Overview
SOFO is one of those places that earns its reputation quietly — no splashy marketing, just a genuinely well-designed natural history museum that treats every visitor, child and adult alike, as someone capable of real curiosity. It is the only natural history museum on Long Island’s South Fork, and the programs that have grown up around it reflect the same philosophy as the building itself: the natural world is not a subject to be studied at a distance.
The Museum Itself Is Worth the Trip
Inside, the galleries are built around the ecosystems right outside the door — forests, ponds, salt marsh, ocean — with live wildlife exhibits, local terrariums and aquariums, and a Marine Touch Tank where kids can hold sea stars, crabs, urchins, and whelks. Expert environmental educators accompany every visit. Outside, the museum borders a 40-acre Vineyard Field Preserve and connects to the six-mile Long Pond Greenbelt trail system — a network of ponds, woods, and wetlands home to rare species found almost nowhere else on the Island.
The Shark Shack (All Ages)
The Shark Shack is a joint pop-up project between SOFO and the Southampton Teachers Association, built and run by Southampton High School students, teachers, researchers, and museum educators. It travels throughout Suffolk County — appearing at community events, concerts, and public gatherings — bringing hands-on educational resources and information about the sharks found off Long Island. Think of it as the shark research program meeting the public where they already are.
Marine Adventure Program (Ages 6–14)
SOFO’s summer day camp puts kids in the field for five days exploring the marine and freshwater habitats of the South Fork — salt marshes, tidal flats, ocean beaches, freshwater ponds — learning coastal ecology through direct observation and hands-on fieldwork. Not a “learn about the ocean” week. Real science in real places.
Shark Research Assistant Program (Teens & Adults)
Long Island’s South Shore is home to the only confirmed juvenile white shark nursery in the entire North Atlantic Ocean. SOFO’s research team has been tagging and tracking those sharks since 2015, contributing to peer-reviewed science. The Research Assistant Program puts participants on the boat alongside the scientists — deploying satellite tags, collecting behavioral data, going offshore. This one tends to fill fast.
Young Environmentalists Society — YES! (Ages 5–16)
YES! has built something genuinely rare: a durable community of kids who show up. The program meets the last Saturday of each month for field trips, hands-on conservation projects, and guest speakers working in environmental fields. Past projects have included building a hibernaculum on museum property for local wildlife. Topics range from aquaculture and water conservation to local ecology and climate change.
Citizen Science Projects (All Ages)
SOFO runs structured observation and data collection programs year-round across South Fork habitats — from the Amphibian Big Night (searching for spotted salamanders on the first warm rainy night of late winter) to shorebird counts and beach cleanups tied directly to the shark research program. Most are free or low-cost. No experience required.
Volunteering (Ages 18+)
SOFO welcomes adult volunteers to join its team year-round. Opportunities span day-to-day museum operations, special projects, and events — all of it in service of the thousands of children and families who visit each year. A good fit for the parent who wants to give back to a place that genuinely serves the community.
Birthday Parties (All Ages)
Host your child’s birthday inside the museum — live wildlife exhibits, a marine touch tank, and a nature-themed activity led by SOFO’s environmental educators. Parties take place in SOFO’s spacious barn, which families decorate themselves. Bring your own cake and snacks. One month’s advance notice required.
Cost & Information
- Open daily · 10am–4pm
- Museum admission & programs
- Adults $10–$15
- Children ages 3–12: $7–$10
- Ages 2 & under: free
- SOFO members: free
- Private museum visits available · call for rates
- Advance reservations required for all programs
- Bilingual support available for Spanish-speaking families (YES! program)