Riverhead Among Forbes Top 50 Global Travel Destinations 

Riverhead is bracing for an influx of tourists after recently being listed between Qatar and New Zealand on Forbes magazine’s annual Best Places To Travel In 2023 roundup of 50 international destinations.

The century-old bi-quarterly business publication spotlighted its suggested travel hotspots where readers can spend extended excursions, hidden gems not on typical travel itinerary, and weekend getaway ideas.

“Visit the Long Island Aquarium, home to one of the largest coral reefs in the world or stop by the Jamesport Brewery, located on a working farm where all the ingredients from hops to barley to wheat are home-grown to make its house-made suds,” Forbes writers suggested. “Mid-September to October is peak apple-picking season where you can pick your own at several local orchards. And no trip to Riverhead is complete without a picture with the famous ‘Big Duck,’ a 20-foot tall building shaped like a duck.”

It was an unexpected bit of publicity for a community in the shadow of the Hamptons, which is internationally known for being the summer destination of the rich, famous and those looking to rub elbows with them.

The news comes as Riverhead is ramping up efforts to revitalize its downtown to make it more of a draw, earning $10 million in New York State grant funding to advance those efforts. 

Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar was pleased to hear her community ranked so highly with Forbes.

“Riverhead is unequivocally on the map,” she said.