Hofstra, Stony Brook, Sacred Heart and Seton Hall in 3 Days: A Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey College Trip
A parent-first plan for seeing Hofstra University, Stony Brook University, Sacred Heart University and Seton Hall University in three days from one hotel in Uniondale, Long Island: Hofstra and Stony Brook on day 1, Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Connecticut, on day 2, then Seton Hall in South Orange, New Jersey, on day 3 before flying home from Newark. Official visit sign-ups, parking at all four schools, the schools' own hotel rates, the Cradle of Aviation Museum for siblings, and New York weather by season.
Presidents Hall, Seton Hall University, South Orange (Mar 1997). Photo: Bmzuckerman · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Last checked Oct 27, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
The short version
Trip at a glance
Schools
Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY) · Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, NY) · Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, CT) · Seton Hall University (South Orange, NJ)
Days
3: Hofstra and Stony Brook on day 1, Sacred Heart on day 2, then Seton Hall on day 3. Arrive the evening before.
Fly into
LaGuardia (LGA), about 35 minutes from the hotel with no traffic. Fly home from Newark Liberty (EWR), about 18 minutes from Seton Hall.
Best base
Long Island Marriott in Uniondale, on Hofstra's own hotel list and about 4 minutes from Hofstra's Admission Center.
Car or transit
You'll need a car. From the hotel it's about 55 minutes to Stony Brook, 1 hour 37 minutes to Sacred Heart and 1 hour 13 minutes to Seton Hall, all with no traffic.
Registration
All four schools take visit sign-ups online: Hofstra's Information Session and Tour, Stony Brook's tour calendar, Sacred Heart's Campus Tours & Information Sessions and Seton Hall's campus tours.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, who want to compare four schools around New York City: Hofstra in Hempstead on Long Island; Stony Brook on Long Island's north shore, about 60 miles east of the city; Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Connecticut; and Seton Hall in South Orange, New Jersey, 14 miles from Manhattan.
Hofstra is minutes from a Uniondale hotel, Stony Brook is under an hour east, and Sacred Heart and Seton Hall are each a day trip away, so one Long Island hotel and a car cover all four.
Why this order
Day 1: Hofstra's Information Session and Tour starts with an information session, then a walking tour with student Pride Guides, including a residence hall. Then it's about 56 minutes east to Stony Brook for its information session and campus tour.
Day 2: Sacred Heart's information session and campus tour leaves from Curtis Hall with a Student Ambassador; Sacred Heart says to expect about two hours. It's about 1 hour 37 minutes each way from Uniondale with no traffic.
Day 3: Seton Hall's tour and information session takes about two hours, starting at the Office of Admissions in Bethany Hall. Then it's about 18 minutes to Newark Liberty, which Seton Hall calls its closest airport.
Each campus parks you differently
Hofstra: the Office of Admission is in Bernon Hall, the first building on your left as you enter the Admission Lot. Hofstra's visitor parking pass for the Admission Lot goes on your dashboard with your license plate number filled in.
Stony Brook: park in the Administration Parking Garage. Admissions gives a parking code to families on official tours and information sessions, and you must register your vehicle in advance.
Sacred Heart: get a daily visitor pass at the public safety booth. The Curtis Hall lot has spaces marked for admissions guests only.
Seton Hall: pick up a one-day visitor permit at the Farinella Gate or Ward Place Gate guard booth as you drive in.
Tour availability varies by season.
Rain is steady year-round: every month averages about 3 to 4.4 inches at LaGuardia, with August the wettest.
Seton Hall cancels tours when the university closes for bad weather, so check its main website before you drive over.
Summers are warm and humid: July averages about 86°F highs at LaGuardia.
Winters bring snow: January averages about 40°F highs and 29°F lows, with about 8.6 inches of snow.
2. The suggested 3-day plan
Drive and walk times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, using addresses geocoded with OpenStreetMap Nominatim. New York traffic can easily double them, especially on the Long Island Expressway, the Throgs Neck Bridge, I-95 and around the city at rush hour.
Arrival evening: fly into LaGuardia and check in at Uniondale
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) → Long Island Marriott (101 James Doolittle Blvd., Uniondale)
Driving (no traffic)
~35 min, 23.4 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Driving
Drive
Hofstra's directions from LaGuardia: Grand Central Parkway East, which becomes the Northern State Parkway, to the Meadowbrook Parkway South and exit M4.
Day 1: Hofstra in Hempstead, then Stony Brook
Long Island Marriott → Hofstra's Admission Center, Bernon Hall (Hempstead)
Book Hofstra's Information Session and Tour on its sign-up page by choosing a time slot on the calendar.
Stony Brook's tour calendar is on its visit page. Because of space, each registrant can bring at most 2 guests.
Two campus visits in one day is a full schedule: pick time slots with the hour-long drive in between in mind.
