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 Chinese, Russian, and Spanish. Visitor Guides are available for download in Chinese, Russian, and Spanish.

Indoor restrooms are located inside the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Arts Center at Governors Island near Soissons Landing. Trailer restrooms are available at Yankee Pier, the west end of Liggett Terrace, South Battery and near Slide Hill. Increased cleaning procedures and schedules will be implemented for all amenities.

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. Wheelchair-accessible portable toilets are located throughout the grounds.

The Welcome Center at Soissons Landing is open Saturday through Sunday for visitors to get information, purchase Island merch, or learn more about Governors Island from one of our visitor services team members.

Free, one-hour walking tours of the Island led by Friends of Governors Island volunteer tour guides begin at the Welcome Center at Soissons Landing. All tours are weather permitting. Tours leave from Soissons Landing at 10:45am, 12:45pm, and 2:45pm Saturday-Sunday.

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.

Groups visiting Governors Island are encouraged to limit themselves to 40 individuals or fewer. Those wishing to visit with more than 40 people are requested to 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.