blessed historic villages on Long Island's eastern shore. The road-clogging summer throngs have gone, the ocean's swimming-warm, farm stands brim with local produce and the region becomes itself again.

SEE: Make your base Sag Harbor, a charming former whaling port and now the buzzing-hot center of the Hamptons cultural life. Catch a bound-for-Broadway play at Bay Street Theatre (www.baystreet.org) and a movie in the historic art deco Sag Harbor Cinema. Check out the work of young artists reviving old masters' techniques at the Grenning Gallery next door, and make sure to go to Canio's Books, where established and will-be-famous authors read for free from their latest works on Friday and Saturday evenings.

DINE: Sag Harbor has more restaurants per capita than any other town in Long Island, all on or within walking distance of Main Street. Food is taken seriously here, particularly at Dockside Bar & Grill, where tycoons, yacht crews, big-name entertainers and locals rub elbows over seafood and gourmet-forward dishes in a casual atmosphere. The American Hotel, with one of the best wine cellars in the United States, is the place for romantic glamour and elegant service. Other favorites include JLX Bistro and New Paradise Café.

SHOP: Well-priced and well-edited antique treasures can be found at Ruby Beets and Sage Street Antiques. At D.J. Hart on Main Street, owner/artist Dee Moorehead's one-of-a-kind jewelry is a favorite of savvy celebs. Romany Kramoris Gallery has contemporary folk art, fine American crafts and blown- and stained-glass masterpieces. For fun, poke around Sag Harbor Variety, a five-and-dime emporium (www.

sagharborchamber.com).

STAY: Score a cozy, antiques-drenched room at The American Hotel on Main Street, (631) 725-3535, or the 1891 Guest House, (631) 725-1396, a Victorian home near Main Street.

INSIDER TIP: Few know that the Hamptons encompass some of the nation's most important nature preserves. Do take in such fabled ocean beaches as Sagg Main in Sagaponack and East Hampton's Main Beach, but also visit the Morton Wildlife Preserve in Noyac and Napeague's Walking Dunes, with stunning bay and ocean views, towering sand dunes and wild cranberry bogs.

-Mary Alice Kellogg