Family-Friendly Guide to Governors Island 2026

Looking for a fun day outside with family and friends? Take a trip over to Governors Island. Whether you want to play at a playground, grab a meal, garden, view art, ride a bike, or learn about composting, Governors Island has something for everyone to enjoy. Our guide is full of spots to play, events not to miss, and delicious food to try!

Getting there

Governors Island is accessible via the South Brooklyn or Governors Island Shuttle NYC Ferry route. Governors Island is also accessible by ferry daily year-round from the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street in Lower Manhattan. During the summer months, The Trust for Governors Island also runs ferries from Red Hook and Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Getting around

Governors Island is relatively flat and easily walkable. Feel free to bring over bikes and scooters, or rent a bike at Blazing Saddles or check out a Citi Bike. For adults, Blazing saddles offers Free Bike Mornings, a 1-hour free cruiser bike rental between 9:00am and 11:00am weekdays (excluding all holidays).

Playgrounds

The Yard – Adventure Playground

The Yard is an adven­ture play­ground, built and oper­at­ed by play:groundNYC, a non­prof­it ded­i­cat­ed to trans­form­ing the city through play. This ~20,000 sq ft out­door play envi­ron­ment is designed for chil­dren’s self-direct­ed play, and mod­eled after inter­na­tion­al adven­ture play­grounds. Young peo­ple ages 5-19 play inde­pen­dent­ly, under the super­vi­sion of trained play­work­ers. They can build, climb, play dress up, paint, zip line – there are many ways of play­ing at The Yard, and chil­dren get to choose. Grown ups get to sit back on the lawn and let the chil­dren play! Under 5? Vis­it their fam­i­ly side! The Yard is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00pm-4:00pm. A waiver must be completed before playing and close toed shoes are required.

Hammock Grove Play Area

Locat­ed on the south end of Liggett Terrace, Hammock Grove Play Area is a nature inspired playground with logs to climb, unique swings, and a large rope climber. Perfect for adventurous kids!

Slide Hill

Locat­ed in the beau­ti­ful park­land on the south­ern half of Gov­er­nors Island, Slide Hill offers a vari­ety of slides for visitors young and old! Slide Hill fea­tures three short­er slides, a fam­i­ly slide built for two peo­ple to ride down at once, and a curv­ing, 57 foot-long, three sto­ry-high slide - the longest in NYC!

Water Area at Liggett Terrace

Though small, the sprinkler at Liggett Terrace is the perfect place to cool off after playing on the island.

Activities and Events

Weekend Open Hours at Earth Matter | Beginning early May

Come learning about composting on Saturdays with Earth Matter’s Soil Start Farm program or on Sunday at their Composting Learning Center. Kids will have the opportunity to meet goats starting in June on Saturdays or chickens starting in May on Sundays! Join them on June 6th to celebrate the open­ing of their new Com­post Learn­ing Cen­ter!

Grow NYC’s Teaching Garden | Beginning May 9th

The GrowNYC Teach­ing Gar­den at Gov­er­nors Island is a one acre urban farm that aims to engage, excite, and edu­cate its vis­i­tors in all aspects of urban farm­ing. Week­end pub­lic pro­gram­ming includes fam­i­ly friend­ly activ­i­ties such as scav­enger hunts, self guid­ed tours, a dig bed, gar­den and art work­shops, and more!

Gov­er­nors Island Arts | Beginning on May 16th

Gov­er­nors Island Arts, the pub­lic arts and cul­tur­al pro­gram pre­sent­ed by the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island, has announced their 2026 season. Every third Sat­ur­day from May through Octo­ber, Gov­er­nors Island Arts presents spe­cial free pro­gram­ming designed to build com­mu­ni­ty and high­light the unique artis­tic ecosys­tem of the Island. Families especially do not want to miss Sal­ly Beau­ti Twin​’s House Crawl & Parade, the eco-lumi­nary art parade con­clud­ing a day of art-mak­ing with par­tic­i­pants show­cas­ing cos­tumes, pup­pets, lanterns, and more cre­at­ed August 15th.

The Fly Off Course Open | June 13th

A one-day disc golf event on Governors Island featuring a custom 18-hole course built inside the moat of Fort Jay, with Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty views. Two tracks run simultaneously all day: a free open play doubles format open to everyone, and a competitive doubles tournament run by NYCDGA with prizes and an award ceremony. Discs are free to borrow, no experience required, and the course exists for one day only.

