How to Spend a Day on Governors Island, NYC

Governors Island sits in the middle of the New York Harbor a stone's throw (800 yards) from the Statue of Liberty. The island was a military base from 1776 until 1996, when it was sold to the people of New York for $1 and opened to the public on May 31, 2008. Today it is a lovely historic place for a day trip to picnic, ride bicycles or take a tour of the 92-acre historic district.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Metro card
• Picnic lunch (optional)
• Frisbee (optional)
• Catching mitt and ball (optional)
• Kite (optional)

1. Governors Island is open to the public Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturdays/Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., from May 31st to October 12th. Choose a day to attend in advance to garentee the island will be accessible.

2. Take the red 1 train (Fridays only) to South Ferry Station, the green 4, 5 trains (Fridays and weekends) to Bowling Green Station, or the yellow W train (Fridays only) or the yellow R train (Fridays and weekends) to Whitehall St. Station. Plan your trip of the MTA to land you at your station close to an exact hour, as the Ferry's to Governor's Island leave once an hour on the hour.

3. From the 4, 5, W, and R, locate Whitehall Street, which is a large street leading directly to the water. Follow Whitehall Street to the water. You will see the Battery Maritime Building on your left. Once in the Battery Maritime Building, locate the Slip # 7, the northernmost slip of the building. This is where the Governors Island Ferry departs from on the hour, starting at 10:00 a.m. It is adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry.

4. When in the ferry waiting room, pick up a copy of the Governor's Island Map and Governor's Island Scavenger Hunt, the latter of which leads you through an exciting history lesson about the island during your day there.

5. Walk onto the ferry when it arrives. There is no fee for riding the Governors Island Ferry and it is open to the public.

6. Once you land in Governors Island, locate the yellow and blue signs that direct you towards Building 140 and the Bike and Roll kiosk. Once there, you can rent a bike for $5 for 30 minutes and explore the 2 miles of car-free roads on the island.

7. Once you have completed the bike ride and returned the bike, follow signs to the “City of Dreams” mini-golf course (open noon to 4:00 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays) and take in nine holes of mini golf on a course designed by an artist.

8. Hop on one of the island's trams. This will take you on a tour of the entire historical district of the island and guides will teach you everything there is to know about the island's history.

9. Finish your day by relaxing in the Open Park Space at the center of the Island. You can through a Frisbee, fly a kite, play catch or enjoy a picnic lunch.

10. When you have completed your trip, follow signs back to the ferry to lower Manhattan, which depart ever hour on the half hour, with the exception of the last ferry of the day, which leaves at 5:00 p.m.

Resources

• Governor's Island