Planning a trip to Governors Island this summer? The island has gotten very busy, keep a few things in mind when going and find out about awesome new amenities including new restaurants, a beach club with real sand, activities and a free tram:
You need to reserve your ferry ticket from Brooklyn Pier 6 and Red Hook on weekends online in advance. Tickets sell out and you will not make it on the boat otherwise. Even for the free ferries in the morning, you need a ticket.
NYC Ferry serves Governors Island weekdays on the South Brooklyn route, with stops at Pier 1 in DUMBO, Pier 6 and Red Hook. ALERT and BAD NEWS: The South Brooklyn route does not stop anymore at Governors Island on weekends during the summer months. Find out more here.
The wonderful junkyard playground gets very busy during peak weekends (open Saturdays and Sundays 12 to 4 pm). Go straight to the playground from the ferry and get a timed ticket for an hour of free play at the yard before they run out of tickets for the day.
The new Governors Island Trams will make rounds around the Island all day Fridays through Sundays, available to anyone who would like to ride to where they want to go. They will operate as hop-on/hop-off, so wave them down when you see them.
Carreau Club Bar & Petanque is now open on Kings Ave. Have a few drinks while the kids play boules…
A new climbing boulder has been installed on the Western Promenade. There are several different climbing routes posted on site with varying degrees of difficulty and free to use.
The new Gitano Beach Club will be open daily from 4 pm to sunset starting mid June. Gitano started as a small Mezcal Bar & Kitchen on the Tulum Beach road in Mexico and runs now 5 locations. They are currently shipping in 350 tons of sand in an ambitious bid to create a tropical paradise in the middle of New York Harbor. Gitano Island has signed a five-year contract to run from Memorial Day to the end of October.
The tempered outdoor pools at the Italian Spa on the island are now open and will be so year-round. No kids allowed. Find out more here.
