Join The Trust for Governors Island for a walk from Soissons Landing through its open spaces, including an award-winning 43-acre park that opened to New Yorkers in phases over the past 10 years since Hurricane Sandy. Designed by Dutch landscape architecture firm West 8, the park includes eco-friendly destinations that are designed to withstand coastal flooding while also inviting thriving, biodiverse ecosystems. Rather than withdrawing in the face of the advancing waters, the park allows people to enjoy the connection with the salt winds, swirling waters and expansive views of the harbor while ensuring that the trees planted in 2012 grow into a self-sustaining forest over the next few generations.

The tour will take visitors through 3 nature-based features on the island: Colonels Row, the original shoreline of the island, today lined with London Plane Trees planted during the Island’s history as a US Army base that offer cool shade on hot days; Hammock Grove, an urban forest with wind, heat- and drought-resistant species to survive storms and rising temperatures; and a winding wildflower walk on Discovery Hill that native insect and bird species call home. The tour will conclude with 360-degree views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island and the Statue of Liberty. Today, Governors Island offers a place to rest and reflect on a decade of storm recovery across the five boroughs and to imagine and work towards a safe, healthy future for all New Yorkers.

Want to discover more about the Trust for Governors Island? Download Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app, which features digital guides to over 100 museums, galleries, sculpture parks, gardens, and cultural spaces from around the world in one easy to use app.

The walking tour will involve 90 minutes of walking through flat and hilly terrain with gentle slopes. The tour will be outdoors.

Governors Island can only be reached by ferry. Ferry tickets may be purchased at the Battery Maritime Terminal at the time of departure or in advance online. Several ferries in the mornings are free. Visitors should consult the following link for schedules and pricing as well as any Covid-19 protocols:
https://www.govisland.com/plan-your-visit/ferry