Governors Island will have expanded hours, a new ferry this year

One of New York's best seasonal destinations will have new things to do this year

It may not feel like spring at the moment in New York City, but there are signs that the season has arrived. Cherry blossoms are starting to bloom, baseball has begun, and as of today, Governors Island has announced its 2019 season—which begins in just under a month.

This year, the island will be open for a full six months, from May 1 to October 31. Late-night hours will also return, beginning Memorial Day weekend and ending over Labor Day weekend. On those days, the island will be open until 10 p.m.—and if you haven't seen a sunset from the island, this is the year you should rectify that.

Come summer, there will also be another way to get to the island: The Trust for Governors Island will roll out a new, 400-seat ferry in June, which will increase the number of passengers that can travel to and from the island by 1,000 per hour. It'll travel between Manhattan—where waits to grab the ferry can get long, especially on peak weekends—and the island, and will necessitate new ferry schedules, which will be unveiled this summer.

There will still be ferries running regularly between Brooklyn and the island, and beginning Memorial Day weekend, NYC Ferry service will also run there on the weekends.

Other new changes coming to the island include a new bar, helmed by Brooklyn's Threes Brewing, in Liggett Terrace (plus a specially brewed Governors Island beer, called Public Property); free exhibits from the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, Pioneer Works, and the Climate Museum; a self-guided walking tour courtesy of Urban Archive; and an inaugural ShinDIG volunteering event over opening weekend.

This is all in addition to the opening of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's new Arts Center, which will debut in September and bring galleries, studio space for artists, and a cafe to the 1870s military structure known as Building 110.