Visitors are welcome to bring their own food and eat at one of the many picnic tables scattered throughout the Island. Visitors may not bring alcohol onto the island but can purchase on-Island and consume it in designated areas. Click here for a current list of food vendors on Governors Island. Hours are weather dependent and are subject to change.

Governors Island's website can be translated via Google Translate. Visitor maps are available in Simplified Chinese and Spanish. During the summer months, Visitor Guides are available at the Soissons Landing Welcome Center in English, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish.

Indoor restrooms are located inside the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Arts Center at Governors Island near Soissons Landing and at Yankee Pier, the west end of Liggett Terrace, South Battery, and near Slide Hill. Portable restrooms are available at Colonels Row.

All ferries going to and from Governors Island, as well as the grounds of the island itself, are accessible to those in wheelchairs. Not all buildings on the Island are wheelchair accessible. Building 110, located next to Soissons Landing, is wheelchair accessible. All restrooms are wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair-accessible trams are available for all Island visitors from 10am to 6pm Wednesday through Sunday beginning May 27, with stops at both ferry landings and key areas around the Island—click here to view a route map.

Visit the Welcome Centers at Soissons Landing and Yankee Pier, powered by the Friends of Governors Island. They're open weekends, for visitor maps, Island information, free guided walking tours, Governors Island merch, and more.

Free, guided walking tours depart from the Soissons Landing Welcome Center every Saturday and Sunday at 10:45am, 12:45pm, 2:45pm. Tours are first come, first served.

In February 2023, the Trust for Governors Island began work on the phased demolition and reconstruction of Tango Pier on the Eastern side of Governors Island. Work occurring on the pier will not impact access to the adjacent public pathways or public spaces. All plans and construction methods have been reviewed and approved by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. We will share all updates here.

Groups visiting Governors Island are encouraged to limit themselves to 40 individuals or fewer. Those wishing to reserve more than 40 ferry tickets should email groupvisits@govisland.org at least two weeks in advance of their visit.

The Trust for Governors Island offers special waived ferry fares for non-profit community-based organizations, youth camps, and senior centers throughout New York City, subject to availability. To inquire about special group visits, organizations may email groupvisits@govisland.org at least two weeks in advance of their requested visit date.

The Trust for Governors Island continues its dedication to environmental stewardship through its Zero Waste Island initiative. In partnership with Earth Matter NY, Inc. the Trust aims to reduce the amount of waste from the Island going to landfills by:

• Ensuring all recycling stations on the Island include a color-coded, clearly labeled compost bin.
• Mandating that serviceware from all vendors and events on the Island is compostable.
• Composting all organics collected on the Island at Earth Matter’s Compost Learning Center and returning the finished product to the Island’s landscapes.
• Prohibiting plastic straws, plastic bags, and Styrofoam.
• Creating a community of Island tenants, partners, vendors and events that are committed to composting and recycling.

Visitors can participate in the Zero Waste Initiative by practicing “Think Before You Throw” when putting waste in a bin, and can appreciate the results by enjoying the Island’s vibrant landscapes that thrive on nutrients from Island-made compost.