Things to do nearStaten Island

Staten Island, the southernmost of New York City's five boroughs, sits at the mouth of New York Harbor and has long carried a quieter identity than its neighbors. Its history stretches back to Lenape settlement and later Dutch colonization, and that layered past is visible today in sites like the Conference House, where Benjamin Franklin participated in a failed 1776 peace negotiation.

The borough's green spaces are its most underappreciated asset. The Staten Island Greenbelt preserves nearly three thousand acres of forest in the middle of the city, threaded with trails suited to hikers of most skill levels. Fort Wadsworth, a coastal fortification with roots in the Revolutionary War, offers dramatic views of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the harbor beyond.

Culture finds a home here too. Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden occupies a beautifully restored Greek Revival campus that once served as a sailors' retirement community. The Staten Island Museum and the Alice Austen House add further texture to the borough's artistic and social history. Visitors crossing via the Staten Island Ferry get one of the finest free views in the city along the way.

Staten Island moves at its own pace, and that is precisely its appeal. It offers an authentic slice of New York life away from the crowds, with genuine history, real neighborhoods, and natural beauty that few other parts of the city can match.