You Can Finally Bring Your Dog to Governors Island Starting This Week
The island is open year-round for the first time and enticing pet owners with Dog Day Saturdays.
New York City's Governors Island is open year-round for the first time this winter as the city looks to transform it into more than just a seasonal destination. Even better, you can now bring your dog along for the first time thanks to the island's new Dog Days Saturdays.
Beginning this Saturday, January 22, non-service animals will be allowed on the Governors Island ferry between 7 am and 3 pm for the first time. Leashed dogs are allowed across the island, while unleashed pups will be allowed to roam a new fenced-off dog park located behind Liggett Terrace. The initiative will last through the end of April, when the island typically grows more crowded due to warmer weather.
"We are so doggone excited that Governors Island is now open to the public all year long, and we cannot wait to welcome our four-legged friends to enjoy the Island's stunning open spaces for the first time—and to open New York Harbor's first dog park!" said Clare Newman, President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island, in a press statement. "Dog Days will help our visitors enjoy the Island in a totally new way—so throw your pooch a bone, hop on the ferry, and we'll see you on the Island."
Dog Days Saturdays is just the latest in a series of winter initiatives on Governors Island this year. It's home to a Winter Village open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through February, featuring food vendors, lawn games, bike and sled rentals, and fire pits. There's also an ice skating rink with $11 admission and $8 skate rentals, although you can't bring your dog on the ice just yet. The New York Times reports that plans for a mobile sauna and an ice sculpting competition are in the works, too.