Staten Island: 12 Things That Are Worth Your Time

Staten Island is a residential borough of New York, with attractions that are ideal once the weather warms up.

It's the only part of the city the subway doesn't reach. In exchange, it has the free orange ferries that leave from Lower Manhattan and an extensive bus network that gets you to every attraction.

During this trip of just 25 minutes by ferry you'll pass very close to the Statue of Liberty, which is why these boats fill up with tourists trying to photograph New York's most famous statue.

But Staten Island has more to offer than a round trip on a free ferry, so keep reading to discover what's worth seeing…

What to See in Staten Island

Plenty of New Yorkers write it off as a bedroom community, but it's much more than that.

It's a middle-class residential borough with old mansions, lots of green space, parks, museums and a Chinese Garden that rivals the most refined parks in Manhattan for sheer beauty. That garden alone makes the trip worth it.

1. The Staten Island Ferry

The Staten Island ferries are an attraction in themselves, for the reason we already mentioned: they're free and they pass very close to the Statue of Liberty.

These enormous orange boats leave every half hour from the Whitehall Ferry Terminal, right outside the South Ferry station on subway line 1. They run 24 hours a day.

When you get there, just wait for the ferry and hop on. Don't worry about the crowds, these boats are huge and everyone fits.

As you approach the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, a picturesque St. George full of trees and big parks welcomes you. Greenery is this island's defining feature.

Once on Staten Island you can catch a bus to reach the attractions (here's how to check bus routes), and you can ride easily with the same MetroCard.

2. Postcards

Postcards is the name of the 9/11 victims memorial on Staten Island's north shore (it's on Bank Street, steps from the Ferry Terminal).

It was erected in 2004 to honor the 274 Staten Island residents who died in the tragedy. It frames the spot at the WTC where the Twin Towers stood.

Its architect, Masayuki Sono, designed it to symbolize 2 postcards reaching out to lost loved ones.

Beyond its emotional weight, the monument is an excellent lookout over Manhattan.

3. Empire Outlets

In May 2019 Empire Outlets opened (55 Richmond Terrace), a shopping center with big discounts right next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.

There are still plenty of stores yet to open, but it's already worth a walk through (check which shops are open), since you can browse at your own pace with spectacular Manhattan views in the background.

If you love shopping, you'll want our guide to shopping cheap in New York.

4. National Lighthouse Museum

If lighthouses are your thing, you have to visit the National Lighthouse Museum (200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point), just steps from the Ferry Terminal.

There you'll pick up curious facts about America's lighthouses, like which one is the oldest in the country and which was the first to use electricity.

It sits in what was once the general depot of the United States Lighthouse Service, where materials used by lighthouses nationwide were tested and distributed.

Check the hours and prices.

5. Snug Harbor Cultural Center

Snug Harbor (1000 Richmond Terrace) was a community of retired sailors until the 1950s. Today it's a huge cultural and community center spread across a dozen historic buildings.

Access to its green spaces is free, including the Staten Island Botanical Garden. For the Connie Gretz Secret Garden and the Chinese Scholar's Garden, there's a modest admission fee.

Inside Snug Harbor there are paid museums you can visit: the Staten Island Museum, the Newhouse Center for contemporary art, the Children's Museum and the Noble Maritime Collection.

6. Chinese Scholar's Garden

The Chinese Scholar's Garden is inside the Snug Harbor Cultural Center. We're giving it its own section because it's beautiful and you shouldn't miss it.

Even few New Yorkers know about this corner of China in New York, though more do since it appeared in Woody Allen‘s Wonder Wheel (2017). Go see it!

7. Historic Richmond Town

Richmond Town is a living history village-museum dedicated to teaching and interpreting the American colonial period.

It's a fascinating visit if you want to learn firsthand how Staten Island's original peoples lived, along with the Dutch and English colonists who settled New York (in the same vein, see our visit to Sleepy Hollow).

You'll need time to see it properly, since the round trip from the Ferry Terminal takes about 2 hours.

8. Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, opened in 1964, connects Staten Island with Brooklyn's Bay Ridge neighborhood.

It's the longest bridge in the United States and its name honors Giovanni da Verrazano, the first European navigator to explore New York Bay, back in 1524 (after the Vikings, of course ;).

Runners surely know it, since it's the starting point of the New York Marathon (read up on the best places to watch the Marathon runners).

It's built over the strait between Staten Island and Brooklyn, the Narrows, the gateway to New York Bay.

Most of the maritime traffic heading to the ports of New Jersey and New York passes underneath it.

You can get to its base in 25 minutes on a bus from the Ferry Terminal.

9. Fort Wadsworth

A good way to see the Verrazano Bridge up close is to head over to Fort Wadsworth (210 New York Avenue).

This military fortification was built on the strait between Brooklyn and Staten Island to defend New York Bay. Today it sits right beside the bridge's footings, so you'll get great photos.

On the grounds you can visit the Fort Wadsworth Museum for free, dedicated to the history of the American Revolution. You can check the hours here.

10. South Beach in Staten Island

When the heat arrives, New York's city beaches come alive. Staten Island is no exception, with Atlantic beaches you can reach by bus from the Ferry Terminal.

The most popular is South Beach and its long Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk. It's 35 minutes by bus from the Terminal, or a half-hour walk from Fort Wadsworth.

11. Garibaldi-Meucci Museum

Staten Island is full of curiosities, and one of them is the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum (420 Tompkins Ave), set in the home of Florentine inventor Antonio Meucci (many insist he's the true inventor of the telephone).

The Italian national hero Giuseppe Garibaldi spent a stretch of time at Meucci's house after arriving in New York as a refugee.

If you know your Italian history, you'll get why that matters: Garibaldi was one of the main architects of Italy's unification.

In the late 19th century, New York's Italian community decided to preserve this house as the Garibaldi Memorial.

Today the property is run by the Order Sons of Italy in America, and it displays artifacts, documents and stories of the Italian diaspora around the world.

As you can see, Staten Island is where the heart of Italian America beats.

Check the hours and prices before you visit the museum.

12. Greenbelt

Staten Island is a paradise for nature lovers, and especially for birdwatchers.

If that's you, you'll enjoy a visit to the Greenbelt, a string of connected parkland. Fair warning: getting there on public transportation is a hassle.

You can find more information about what to see and how to get to this nature preserve on Staten Island on its official site.

More New York attractions

Take a look at the attractions in New York's other boroughs: what to see in Manhattan, Brooklyn attractions, what to see in the Bronx or Queens attractions to round out your New York trip.