Active Sports
A mild climate makes for excellent sport seasons. Active Long Islanders have their pick of just about any active sport. If tennis is your game, you can choose from more than 70 tennis clubs with 500-plus indoor and outdoor courts. There are also many public tennis and racquetball courts available at county, town and village parks.

Beach bums will find volleyball tournaments, leagues and pick-up games in Long Beach, East Quogue in the Hamptons, Cedar Beach in Babylon and Jones Beach in Wantagh. Fire Island also offers games at Smith Point County Park and Robert Moses State Park.

For those who prefer the water to the sand, Long Island offers a plethora of beaches, jetties and piers for scuba diving. For the real adventurous type, dive boats are available to take experienced divers to explore some of the sunken vessels off Long Island's shores. Surfers will find some killer waves off the South Shore, particularly at Long Beach in Nassau County and Montauk. Windsurfers do well in the many bays and harbors around the region.

Swimmers can take advantage of the many beaches along both the Atlantic Ocean and the calmer Long Island Sound. For those who prefer the calming waters of a pool, there are about 50 indoor and outdoor swimming complexes.

While downhill skiing isn't practical on Long Island's relatively flat terrain, cross-country skiing works well in the snowy quiet of the region's local, county and state parks, as well as designated trails through nature preserves.

There are also plenty of bowling alleys, billiards parlors, roller rinks and ice skating rinks, not to mention 52 stables and equestrian centers. Deep Hollow Ranch in Montauk is the oldest cattle ranch in America and the reputed birthplace of the American cowboy. And for those interested in league sports, most towns offer baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse and basketball leagues for children and adults.
No description of active sports on Long Island would be complete without golf. The region is home to more than 100 public and private golf courses. More than 50 of them are top quality and open to the public. The Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale hosted the 2002 U.S. Open and is scheduled to host again in 2009. Shinnecock Hills in Southampton hosted the event in 1896, 1986, 1995 and 2004.

Spectator Sports
The armchair -- or bleacher -- athlete will find plenty of games and events to satisfy his sporting side. Thoroughbred racing can be seen at 430-acre Belmont Park, home of the Belmont Stakes. The season generally runs from May through July and September through October. Horse lovers also enjoy watching polo at the Meadowbrook Polo Club at Bethpage State Park on Sunday afternoons from May to October.

Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale hosts several professional sports teams. The New York Islanders of the National Hockey League play there from October to April, while the New York Saints of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League play from January to March. The New York Dragons, a new indoor football team, play in the Arena Football League from April through July.

The Long Island Rough Riders, a professional men's soccer team, also plays at the center from April to September.