Enjoying a day on Staten Island

So much adventure awaits minutes away from the ferry.

What a fun-filled and adventurous day we had on Staten Island recently! Having never visited Staten Island before, we were fortunate to work with the staff at Visit Staten Island  who helped tremendously with a full-day itinerary planning plus details on accessibility. To be fully transparent, I was introduced to them after the launch of our blog and have been in talks for a visit. They wanted to showcase Staten Island as a welcoming borough which everyone can enjoy and were happy to provide us with complimentary admissions into each museum in Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden.

Our full day included visits to multiple museums, a public bus ride to the newly opened Empire Outlets where we shopped then took a ride back to New York City on the Staten Island Ferry. For those of you who have never heard of Snug Harbor (we sure hadn’t!), it’s an 83-acre campus originally built in the 1800’s as a home for retired sailors. It consists of 23 historical buildings and 14 botanical gardens set on 83-acre campus. It’s very well preserved and provides experiences for all ages during all seasons.

While most people just ride the ferry to and from Staten Island for the views of the Statue of Liberty, there is so much more to explore and think you’ll find it just as welcoming and as fun as we did for a day visit. The below are highlights of each places visited and recommend you using the accessibility links for full details to plan your trip.

Staten Island Children’s Museum (currently closed - expected reopening Jan 2025)
Rayan and Diya has the most fun here, they LOVED the Big Games Room and challenged each other with checkers and bowling. Annie and I couldn’t resist posing with the life size chess pieces and both enjoyed watching the kids play. Mom of course, enjoyed the outdoor herb garden.
Website: https://sichildrensmuseum.org/
Accessibility Information: https://www.sichildrensmuseum.org/accessible/
Admissions: $8 per person ages 1 & up
Suggested duration: 1 hour

Staten Island Museum
This museum features natural history as well as fine arts. We explored the famous Mastodon exhibit and lost bird species plus viewed their current exhibit “ Field Notes: Seed Stories and the Power of Plants” an interactive learning experience.
Website: http://www.statenislandmuseum.org
Suggested Admissions: Adults: $8.00 | Students and Seniors: $5.00 | Children 2 - 12: $2.00
Caretakers are free.
Suggested duration: 1 hour

Noble Maritime Collection
Our visit included a personal guided tour of the facilities. We were impressed with its rich maritime history by the distinguished marine artist, John A. Noble, viewed the Noble Houseboat Studio, learnt about the “Daily Life at Sailors’ Snug Harbor” as well as the Robbin's Reef Lighthouse which was tended by the very brave Kate Walker. After hearing her story of many dedicated years of unwavering service, we were pleased to learn that she is selected to be the female statue of Staten Island, part of the SheBuiltNYC initiative.
Website: http://www.noblemaritime.org/

Pay as you wish Admission
Suggested duration: 1 hour

Harbor Eats
We ate lunch at Harbor Eats, an al-fresco cafe serving sandwiches, burgers, tacos, fries, light snacks and much more. Food was affordably priced and delicious, everyone enjoyed their meals and service was extremely friendly. There are plenty of grassy areas for picnicking (the grassy surface may not work for the wheelchairs) seating next to the cafe and picnic tables across the street from the cafe. Note there is about a foot of missing walkway to get from the street onto the wheelchair pathway to the cafe which the staff was happy to assist with getting Annie’s chair on safely.
Website: https://snug-harbor.org/visit/dining/
Suggested duration: 45 mins- 1 hour

Important Tips:
- While Snug Harbor is old, we found the grounds and museums we visited to be very well maintained and accessible.
- There are separate accessible entrances for the Staten Island Museum and the Maritime Museum which are easily found.
- Restroom at the Children's Museum is accessible.
- We visited on a Saturday from 10am to 2:30pm and noted it was not overly crowded which makes it an ideal destination for culture and relaxation. The staffs were all very helpful and friendly.

- Check out Snug Harbor website for more accessibility information here.

Transportation : MTA Public S40 Bus stops directly across the street from Snug Harbor, note the walkway is a bit old but manageable. It’s about a 12 minutes bus ride from Snug Harbor to St. George’s Ferry Terminal.

Empire Outlets is Staten Island’s newest premier outlet shopping center, with amazing views of lower Manhattan. It’s steps away from St. George’s Ferry Terminal making it an ideal stop. There are two floors of shopping which are accessible via elevators. We visited a few of our favorite brand stores and found them to be accessible. Because it’s still very new, there are many ongoing opening of stores and restaurants.
Website: https://empireoutlets.nyc/

Staten Island Ferry Ride to NYC

This was a first time experience for Annie who is not a fan of boats and water but was brave to try it with the family to which she said “It wasn’t too bad” afterwards. She's ready to go on more boat rides around the city now! The ferry ride is high on tourist attraction list because of it’s amazing views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, plus it’s completely free. Stay on the left side when returning from Staten Island for a view of Lady Liberty and best timing is at sunset.

Duration of the ride: 25 minutes
Accessibility Information: https://siferry.com/additional-information/

Important Tips:
- Both terminals have escalators, elevators and accessible restrooms as well as places to eat.
- We used the upper level on our ride and found the ramp to be steep and therefore asked for assistance from the staff to get Annie off once we got to New York City. The staff advised to stay on the ferry and when everyone else was off, he wheeled Annie down. (Extremely friendly staff !) FYI - this was the perfect opportunity we got for a picture.
- Note I asked about this and the found out that it's best suggested to board the ferry on the lower level. If you're unsure where to find the area, ask a DOT staff for assistance.
- During rush hour, the ferry is crowded.
- There is a concession stand on the ferries serving snack, light food and beer which is accessible via an elevator.

Important: Information is subject to change, please visit https://snug-harbor.org/ for the most up to date details.
Oct 2024