One day on Staten Island, starting with the free ferry
Ride the free ferry past the Statue of Liberty, then actually get off: Snug Harbor's gardens and museums in the morning, the forest trails of the Greenbelt in the afternoon, and the skyline on the boat back — the quietest, greenest, cheapest day in the city.
Almost every visitor rides the Staten Island Ferry, photographs the Statue of Liberty from the deck, and gets straight back on the returning boat without leaving the terminal. This day is for the ones who get off. It is the quietest borough, the greenest, and the cheapest — the ferry is free, the Greenbelt is free, and the buses take the same tap as the subway.
It is also the least convenient, and that is the trade. Everything here is a bus ride from the terminal and the buses are not frequent, so the plan has three stops rather than six, and generous time at each. Check the ferry's schedule only in the sense that it runs every fifteen to thirty minutes around the clock; check the bus times properly. Budget the whole daylight and you will use it.
Take the earliest boat you can face. The ride over, with the harbor empty and the statue to your right, is the part everyone remembers, and it is better before the day-trippers are up.
The day
The Staten Island FerryFree
Twenty-five minutes, free, no ticket. From Lower Manhattan the 1 to South Ferry, the R or W to Whitehall Street, or the 4 or 5 to Bowling Green all land at the Whitehall terminal. Stand on the right-hand side of the boat going out for the statue, and at the front coming back for the skyline. Don't get back on — the plan starts when you walk out of the St. George terminal.
The S40 bus from the terminal ramps, about ten minutes along the north shore. The S44 also serves it.
Snug Harbor Cultural CenterUnder $25
The morning, two to three hours. Eighty-three acres of Greek Revival buildings and gardens — walk the grounds for free, pay the small admission for the Chinese Scholar's Garden, which is worth it, and look in at the Staten Island Museum's branch here, which is among the cheapest museums in the city. Most summer weekends there is something free happening on the lawns. Lunch at the café or bring it.
Back to the terminal on the S40, then the S74 toward Richmond Town to the Moravian Cemetery and High Rock Park entrances — around forty minutes on the bus. This is the long leg of the day; accept it.
The Staten Island GreenbeltFree
The afternoon, as long as the light lasts. Two thousand eight hundred acres of genuine forest with thirty-five miles of marked trails, bigger than Central Park and quieter than anywhere in the city. Walk up through Moravian Cemetery and into the trails behind it, or start at High Rock Park on Nevada Avenue; either way you are actually hiking, in New York City. Wear shoes for it, carry water, and turn back with an hour of daylight to spare.
The S74 back to St. George, about forty minutes, then walk into the terminal.
The Staten Island FerryFree
The ride back at dusk, with the skyline lit up in front of you, is the best free thing in New York. If there is an evening game at the ballpark two minutes west of the terminal, the cheap tickets and the skyline over the outfield wall are a better ending than anything in Manhattan. Otherwise get on the boat.
Common questions
- Is it worth getting off the ferry at all?
If you have a whole day and like parks, yes, unreservedly — there is nowhere else in the city you can walk in real forest for an afternoon. If you have two hours, no: ride over, walk the two minutes to the waterfront by the ballpark for the view, and ride back. The borough's good things are each a long bus ride apart, and two hours buys you the bus, not the things.
- Can I do Historic Richmond Town on the same day as the Greenbelt?
They are adjacent, so yes, and it is the standard pairing — the S74 serves both. But Richmond Town's opening days are limited and seasonal and it is the stop that catches people out; check it before you plan the day around it. If it is open, give it the afternoon and the Greenbelt a shorter walk. If not, the Greenbelt alone fills the time.
- Do I need a car on Staten Island?
No, but you need patience. Everything on this plan is reachable by the buses from the terminal and the Staten Island Railway, all of which take the same tap as the subway. The buses run every twenty to thirty minutes outside rush hour, so check times and do not cut it fine for the last leg back. A car makes the borough faster; it does not make it better.
Who should skip this
Anyone on a tight schedule, anyone who dislikes buses, or anyone who wants the ferry and nothing more — that is a fine evening on its own and does not need a guide.