Today is Columbus Day, a federal holiday commemorating the arrival of the European explorer Christopher Columbus in the Americas on Oct. 12, 1492.
Here’s what’s closed today:
- all government offices
- schools
- the post office (There is no mail delivery, except Express Mail.)
- most banks
- public libraries
LIRR and Suffolk County buses follow a regular weekday schedule.
What’s open:
- New York Stock Exchange
- Riverhead Free Library
Also open today are local pumpkin farms, corn mazes, wineries and farm stands. With today being the first day of the three-day holiday weekend to offer visitors blue skies and sunshine, locals can expect lots of tourist traffic on local roadways today. Make sure you leave extra time for traveling to your destination.
Columbus Day, Oct. 12, was made a federal holiday by an act of Congress in 1934.
In 1971, with the federal Monday Holiday Act, the observance of the holiday was changed to the second Monday in October.
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