The island was a military base, with 172 acres. It's 800 yards (732m) from tip of Manhattan - a good distance for open water swimming ha ha ha - don't think it'll be reality bec too busy of traffic. The short ferry ride takes 10 minutes, ground to ground, and cost $4 round trip @ Beaux-Arts Battery Maritime Building (1909), east of South Ferry (the top floor is Cipriani's event space) There are residents living on the island. We circled the island. There are many bicyclers (tri and quad), some are brought by the riders, some are rented on the island.

A fun little day trip outside of the city. Take the Gov Island Ferry for free at Battery Park if you are a NYC Resident! We love taking our dogs during winter/spring (until April). There are great views of the Statue of Liberty, a really nice hammock area, and small trails. You can rent bikes or get citi bikes to go around the island too!

One of the best places to visit in New York. A short ferry ride (8 minutes) from pier near Battery park brought us to Governor’s island. The views of the Statue of Liberty , the Manhattan skyline are breathtaking. There are different areas you can explore like slide area, hammock area, picnic area . Lots of green , well maintained lawns. The restrooms are clean and well maintained. Fantastic bike rental area( Blazing Saddles). Can easily spend 3/4 hours here. One must go to Governors island on a sunny day . The ferry ride costs 10USD round trip per person.An absolute must visit!!

I took a four hour tour of Governors Island one afternoon and on a sunny afternoon it is the perfect place to visit. There are a lot of nice walking paths and historical forts to explore. When you climb the hill on the southern section of the island, it has the most amazing views of Lower Manhattan and New Jersey. You will also get great views of Liberty Island. Along Liggett Terrace, there are a lot of nice restaurants and food trucks to have lunch. Whether you are attending an event or just going to lie down in a hammock and relax for the afternoon, visiting the island is a nice escape from the City and all the traffic. The cool breezes are really nice and the walk around the island is a nice way to spend the day.

Governors Island is a cool place to go, especially on a beautiful sunny day. It was a picture perfect day when we went, so everything about our adventure was fun - from the ferry ride to exploring the island on foot with no particular agenda or time restraints. We literally just started walking and took in everything we saw. There is a very low key vibe there but we loved it. As a photographer, I was in heaven. There's Fort Jay and Castle Williams along with various old historic military buildings — some that have been converted into art studios. Many of those were open and we were free to wander in and out of them. There are also some large abandoned buildings that you can't go in, but you can get close enough to photograph them. The food available is mostly food trucks or pop up stands that are small — with outdoor seating. We ate at Eva's and it was great. I'm talking about cheeseburgers, fries and hot dogs. Some of the food stands weren't open but I think that is a season thing that picks up the week after we were there. There are also one or two nicer restaurants if you have the money to spend. You can rent bikes if you want be we walked. We ended up walking 7 miles total. We passed a small area called Collective Retreats that has a bunch of "luxury" tents that you can rent out and spend the night in. That's not really our thing and the reviews online were either really good, or really bad. Honestly, the best thing about Governors Island is the spectacular views of NYC, NJ and Brooklyn. Check their website before you go to see if there is anything special going on. There might be a street fair or car show or something. I went to a car show there years ago.

Caught the ferry on a Saturday morning. FREE if you ride before 10am. Once on the island I used my Citi Bike app and peddled around the perimeter of Governors Island. Amazing views of lower Manhattan, Jersey City, Statue of Liberty, and even Brooklyn. Don’t miss Fort Jay and Castle Williams as well. Loved Governors Island. Highly recommended!

We spent Father’s Day on Gov Isl for a few hours during the best part of the day. We took the ferry from Pier 6 in Brooklyn, but waited quite some time for the next boat. We rented a covered surrey before lunch and peddled a portion of the waterfront but one area was blocked and had to circle back. Luckily we had nice weather as well. We had lunch at Oyster Island ( reservations is a good idea as you’ll have prime seating) then headed back to Brooklyn on 3pm ferry.

Our relatives who live in NYC recommended this for a bit of history, a nice place to picnic and great views of NYC. It did not disappoint. We found the old forts to be interesting plus the Castle Williams bookstore has a National Park Passport cancellation stamp. The views of the NY skyline and the Statue of Liberty are quite amazing. The island is larger than I expected and there are plenty of places to walk, picnic and enjoy the views. The ferry trip is very short and while there were lots of people, we had no trouble getting on the ferry. This makes for a great outing on a nice day !!

I love visiting Governors Island. I pack a lunch, bring a book and find a nice shady spot in the picnic point. Comfy Adirondack chairs, great views and the sound of lapping waves. During the week, is less crowded, and yeah fewer activities for those seeking a bit more. For first time visitors, you will want to plan for a few hours. Make sure to do the tours of the historic sites.

This place I want to visit again. They had three gift shops I went in. Two at each ferry landing and one in castle Williams. Bought a hat for $20 and a patch for $6 inside the fort which had more items than the two shops on the landings. Pizza yard was expensive $20 for a medium size pizza which was tasty. We also got ice cream sandwiches at newyorkian (Mexican ice cream booth). I got the chocolate chip cookies with horchata ice cream (my favorite now) and the mocha cookies with strawberry ice cream ( my husband’s favorite now). Everything tasted homemade even though it was prepackaged. We toured the other building which is fort jay. It has a pearl exhibition. Which had a pearl skeleton. And shells that had mother of pearl on pikes. And also shells decorated the floor entryway. That’s the coolest art exhibit I’ve ever seen. Scaffolding on the outside where the eagle is. Also there was a small farm stand with donation basis. That had some tiny round cucumbers that looked like small tomatoes. Cute and tasty. Also some fresh basil, leeks and tomatoes. The bee sanctuary was open as well.