Jazz Age Lawn Party | June 13th & June 14th 

New York City’s pre­mier annu­al Jazz Age Lawn Par­ty returns this sum­mer for two week­ends, with tick­ets now on sale. Break out your best flap­per dress­es, linen jack­ets, straw hats and spats, and 100-year-old Gats­by-inspired attire! The Jazz Age Lawn Par­ty on Gov­er­nors Island fea­tures live music, retro cock­tails, and ​’20s Pro­hi­bi­tion era enter­tain­ment. Explore the Island and join dance lessons, take a vin­tage por­trait, check out the antique 1920s cars, play cro­quet, enjoy a gourmet pic­nic, and more.

Porch Stomp | June 20th

Porch Stomp, a free event, invites dozens of folk bands, artists, and per­form­ing arts orga­ni­za­tions to use the his­toric porch­es of Nolan Park as a space for per­for­mance and edu­ca­tion, high­light­ing artistry rang­ing from tra­di­tion­al folk to old-time, blues, roots, blue­grass and Americana.

The Great Nosh | June 21st

The Great Nosh is the ultimate summer picnic, packed with NYC’s best restaurants, exclusive chef collabs, immersive art, unexpected Jew-ish cultural connections, and sunshine. Purchase tickets here.

Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix | May 30th & May 31st

Watch the world’s best ath­letes from 13 nations race 50-foot fly­ing boats at over 60 mph, set against NYC’s icon­ic skyline. Get your tickets here!

The Governors Cup | June 6th & June 7th

What began as a fun idea: ​“play­ing soc­cer on the beau­ti­ful grass of Gov­er­nors Island” has grown to become NYCs most in-demand soc­cer tour­na­ment. The annu­al event has grown to wel­come 100 teams, 1,000 play­ers, and many enthusiastic spec­ta­tors over two days in June. Spec­ta­tors may attend for free on game day, but by attend­ing assume all risks (e.g. stray balls, play­ers out­side the field, etc.)

Free Learn to Ride Classes with Blazing Saddles | Starting June 14th

There’s no better place to learn how to ride a bike than scenic Governors Island! Blazing Saddles’ free Learn to Ride classes are open to most ages and designed to help beginners build confidence in a safe, supportive environment. Classes are offered on select Saturday mornings from June through September. Find more info here and be sure to register!

Sail4th 250 Grand Review of Tall Ships | July 4th

Cel­e­brate Amer­i­ca’s 250^th anniver­sary with the largest-ever flotil­la of tall ships from around the world, cre­at­ing a majes­tic nau­ti­cal spec­ta­cle and an unfor­get­table once-in-a-gen­er­a­tion event on land, sea, and air. Across the region, includ­ing on Gov­er­nors Island, a rich tapes­try of events, fes­tiv­i­ties, and cel­e­bra­tions will unfold - hon­or­ing our shared his­to­ry while edu­cat­ing, enter­tain­ing, and unit­ing communities.

Food

Six Coasts | Grand opening May 9th & May 10th

Six Coasts by Smorgasburg  is a brand new Pan-American coastal bar on Governors Island, offering a taste from Nova Scotia to Baja to Bahia through seafood traditions, tropical cocktails, and culture. With seating for 100 and space for even more, Six Coasts is an ideal spot for group dining!

La Newyorkina at the King Avenue Food Court | Reopening May 24th

Stop by for a delicious Mexican ice cream or popsicle in flavors like pink limeade, hibiscus, and passion fruit mango raspberry!

Makina Cafe on Colonels Row

This Eritrean-Ethiopian Eatery is open daily on Governors Island from 9:00am-5:00pm. They have delicious options for children and adults, and be sure to try their rosemary fries!

Little Eva’s in Liggett Terrace

Open daily at 11:00am, Little Eva’s serves fresh salads and bowls, fish and chips, and more. They also have plenty of shaded seating.

Additional food options:

Joe Coffee Company in the Battery Maritime Building ferry terminal – Daily, 7AM-2PM (open until 4pm Memorial Day-Labor Day)

Joe Coffee Company at Liggett Terrace – Daily, 9AM-5PM

Taco Vista – Sunday-Thursday, 12-6PM; Friday-Saturday, 12-7PM

Three Peaks Lodge at Collective Retreats – Dinner daily from 5-9PM; Sunset Terrace Cocktail Bar: Monday-Friday, 3-9PM; Saturday-Sunday: 2-9PM

Brigs Sweet Shop – Weekends, 12-6PM

Fauzia’s Heavenly Delights – Weekends, 10AM-6PM

The Foodie Spot – Weekends, 9AM-5PM

On Tea Road – Weekends, 12-5PM

Pizzeria Fantastica –Weekends, 11AM–5PM

Sea Biscuit – Weekends, 12-7PM

Threes Brewing – Weekends, 11AM-6PM

Tokyo Drumstick – Weekends, 11AM-5PM

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