Day 2: Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Connecticut
Long Island Marriott → Sacred Heart University, Curtis Hall (5151 Park Ave., Fairfield, CT)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 37 min, 64.2 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Driving
Drive
Sacred Heart → Long Island Marriott
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 39 min, 65.3 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Driving
Drive
Book on Sacred Heart's sign-up page. Tours run Monday through Friday and on select Saturdays in the fall; some dates add tours of West Campus or the Center for Healthcare Education.
Sacred Heart sits off Merritt Parkway (Route 15) Exit 29.
Students who visit campus and apply Early Decision I or Early Action 1 get an application fee waiver.
Day 3: Seton Hall in South Orange, then fly home from Newark
Long Island Marriott → Seton Hall University, Bethany Hall (400 South Orange Ave., South Orange, NJ)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 13 min, 39.3 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Driving
Drive
Seton Hall → Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Driving (no traffic)
~18 min, 8.2 mi (no-traffic estimate)
Driving
Drive
Book a campus tour on Seton Hall's sign-up page. Need to reschedule or cancel? Email thehall@shu.edu.
Check out of the hotel before you leave Long Island, and leave plenty of time for the drive into New Jersey.
3. Campus by campus
The Unispan over Hempstead Turnpike, seen from Axinn Library, Hofstra (Sep 2021). Photo: AITFFan1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Your visit starts with an information session, then a walking tour led by Pride Guides (student tour guides) that visits the Student Center, Axinn Library and academic facilities, with a chance to see a residence hall.
Visitor parking
Driving in on Hempstead Turnpike (Route 24) West from Meadowbrook Parkway exit M4, you'll see three overhead walkways; turn left at the light just after the second one. Bernon Hall is the first building on your left in the parking lot.
Hofstra's Admission Lot visitor pass asks you to print your license plate number on it and display it on your dashboard.
Getting there
About 4 minutes from the Long Island Marriott (a 29-minute walk) and 35 minutes from LGA with no traffic. For GPS, Hofstra suggests picking Hofstra University from the points of interest; the 900 Fulton Ave. address takes you to the west entrance.
What to know
The tour stops at Axinn Library and the Student Center.
Contact
Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549; 516-463-6600.
Last checked Oct 27, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Pick an in-person information session and campus tour on the calendar on Stony Brook's visit page. Each registrant can bring up to 2 guests.
You can also take a self-guided tour any day using Stony Brook's mobile tour site. Admissions staff are in the office Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and you can ask to talk with a counselor if one is free.
Visitor parking
Families on official tours and information sessions get a parking code for the Administration Parking Garage and must register their vehicle in advance. No code? Check in first at the Seawolf Welcome Center on the first floor of the Administration Building.
The garage is gateless: pay at a pay station on Level 1 or 2 before walking away, by credit card only, with your license plate number. Stony Brook's self-tour page says it charges a fee on weekdays and is free on weekends.
Getting there
About 56 minutes from Hofstra and 55 minutes back to the Marriott with no traffic. Stony Brook says Long Island MacArthur Airport is 16 miles away and the LIRR Port Jefferson line stops at the north end of campus.
What to know
Jasmine, in the Charles B. Wang Center, is directly across from the admissions office, and East Side Dining is a short walk away.
Contact
Stony Brook Office of Admissions, 118 Administration Building, Stony Brook, NY 11794; 631-632-6868, enroll@stonybrook.edu.
Last checked Oct 27, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
An admissions information session is followed by a walking tour of the main campus led by a Student Ambassador. Expect about two hours, and wear comfortable walking shoes.
Some dates add a tour of West Campus (business, computing and engineering, education, social work) or the Center for Healthcare Education (health professions and nursing).
Need a different date? Sacred Heart says to call 203-371-7881; it welcomes visitors year-round.
Visitor parking
Visitors need a daily parking pass from the public safety booth. The Curtis Hall lot on the Park Avenue campus has spaces marked for admissions guests only.
Getting there
About 1 hour 37 minutes from the Long Island Marriott with no traffic. Sacred Heart is off Merritt Parkway (Route 15) Exit 29 and is a short ride from the Long Island ferry, Amtrak and Metro-North.
What to know
Sacred Heart's travel page recommends places to eat in downtown Fairfield and off the Merritt Parkway, including Frank Pepe Pizza Napoletana, with directions from campus to downtown.
Contact
Sacred Heart University Undergraduate Admissions, 5151 Park Ave., Fairfield, CT 06825; 203-371-7881, visit@sacredheart.edu.
Last checked Oct 27, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
The visit is a two-hour tour and information session. The information session, about an hour, is at the Office of Admissions in Bethany Hall; then a current student leads an hour-long tour, an easy walk across the park-like campus.
Want a Spanish-speaking tour guide or other accommodations? Contact the Office of Admissions ahead of time at thehall@shu.edu.
