Snug Harbor: Gardens and Culture on Staten Island

Snug Harbor is the huge cultural center of Staten Island, combining museums housed in beautiful neoclassical buildings, botanical gardens and the Chinese Scholar's Garden, a corner of China in New York that I really recommend you visit. It'll surprise you.

What to see at Snug Harbor

Until the 1950s, Snug Harbor was a community of retired sailors, and you'll notice it in the details and decorations on several of the buildings.

Today its buildings, spread across 75 acres, are used for workshops, exhibitions and plenty of other cultural activities aimed at Staten Island residents. Snug Harbor is now the cultural, historic and community heart of this New York borough.

Several of its buildings are part of New York's architectural heritage, and some go back to the city's maritime history. You'll even come across former homes of the retired sailors' community, along with the much grander institutional buildings.

Staten Island museums

The area's most important museums sit inside Snug Harbor: the Staten Island Museum, the Newhouse Center for contemporary art, the Children's Museum and the Noble Maritime Collection.

Admission is a little confusing, since each venue has its own price, although you can also buy a combo ticket that gets you into all of them.

It's a good idea to stop first at the Visitors Center, near the entrance to the grounds, and ask there about what's on.

Snug Harbor gardens

If you just want to soak up a bit of the local atmosphere, you can wander the grounds' gardens freely, since access is free.

There's an admission fee for the Connie Gretz Secret Garden and the Chinese Scholar's Garden. I'd say the latter is a must. For me, this slice of China in New York alone made the trip to Snug Harbor worth it.

The Chinese Scholar's Garden was built by New York's Chinese community as a recreation of a Ming Dynasty garden.

It's one of those quirky New York spots that contrast with the concrete and noise of the city (and it's a location Woody Allen has used 😉

More Staten Island attractions

If you make it out to Snug Harbor, don't miss the other places worth seeing on Staten Island, like Historic Richmond Town, where you'll experience American history firsthand and hands-on.

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Getting there:
S40 bus to Snug Harbor

Address:
1000 Richmond Terrace. Staten Island

Prices:
Grounds free

Museum prices and hours on the official website.