There is a trick that every savvy New Yorker quietly files away and almost never shares: if you arrive at the Governors Island ferry dock before 11 a.m. on a Saturday, the ride is completely free. The boat leaves from the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street in Lower Manhattan — the beautiful green-roofed terminal tucked right next to the Staten Island Ferry — and in about seven minutes, you’re somewhere that feels nothing like the city you just left.
Governors Island is 172 acres of car-free, skyscraper-ringed peace. In the spring, the grass is impossibly green. The air smells like the harbor. Bicycles weave past old military forts, and somewhere across the water, the skyline of Manhattan stands at attention like it’s posing for a photograph. You walk off the ferry and your shoulders drop about two inches.
A New Way In: Brooklyn Gets Its Ferry Stops Back
For 2026, the Trust for Governors Island has restored and expanded Brooklyn ferry service. On weekends, you can now board at Pier 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park — steps from the Jane’s Carousel waterfront — or from the Atlantic Basin in Red Hook. This changes everything for Brooklyn residents who used to have to detour through Lower Manhattan. Now the island is a 10-minute hop from the waterfront you already love.
The NYC Ferry South Brooklyn Route also serves the island, connecting the Lower East Side, Wall Street, and the Brooklyn waterfront in a single harbor loop. The Trust-operated ferry and the NYC Ferry are separate services with separate tickets, so check which route fits your starting point.
What You’ll Find Once You’re There
Governors Island operates on a logic entirely unlike the rest of New York. There are no cars. There are no honking horns. There is, however, a hammock grove — 50 red hammocks strung between trees on the south end of the island — and on a warm May Saturday, finding an open one is its own small adventure. Arrive early and you’ll have the whole thing to yourself, swaying with a harbor view that billionaires cannot buy.
The island’s landscape was dramatically reimagined in recent years. The Hills — four landform mounds created from construction fill and topped with slides, rolling meadows, and lookout points — offer the best 360-degree views of New York Harbor you can get without paying for an observation deck. On a clear day you can see the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and all of Lower Manhattan at once.
For those who want more than hammocks and views, Adventures at Governors Island runs a 300-foot zip line, a climbing wall, mini golf, and a maze. Food vendors cluster near the ferry landing with tacos, lobster rolls, and cold brew. Bike rentals are available on the island, and you’re encouraged to bring your own.
Something to Look Forward To: The Jazz Age Lawn Party
Mark June 13th and 14th in your calendar. The 21st annual Jazz Age Lawn Party returns to Governors Island, and it is genuinely one of the most surreal, wonderful events New York puts on each year. Picture a thousand people in 1920s dress — cloche hats, suspenders, beaded headbands — dancing to a live orchestra on the lawn while the Manhattan skyline shimmers behind them. Tickets go fast. The event sells out. But even knowing it is coming gives you something to look forward to as summer builds.
How to Visit
Ferry from Manhattan: Battery Maritime Building, 10 South Street, Lower Manhattan (adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry terminal). Subway: 1 to South Ferry; 4/5 to Bowling Green; R/W to Whitehall St.
Ferry from Brooklyn: Pier 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park (A/C/F to Jay St-MetroTech, then walk); Atlantic Basin, Red Hook (B61 bus to Van Brunt St/Beard St).
Hours: Open daily year-round. Extended summer hours apply May through Labor Day.
Cost: Ferry is FREE on Saturdays and Sundays before 11 a.m. After 11 a.m.: $5 round-trip for adults. Free for seniors 65+, children 12 and under, NYCHA residents, IDNYC holders, and military members (active and veteran).
Bikes: You can bring your bike on the ferry. Rentals also available on the island.
Insider Tip: Take the 9:15 a.m. ferry on a Saturday — free fare, almost no crowd, and you will have the hammock grove entirely to yourself for the first hour. By noon it is packed. The early boat is your secret weapon.
Governors Island is one of those places that New Yorkers discover, immediately love, and then somehow forget about until the following summer. Do not be that person this year. The ferry leaves every 30 minutes. Your hammock is waiting.
