While New York City has been referred to as “Hollywood East,” Long Island has also long been appealing to filmmakers. Its natural settings have served as the backdrop for hundreds of famous films, television series and music videos, from The Godfather to Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space.”

If you haven’t visited Long Island’s mansions, historic villages, or beaches and lighthouses in person, you’ve definitely seen them on the big screen. The area's connection to film history dates to the silent cinema when opulent parties and renowned mansions attracted stars like Charlie Chaplin.

Long Island is now home to state-of-the-art movie studios including Grumman Studios as well as Bethpage’s Gold Coast Studios where the second season of HBO’s The Gilded Age just finished filming. These studios have been used for blockbuster hits like The Avengers, Salt, John Wick, Ocean’s 8, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and The Bourne Legacy to name a few. So, if you’re a film buff, take a tour of these popular film sites, which are all accessible by the Long Island Rail Road.

1. Oheka Castle

An enchanting Gatsby-era mansion located on the famed Gold Coast of Long Island, Oheka Castle’s stunning European style and dramatic surroundings continue to make the castle a popular backdrop for professional film, television, video, and still photography productions. The property which is now a hotel home to restaurants and premier event spaces, is a hot spot for celebrity sightings. The historic property can be seen in Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” music video and the 1941 classic, Citizen Kane. Visit Oheka Castle’s website for their full list.

OVERNIGHT STAY OPTION: Make it a weekend getaway by staying at Oheka Castle!

HOW TO GET HERE: Take the train from Penn Station to Huntington. The castle is a 10-minute rideshare drive from the train station.

2. Sands Point Preserve

Sand's Point Preserve is home to three spectacular mansions: Falaise; Hempstead House; and Castle Gould. Falaise is a Normandy style home filled with antiques and open to the public for tours. It's here that Charles Lindbergh wrote his famous book WE, while staying with the Guggenheim family at Falaise, and where he came for respite following the tragic kidnapping of his child.

The preserve provides versatile and diverse settings for film and TV with feature films, and has hosted productions like The Godfather (yes, this was where the horse head scene was filmed) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014). And not too far from the preserve in Sands Point, The Wolf of Wall Street filmed at Belfort Beach House.

OVERNIGHT STAY OPTION: Make it a weekend getaway by staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Roslyn.

HOW TO GET HERE: Take the train from Penn Station to Port Washington. Sands Point Preserve is a 10-minute rideshare from the train station.

3. Old Westbury Gardens

This elegant estate, which features a 44-room English manor house and traditional, formal gardens sprawling over 200 acres, was built by financier John S. Phipps and his wife, Margarita Grace Phipps, in 1906. The spectacular estate has been featured in over 25 movies including North by Northwest, Hitch, American Gangster and Cruel Intentions as well as in dozens of television shows including Sex and the City and The Gilded Age.

The public is welcome to explore both Westbury House, furnished with priceless antiques and decorative artwork, and the grounds which include sweeping lawns, wooded paths, and some of the most beautiful formal gardens in the world. Old Westbury Gardens hosts a wide variety of events including concerts, auto shows, a Scottish cultural festival, teas and tours, family programs, and much more.

OVERNIGHT STAY OPTION: Make it a weekend getaway by staying at the Garden City Hotel or the Long Island Marriott.

HOW TO GET HERE: Take the train from Penn Station to Mineola or Garden City. From there, it’s a short rideshare drive to your hotel or Old Westbury Gardens.

4. Montauk

Known as “The End," Montauk is the famous town at the very tip of the Long Island peninsula. Did you know that a local fisherman from there partially inspired Jaws? The unforgettable character Captain Quint, played by Robert Shaw in the 1975 blockbuster was based on Frank Mundus, a sports fisherman from Montauk who made headlines in 1964 by catching a massive, 4,500-pound great white shark. This news caught the eye of author Peter Benchley, whose book was turned into the hit movie.

While there, visit Plaza Restaurant (752 Montauk Highway) and Kirk Park Beach, where Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind filmed. The characters, played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, even took the train to get there.

You'll also want to check out Camp Hero, a decommissioned military base in Montauk that inspired Netflix’s Stranger Things.

Inside Scoop: Actress Jennifer Lawrence has been spotted at several locations on Long Island for her upcoming comedy, No Hard Feelings set in Montauk. The movie is being filmed in Nassau County at locations like Hempstead Town Park Point Lookout and North Shore Animal League America in Port Washington.

OVERNIGHT STAY OPTION: Make it a weekend getaway by staying at Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa or Daunt’s Albatross Motel, Marram or Montauk Manor.

HOW TO GET HERE: Take the train from Penn Station to Montauk. Montauk’s downtown area is easily walkable, and Camp Hero is on the way to the lighthouse.

5. Greenport

Located on the North Fork and known for its abundance of restaurants, great shopping, attractions, and more, Greenport has it all. Stay the night at a historic hotel or B&B in this seaport town located in the Town of Southold and visit the town where an episode of the HBO series Girls was filmed in as well as Brad Pitt’s The Devil’s Own (filmed around the Greenport Yacht and Shipbuilding Company).

OVERNIGHT STAY OPTION: Make it a weekend getaway by staying at the Shoals, American Beech, The Menhaden, or the Sound View.

HOW TO GET HERE: Take the train from Penn Station to Greenport where the walkability makes it easy to explore on foot.

6. Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium

The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum is a unique combination of mansion, marine and natural history museum, planetarium and park with many exhibition and program themes focusing upon Long Island’s Gold Coast Era. The Centerport location was also a film site for the movie Crocodile Dundee II in 1988. More recently, the elegant Vanderbilt Mansion was the backdrop for the movie Nick and Nicky where the story’s wedding scene, reception, and final scene took place.

OVERNIGHT STAY OPTION: Make it a weekend getaway by staying at the Chalet Inn & Suites or Hampton Inn & Suites Huntington Downtown.

HOW TO GET HERE: Take the Port Jefferson branch from Penn Station to Northport. The Vanderbilt Museum is a 12-minute rideshare from Northport station.

7. Fire Island Lighthouse

Located in Fire Island National Seashore just east of Robert Moses State Park, Fire Island Lighthouse is a Long Island icon. Walk the scenic boardwalk, climb to the top of the tower, visit the museum, and see the original 1858 Fresnel lens on display. The Lighthouse is also in What Happens in Vegas and serves as a Post Office in Men in Back II.

Inside Scoop: The Hulu film Fire Island was naturally filmed on location at Fire Island. American Horror Story: NYC was also filmed on Fire Island in 2022.

OVERNIGHT STAY OPTION: Make it a weekend getaway by staying at Courtyard by Marriott in Farmingdale or Ocean Bay House, the ideal spots in the off-season.

HOW TO GET HERE: Take the train from Penn Station to Babylon. Robert Moses State Park is a 15-minute rideshare from the station.

8. Riverhead and the Long Island Aquarium

This destination features one of the largest all-living coral reef displays in this hemisphere, a 120,000-gallon shark tank, year-round sea lion shows, numerous touch tanks, butterflies from all over the world, and more. The Netflix show Jessica Jones filmed an episode at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead during their second season.

Inside Scoop: Julia Roberts’ new Netflix movie Leave the World Behind recently filmed in Riverhead in April of 2022 in four separate locations around the town.

OVERNIGHT STAY OPTION: Make it a weekend getaway by staying at Hyatt Place East End or take advantage of the LIRRs discount package at Hotel Indigo – East End.

HOW TO GET HERE: Take the train from Penn Station to Riverhead. Long Island Aquarium is a 4-minute rideshare from the Riverhead station or you can enjoy the 15-minute walk.

9. Long Beach

Long Beach is one of only two cities on Long Island. With the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Reynolds Channel on the other, this “the city by the sea” is a picturesque waterfront community. With over three miles of beaches, the iconic boardwalk featuring an Instagram-worthy mural, 5-star restaurants, lively bars, unique shops, and endless activities. And did you know that the NBC spy-thriller, The Blacklist was filmed here? The Long Beach Bridge doubled for Washington D.C. with a scene that included explosions and other stunts.

OVERNIGHT STAY OPTION: Make it a weekend getaway by staying at The Allegria Hotel or Freeport Inn & Marina.

HOW TO GET HERE: Take the train from Penn Station to Long Beach. From there, Long Beach is easily walkable with a boardwalk and plenty of paths so bring your bike and some walking shoes.

10. Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa

Situated on Montauk’s most pristine stretch of oceanfront real estate, Gurney’s is a Hamptons icon and the only year-round resort in Montauk. Their acclaimed spa is renowned for its healing treatments and ocean-fed seawater pool, the only pool of its kind in North America. The Montauk resort hosted the cast of Hilary Duff’s show, Younger in the third season.

OVERNIGHT STAY OPTION: Make it a weekend getaway by staying at Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa or Daunt’s Albatross Motel.

HOW TO GET HERE: Take the train from Penn Station to Montauk. Gurney’s offers a shuttle service to get to the hotel from the train station.

11. Lloyd Harbor and Caumsett State Park

Caumsett State Historic Park is the former estate of Marshall Field III and is situated on a scenic peninsula in Lloyd Harbor, extending into the Long Island Sound. It remains essentially undeveloped, offering miles of bridle paths, hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and nature trails over acres of woodland, meadows, rock shoreline and salt marsh and also served a film location for Angelina Jolie’s thriller, Salt. Most recently, the Julia Roberts Netflix film, Leave the World Behind, filmed in the Lloyd Neck section of Lloyd Harbor (as well as in Riverhead).

OVERNIGHT STAY OPTION: Make it a weekend getaway by staying at the Chalet Inn & Suites or Hampton Inn & Suites Huntington Downtown.

HOW TO GET HERE: Take the train from Penn Station to Cold Spring Harbor. Caumsett State Park is a 9-mile ride share from the station.

12. Jones Beach State Park

Jones Beach State Park is on Long Island’s South Shore with 6.5 miles of ocean beach, one-half mile of bay beach for stillwater bathing, two swimming pools, and a two-mile boardwalk with a “Castles in the Sand” photo collection at the East Bathhouse. The 2014 movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was filmed at Jones Beach in addition to the series, Royal Pains.

OVERNIGHT STAY OPTION: Make it a weekend getaway by staying at the Jones Beach Hotel or Freeport Inn & Marina.

HOW TO GET HERE: Take the train from Penn Station to Freeport. Jones Beach is a 10-minute drive with bus service from the train station resuming at the end of May.