Governors Island, a 172 acre island in the heart of New York Harbor at the mouth of the East River, is only 800 yards from Lower Manhattan, and even closer to Brooklyn. It is a world unto itself, unique and full of promise.

Governors Island is open to the public daily year-round. From Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend, the Island is open from 7am-10pm Sunday through Thursday and 7am-11pm Friday and Saturday, with the South Island Park (including Picnic Point, the Hills, Hammock Grove, and the Play Lawns) closing at dusk. Visit the Island and enjoy arts, cultural and recreational programs in the middle of New York Harbor.

Visitors to Governors Island are welcome to bring their own food. There are plenty of shaded green spaces on the Island that are perfect for laying a blanket on the grass, along with Adirondack chairs and picnic tables. Grilling is is only allowed at designated grill stations, located at Picnic Point and Nolan Park and available for rental daily May through November. Visitors are not permitted to bring their own alcohol onto the Island, but it can be purchased and consumed in specific areas.

For almost two centuries, Governors Island was a military base – home to the US Army and later the Coast Guard, and closed to the public. In 2003 the federal government sold 150 acres of Island to the people of New York, with the Island’s governance and funding jointly shared by the City of New York and State of New York. The remaining 22 acres of the Island was declared the Governors Island National Monument that is overseen by the National Park Service.

Star-shaped Fort Jay (1806-1809) dominates the island and is one of the best preserved and largest fortifications of its type in the nation. Its dry moat and earthen covered walls represent important and innovative military technology of its era. Located inside Fort Jay’s walls are four barracks that form an interior quadrangle. The barracks were built in the 1830’s to support the New York Arsenal. A glacis, an open slope able to be swept by defender's fire, surrounds the fort. Lying mostly within the monument's boundary, this artificial landscaping later served as a parade ground.

Castle Williams (1807-1811) is a massive three-tier, 200-foot diameter masonry fort. Its 8-foot sandstone walls and unique casemated tiers made the Castle virtually invulnerable. Its 102 guns made the fort one of the most formidable American seacoast defenses of its era. Together with its sister fort, Castle Clinton, Castle Williams proved an effective deterrent to British forces contemplating attacking New York during the War of 1812. The interior of the Castle was remodeled several times for different uses, most notably as a military prison during the Civil War.

Governors Island is accessible by ferry daily year-round.

From Manhattan: Ferries operated by the Trust for Governors Island run daily from the Battery Maritime Building, located at 10 South Street in Lower Manhattan.

From Brooklyn: Seasonal ferries operated by the Trust for Governors Island run Saturdays, Sundays, and Holiday Mondays from two Brooklyn locations: Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Red Hook/Atlantic Basin.