Governors Island will be open to visitors all year long starting Nov. 1, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday.
“We have a jewel in New York harbor,” said de Blasio. “We have a place that's magical, that all New Yorkers should experience.”
The island will be accessible seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. starting Nov. 1.
Previously, the island was only accessible to visitors from May through October.
The city is also expanding its ferry service to accommodate the change via the South Brooklyn Route. NYC Ferry will provide direct access to the island from Red Hook, Atlantic Ave/Brooklyn Bridge Park-Pier 6, DUMBO/Fulton Ferry and Corlears Hook in the Lower East Side for visitors.
“The fact that it's going to be open all year round — I think that's really amazing for all New Yorkers to experience this beautiful place,” said Councilwoman Margaret Chin, whose district includes Governors Island. “If people cannot afford to go on vacation, just go to Governors Island and you will feel like you're on vacation.
The mayor said the island is “going to be a big part of our future” as it will also be the site of the new Center for Climate Solutions, a center that he said “is literally going to become the global capital for fighting climate change.”
Details for the climate center are expected be revealed later this year, he said.