Skip to main content

Get to know Flanders

Flanders is one of the first neighborhoods on the East End past where Long Island begins to fork. Because of that location, Flanders affords convenience to the Hamptons’ southern shoreline while also enjoying proximity to the North Fork’s wineries and farm stands. And since residents prefer to stick around through the typical off-season in their humble cottages, ranches, and shingle-style homes, they retain the luxury of year-round access to those fabled, cherished aspects of life out east. Within Flanders itself, however, there is ample waterside and parkland scenery to get excited for. The hamlet sits below the Peconic River, resting against its eponymous bay, offering opportunities for fishing and boating. Hubbard County Park provides over 1,000 acres for freshwater fishing in Penny Pond, plus space for hiking, canoeing, and kayaking in an unspoiled natural setting. Did we mention the giant roadside duck?

Nearby Neighborhoods:

Flanders Commerce & Culture

One aspect of Flanders that literally and figuratively cannot be missed is the famed Big Duck. This gigantic waterfowl with Ford Model T taillight eyes currently sits on the former Maurer Duck Farm in Flanders. Duck farmer Martin Maurer had the eye-catching, specifically-shaped structure built — utilizing Broadway set designers — to help sell his farm’s wares in the 1930s. Today, the Big Duck lends its name to the quaint term “duck architecture” — a hyper-specific genre of roadside attractions — and undoubtedly makes for one of the quirkiest entries in the National Register of Historic Places. Outdoor hobbyists will have a field day in Flanders, whether paddling on the Peconic or exploring the numerous parks, preserves, and forests. Flanders shares borders with Riverhead and Hampton Bays, which supply different flavors of commerce, from outlet malls to locally-owned shops to popular eateries, vineyards, distilleries, and orchards.