Health sciences majors can also tour the Interprofessional Health Sciences campus in Nutley; Seton Hall offers those tours on Fridays.
Visitor parking
A visitor permit is required to park on campus. Get one at the Farinella Gate or Ward Place Gate guard booth; it's good for one day only and expires at 11:59 p.m.
Getting there
About 1 hour 13 minutes from the Long Island Marriott and 18 minutes to Newark Liberty with no traffic. Seton Hall says Newark Liberty is its closest airport and campus is 14 miles from Manhattan.
What to know
Seton Hall says the town center of South Orange is about a five-minute walk from campus.
Contact
Seton Hall University Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Bethany Hall, 400 South Orange Ave., South Orange, NJ 07079; 973-313-6146, thehall@shu.edu.
Last checked Oct 27, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Hotel · Our pickMid-range
Long Island Marriott
101 James Doolittle Blvd., Uniondale, NY
Why here
It's about 4 minutes from Hofstra's Admission Center, 55 minutes from Stony Brook, 1 hour 37 minutes from Sacred Heart, 1 hour 13 minutes from Seton Hall and 35 minutes from LGA with no traffic.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 3.5-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Good to know
It's on Hofstra's local hotel list; mention Hofstra when you reserve to ask for the Hofstra rate. Expedia lists free self-parking and an indoor pool, but confirm amenities on the listing before you book.
Three nights in Uniondale put Hofstra minutes away and Stony Brook, Sacred Heart and Seton Hall each within a day's drive. On day 3, check out and drive to South Orange, then on to Newark Liberty.
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
At Stony Brook
Stony Brook points visiting families to Jasmine in the Charles B. Wang Center, directly across from the admissions office, and East Side Dining, a short walk away.
Near Sacred Heart (Fairfield, CT)
Sacred Heart's travel page recommends eateries in downtown Fairfield and off the Merritt Parkway, among them Frank Pepe Pizza Napoletana and Colony Grill.
Near Seton Hall (South Orange, NJ)
South Orange's town center is about a five-minute walk from campus.
6. Things for siblings along the route
With siblings
Cradle of Aviation Museum
Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Garden City, NY
75 air and spacecraft, from a hot air balloon to an actual Apollo Lunar Module, with more than 30 hands-on exhibits and a half dozen cockpits to climb into. It's ticketed, so check hours and tickets on the museum's site. It's about 3 minutes from the Long Island Marriott.
At Hofstra, park in the Admission Lot by Bernon Hall with the visitor pass on your dashboard. At Stony Brook, use the Administration Parking Garage. At Sacred Heart, get a pass at the public safety booth. At Seton Hall, get a one-day permit at the gate.
Stony Brook's Administration Garage takes credit cards only at its pay stations, so have a card and your plate number ready.
Flying in and out
LaGuardia (LGA) is about 35 minutes from the Marriott, and Newark Liberty (EWR) is about 18 minutes from Seton Hall, with no traffic.
Flying into one airport and out of another usually means a one-way car rental, so check the drop-off rules before you book.
Stony Brook says Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) is 16 miles from its campus, if that suits your flights better.
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: LaGuardia Airport)
Spring: April averages about 61°F highs and 46°F lows, with about 3.9 inches of rain.
Summer: July averages about 86°F highs and 72°F lows, with about 4.3 inches of rain.
Fall: October averages about 66°F highs and 53°F lows, with about 3.8 inches of rain.
Winter: January averages about 40°F highs and 29°F lows, with about 3.3 inches of precipitation and 8.6 inches of snow.
Parent checklist
Register for all four visits online: Hofstra and Stony Brook on day 1, Sacred Heart on day 2 and Seton Hall on day 3.
Stony Brook allows up to 2 guests per registrant, so plan who's coming.
Register your vehicle for Stony Brook's garage code, and print Hofstra's Admission Lot pass with your plate number.
Book three nights on Long Island, mention Hofstra for its rate, and fly into LGA and home from EWR.
Pack comfortable walking shoes; Sacred Heart recommends them for its tour.
After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
Division I (Hofstra University, Stony Brook University, Sacred Heart University and Seton Hall University): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
Coming soon
Planning more college trips?
Visit-season reminders and new trip guides from College Visit Guides. Newsletter coming soon.
Sources
All checked Oct 27, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
Expedia listing: Long Island Marriott (star class, checked 2026-10-27) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Uniondale-Hotels-Long-Island-Marriott.h9593.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Red Roof PLUS+ Long Island - Garden City (star class, checked 2026-10-27) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Westbury-Hotels-Red-Roof-Inn-PLUS-Long-Island-Garden-City.h865060.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: The Garden City Hotel (star class, checked 2026-10-27) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Garden-City-Hotels-The-Garden-City-Hotel.h17703.Hotel-Information)
