Coastal village at the tip of Long Beach Barrier Island
On the east end of Long Beach Barrier Island, over a century of development and family traditions have transformed the tiny hamlet of Point Lookout from a destination for bungalow summering to a year-round waterfront village. Sometimes called “PLO” by residents, an active civic association and involved community have created a coastal local culture — walking or biking through the streets is preferred to taking a quick drive to the convenience store, and beachwear and event t-shirts designed by local kids are always in fashion. “We’ve got our own post office, a drug store and gas station. Point Lookout is only 11 blocks long, but it’s a self-contained little town,” says Tom Hug, owner of Hug Real Estate who has specialized in Point Lookout for over 40 years. “The New York Jets used to come out here, I have maybe 30 footballs signed by them. You get people leaving for Florida or California in the winter, but a lot of people are here throughout the year.” Large public parks separate Point Lookout from the buzzier boardwalk and shoreline in Long Beach, helping to preserve a beachy, hidden gem quality from the marinas along Reynold’s Channel to the jetties along the Atlantic Ocean.
Large colonial homes drench in the sun and soak up the saltwater air In Point Lookout, NY.
Point Lookout's close-knit community feel is reinforced with its family owned business
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Marinas on Reynold’s Channel and beaches from Jones Inlet to the Atlantic Ocean
Reynold’s Channel, Jones Inlet and the Atlantic Ocean. Being surrounded on three sides by water gives Point Lookout residents diverse opportunities for aquatic recreation. A Town of Hempstead marina sits to each side of Loop Parkway, allowing boaters to dock at and launch from Curtis E. Fisher West Marina and Angie M. Cullin East Marina from April through November. Nearby, Ted’s Fishing Station rents out motorboats and fishing gear to those looking to spend some time out on the channel. Point Lookout Beach District Park is gated, accessible only to hamlet residents. Behind the gate, a community garden blooms, sandy beaches stretch along Jones Inlet and baseball fields host Little League games across from a playground.
Along the Atlantic Ocean, Civic Beach draws members of the Point Lookout Civic Association to a sandy shoreline kissed by jetty-gentled waves. Immediately west, a much longer stretch of shoreline is open to Town of Hempstead residents and paying day-trippers at Point Lookout Beach which sits past soccer fields, a sprawling parking lot and well-kept 9/11 memorial and garden.
The Angie M. Cullin East Marina, sIts adjacent to the loop parkway in Point Lookout, NY.
The Curtis E. Fisher West Marina signage greets visitors in Point Lookout, NY.
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Prewar cottages and larger single-family homes in Point Lookout
Through the early 1900s, Point Lookout was built up as a classic Long Island beach bungalow community, filled with snugly packed, sidewalk-lined blocks of single-family homes. The modern hamlet still retains a blend of simple minimal traditional cottages and national-style homes, joined by larger renovated or rebuilt houses with more ornate Victorian or contemporary coastal architectural details. Homes with three or fewer bedrooms sell for $1 million to $1.3 million. Homes with four or more bedrooms sell for $1.4 million to $3.3 million, with the highest prices found on waterfront properties and new construction that replaced smaller homes within the past several decades. Waterfront properties line the bayside of Point Lookout, where Reynold’s Channel is lined with boats lashed to private docks. Street parking is prohibited on the hamlet’s narrow side streets, meaning those with personal vehicles rely on short driveways that can fit a car or two. Point Lookout has a CAP Index crime score of 2 out of 10, lower than the national average of 4.
Multi-level homes, many facing the bay or ocean are found in Point Lookout, NY.
An old Victorian-Style home adds elegance to the Point Lookout, NY community.
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Point Lookout Children’s Day and Pumpkin Walk
Toward the end of summer, the Point Lookout Civic Association puts on the Annual Children’s Day, bringing kids together for hours of field day-style events like potato sack and foot races as well as coastal competitions like swimming and boogie board races. Medals are awarded to winners across events and age groups at the end of the day. Many spectators wearing participant-designed Children’s Day T-shirts were once child champions themselves, as the event returned for its 93rd year in 2024. October brings about the return of the Pumpkin Walk, drawing costume-clad crowds to proceed down Lido Boulevard toward the Octoberfest beer garden and family-friendly crafts and bouncy houses at Point Lookout Ballfield.
Shopping and dining on Lido Boulevard
Lido Boulevard is Point Lookout’s main business district, lined with a mix of locally owned restaurants and boutique businesses. Jo Jo Apples Cafe specializes in homestyle diner fare, while Mo’nelisa, both a portmanteau of its owners’ names and a reference to Da Vinci’s masterpiece, serves Italian cuisine. Essentials like a gas station, pharmacy, post office and Long Beach Library branch line the same stretch. Groceries are further away, found about 4 miles west at Stop & Shop in Long Beach. A secondary restaurant district runs parallel to Reynold’s Channel, where waterfront eateries with outdoor patios and patrons-only docks like The Buoy Bar serve fresh seafood to those arriving by foot, bike and boat. Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church holds regular masses nearby, though members might travel to the shores of Long Beach in the summer for beach services with the rest of the Beach Catholic Long Beach community.
Jo Jo Apples Cafe in Point Lookout offers homemade breakfast and lunch items in a cozy space.
Dock your boat at the Buoy Bar in Point Lookout for a cocktail and waterfront dining.
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Athletic and academic excellence at Long Beach High School
Lido Elementary School earns an A from Niche and Long Beach Middle School earns an A-minus. Long Beach High School earns an A and was named a School of Excellence by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association following the 2023-2024 school year, recognizing a pattern of athletic and academic accomplishment across varsity teams. All three Long Beach Public Schools stand on neighboring campuses a few miles away in Lido Beach.
Lido Elementary School in Long Beach, NY is a highly rated public elementary school.
Barnum Island students go to Long Beach High School which is actually in Lido Beach.
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Loop Parkway commuting and connections in Long Beach
Walking and bicycling are the main modes of transit for getting around Point Lookout, especially during the warmer months. “On Lido Boulevard people use the sidewalks, but on all the other side streets people walk in the road. They have the right of way,” Hugs says. “The speed limit is 15 miles per hour and that’s important. If you drive 20 or 25, people are going to yell at you. And you’ll get a ticket.” When it comes time to leave the barrier island, commuters start up Loop Parkway toward Meadowbrook State Parkway along the roughly 20-mile drive to John F. Kennedy International Airport and 40-mile drive to Manhattan. Less than 5 miles away in Long Beach, the city’s namesake Long Island Rail Road station starts riders on a 50-minute trip to Penn Station and Mount Sinai South Nassau Long Beach Emergency Department provides medical care.
Flood zone along Reynold’s Channel
The bayside of Point Lookout falls into a higher risk flood zone which dissipates on blocks closer to the jetty-lined oceanfront. While major storms like Hurricane Sandy have flooded the hamlet before, higher elevation means that Point Lookout is not hit as hard as neighboring barrier island communities. If Long Beach experiences 5 or 6 feet of flooding, the lowest areas of Point Lookout might see 1-2 feet of water.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
