Attractions
Tourism video highlighting
Produced by Ed Burke and Andy Levison, Staten Island Borough President’s Office
Narrated by Ken Dashow
Run Time: 8 minutes, 52 seconds
Clear Comfort Awaits You!
One of America's earliest and most accomplished female photographers, Alice Austen (1866-1952) captured more than 8,000 photographs over the course of her fascinating life. She is well known for her Street Photography, images of immigrants arriving from Ellis Island, shoe-shiners, and policemen.
A Revolutionary History
Conference House Park is a great destination for both nature and history buffs. This 267-acre site features four historic buildings from Staten Island's history. The Conference House, the Billopp House, the Ward House and Rutan-Beckett House all tell of New York's, and America's, past.
One of the Oldest Military Sites in the U.S.
Built along the high ground of the Narrows is Fort Wadsworth, a formidable structure that has guarded New York City for over 200 years. Fort Wadsworth harkens back to an era when New York Harbor was protected by seacoast fortifications.
Home to Italian-American Pioneers
In the 19th century, Staten Island was home to two notable Italian political refugees: Antonio Meucci, who was the true inventor of the telephone and Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian revolutionary. In the 1850s Garibaldi fled Italy and took up residence in Meucci's Staten Island home. Garibaldi later returned to Italy and successfully fought for Italy's independence.
Visit the Past (Without a Time Machine)
New York City's only historic village is a collection of 28 landmarked buildings in a park-like setting. Visitors can stroll through this open-air museum and experience life from the 17th century until today. You can visit the oldest schoolhouse in the United States, the Voorlezer's House, which dates from 1695, watch a carpenter or tinsmith hone their trade, learn how to make soap, or see the village blacksmith pound out 19th century tools.
A visit to Tibet without a Sherpa
Founded in 1945, the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art was the result of one woman's passion for the ancient art and culture of Tibet. Built into the hillside, the Museum resembles a Himalayan mountain monastery and houses the vast collection of Tibetan artifacts that Jacques Marchais (1887-1948) amassed in her lifetime.
The Underground Railroad makes a stop on Staten Island
As the oldest continuously inhabited free Black settlement in the United States, Sandy Ground is a place of great historical significance.
The Smithsonian of Staten Island
In one day at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, you can visit art galleries, stroll beautiful gardens, sample the cultures of both Italy and China, and learn local maritime history.
