Wading River Road changes over in late November. Waterdrinker's Winter Wonderland at 664 Wading River Road opens its lights, Airstream village and synthetic-ice rink on weeknights and weekends from Nov. 21 through Dec. 20.
After Halloween, Manorville's farms switch to a second season with different hours and a different crowd, and it has a firm end date. On Sunday, Dec. 20, the Long Island Game Farm has its last open day of 2026. Waterdrinker's Winter Wonderland closes the same day, and the Adirondack Mountain Club's Long Island chapter has a hike in the David A. Sarnoff Preserve scheduled for that day too. The seven weeks before that date follow a set order, from pumpkins to animals to lights to Santa.
Halloween Weekend Hands Fall Off to Winter
The fall programs end this weekend. Fink's Country Farm, which lists its address as Wading River / Manorville, holds its Spooky Flashlight Maze on Friday, Oct. 30, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Last admission is at 9 p.m., and tickets are $20 a person. The farm's Fall Festival runs weekends only, and its last day is Sunday, Nov. 1.
The Long Island Game Farm spends the same two days on World Lemur Conservation Day and Halloween, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Admission stays at the farm's discount-day package. One adult and one child cost $15 plus tax. Each extra adult is $10 and each extra child over age 2 is $5. Single adults and couples without children pay $13 each. Season pass members get in free.
Fink's ends its fall season on the same Sunday the Game Farm wraps up its Halloween weekend. After that, the farm calendar goes quiet for almost three weeks.
November Belongs to the Game Farm
From Oct. 1 through Nov. 24, the Game Farm opens Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. It has two dated events this month that aren't regular daytime visits.
Saturday, Nov. 7, 5:30 to 7 p.m.: Roots, Rhythms & Stories. The farm calls it a celebration of the human-nature connection through music, art and storytelling. The evening includes a walk through the Woodland Trail, Native American music and an art project to take home. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children. The farm lists Tony Valderrama as the contact at 516-368-2873, and payment is in advance by Venmo or in cash. The farm usually closes at 4, so this is a chance to see it after dark.
Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day. The farm opens 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. even though Wednesday isn't one of its regular days. Veterans with military ID and up to three family members, kids or adults, pay $15 each plus tax.
The farm is closed on Thanksgiving Day. Its regular schedule ends Nov. 24, and it switches to December weekends after that.
The Lights Come On at Wading River Road
Waterdrinker's homepage lists Winter Wonderland from Nov. 21 to Dec. 20. The event's own page puts the opening more loosely at "mid November 2026," so check the date before you go that first weekend. It's open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $20 a person, and children 2 and under get in free. Leashed pets are allowed, and the Christmas tree area is free to enter.
The farm lists these attractions:
- Thousands of lights, a vintage Airstream village, a Christmas tree farm and s'mores fire pit stations
- Ice skating, included with admission, on a synthetic surface that the farm says skates differently from real ice
- A Grinch Lair, new this year, plus a giant Santa sleigh and reindeer
- Photos with Santa and visits with the Grinch, who appears outdoors at times the farm says may shift with the weather
The farm's page gives two street numbers. It lists 664 Wading River Road for the event and 663 Wading River Road in its contact details, so check the entrance address before you drive over.
The weekend after Thanksgiving, Waterdrinker also holds its Merry Market in Manorville, Nov. 27 to 29. The listing doesn't give hours. Since Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26 this year, the market runs Friday through Sunday right after the holiday.
December Fits Into Three Weekends
The Game Farm opens only Saturdays and Sundays in December, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Its last day is Sunday, Dec. 20, weather permitting. Its largest December event comes the first weekend. The Foundation for Wildlife Sustainability holds Santa on the Farm there. It starts with "Good Night Santa" on Friday, Dec. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m., and continues with daytime visits on Dec. 5 and 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $28 at the gate, and children under 2 get in free. Some community calendars show the daytime visits on Dec. 6 and 7. The organizer lists Dec. 5 and 6.
Over in Wading River / Manorville, Fink's Country Farm lists Santa appearances from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on December weekends, along with Christmas tree sales. The farm notes that hours, activities and Santa visits can change with the weather.
Here is how the season lines up week by week:
| Dates | Long Island Game Farm | Waterdrinker, Wading River Road | Elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct. 30 | Open 10 a.m.–4 p.m., last October discount day | Fall festival season | Fink's Spooky Flashlight Maze, 7:30–10 p.m. |
| Sat–Sun, Oct. 31–Nov. 1 | Halloween and Lemur Conservation weekend | Fall festival listed for September and October | Fink's Fall Festival, last weekend |
| Sat, Nov. 7 | Roots, Rhythms & Stories, 5:30–7 p.m. | Between seasons | |
| Wed, Nov. 11 | Veterans Day hours, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Between seasons | |
| Sat–Sun, Nov. 21–22 | Thursday–Sunday hours | Winter Wonderland opens | |
| Fri–Sun, Nov. 27–29 | Closed Thanksgiving Day | Merry Market and Winter Wonderland | |
| Fri–Sun, Dec. 4–6 | Santa on the Farm | Winter Wonderland | Fink's December weekends begin |
| Sat–Sun, Dec. 12–13 | Weekends, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. | Winter Wonderland | Fink's Santa appearances |
| Sat–Sun, Dec. 19–20 | Final weekend of 2026 | Final weekend | ADK Sarnoff Preserve hike, Dec. 20 |
Before the Lights, the Pine Barrens
The farms open late morning, which leaves the hours before that free for the Pine Barrens. The Central Pine Barrens Commission's hiking page describes access to Manorville Hills County Park from County Road 111 near Long Island Expressway Exit 70, and it links an updated trails brochure dated Aug. 19, 2026. ADK Long Island's trail-work listings place the Paumanok Path in that park.
For a walk with a group, the ADK Long Island chapter's December outings include a gentle, mostly flat 4.6-mile loop at the David A. Sarnoff Preserve on Sunday, Dec. 20. The listing doesn't give a start time, so check the chapter's outings page as the date gets closer. That hike is on the last open day at both the Game Farm and Waterdrinker, so you could fit a morning on the trail and an afternoon at either farm into the same Sunday.
Breakfast is easier to find this year, too. Westhampton Beach Brew & Grille added weekend brunch at its Manorville location, 496 County Road 111, according to Greater Long Island. The menu includes pancakes, French toast and egg tacos, and the owners plan to add breakfast burritos. It's on the same road as the Manorville Hills access the Commission describes, which makes it an easy first stop before a winter morning on the Paumanok Path.
Every venue in this guide says its hours depend on the weather, and the Game Farm's calendar went up in January. Call ahead before a cold-weather trip, especially for the evening events on Nov. 7 and Dec. 4.
At The Hamptons Edge Team, we keep track of how Manorville's year runs, from Wading River Road's farm seasons to the trailheads off County Road 111, because those details matter as much as square footage when you're thinking about a home here. If you'd like to know what your Manorville home is worth before the new year, get your free home valuation and we'll go through it with you.
