My Neighborhood: Quogue, New York

As a child, Andrew Botsford spent idyllic summers in Quogue. He developed such a deep fondness for the quaint Hamptons village that he decided to make it his full-time home in 1972. Over the years, he has held several jobs on the East End, including serving as editor at the Southampton Press, teaching creative writing at Stony Brook University’s Southampton campus, and even captaining a charter fishing boat. Nowadays, he is president of the Hampton Theatre Company, a nonprofit, professional company in Quogue. He also writes a weekly column newsletter about his beloved village. Largely a secondhome community, the town has seen its shoulder seasons expand in recent years, with second-home owners falling under its spell just as Botsford did and extending their stay late into the fall, then returning in early spring. “The best thing about Quogue is the community,” Botsford says. “It’s in the middle of everything but off the beaten track. It’s not as gussied up as Westhampton Beach or Southampton.” —by Bernadette Starzee  CENTER STAGE Botsford has worked with the Hampton Theatre Company on- and offstage since its inaugural ’84–’85 season. The group puts on four plays by major playwrights Sept.–June at Quogue Community Hall (125 Jessup Ave., 631.653.8955). Come summer, the professionally directed Quogue Junior Theater Troupe stages musicals in the Hall. SHOP LOCAL “Everybody loves shopping downtown,” Botsford says of Quogue’s small business district, which he describes as “quaint, charming, and really useful to have around.” Shops include the Quogue Country Market (146 Jessup Ave., 631.653.4191), with groceries and prepared foods; Double Rainbow (140 Jessup Ave., 631.653.6005), a toy store that sells pool and beach toys and ice cream in season; Homespun (142 Jessup Ave., 631.996.2525), which stocks clothing and gifts; and Little Q Quogue Shop (144 Jessup Ave.,631.653.6515), a mecca for Quogue-themed gift items. “It’s in the middle of everything but off the beaten track.” — Andrew Botsford A LOOK BACK The Quogue Historical Society (114 Jessup Ave., 631.996.2404), occupying a mid-19th-century building called the Pond House, features two stories of exhibition space dedicated to educating the public about the town’s history. The Quogue Library (4 Midland St., 631.653.4224 ) is also part of what makes Quogue wonderful, he says. BACK TO NATURE Quogue Wildlife Refuge The 300-acre Quogue Wildlife Refuge (3 Old Country Rd., 631.653.4771) has seven miles of walking trails winding through diverse habitats. There is a Nature Center with exhibits and an Outdoor Wildlife Complex, which is home to permanently injured animals. “People come from all over eastern Long Island to get out in nature, see the animals, and take advantage of the environmental camps for kids,” Botsford says. The Hamptons are famous for their beaches, and Quogue residents (both year-round and summer) have privileges at the oceanfront Quogue Village Beach (170-172 Dune Rd., 631.653.4498). Also on the ocean, there are the private Quogue Beach Club (130 Dune Rd., 631.653.4110) and Surf Club of Quogue (54 Dune Rd., 631.653-4272). For tennis and golf, there’s the private Quogue Field Club (6 Club Ln., 631.653.9890). DINNER TIME The Patio Botsford enjoys Joe’s American Grill (240 Montauk Hwy., 631.288.3232), which serves “great pub fare,” in nearby Westhampton Beach. Other popular spots there include The Patio (54 Main St., 631.288.0100) for pasta, steaks, and seafood, and Margarita Grille (83 Main St., 631.288.5252) for Mexican. In East Quogue, the Stone Creek Inn (405 Montauk Hwy., 631.653.6770) features upscale FrenchMediterranean cuisine in a historic building. In Quogue, the Quogue Club at Hallock House (47 Quogue St., 631.653.0100), a luxury boutique hotel and club, offers fine dining. Stone Creek Inn Find your next home in Quogue today.