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What to expect when you camp on Governors Island

Collective Governors Island returns on Wednesday for the season with new programming for guests and the public.
Collective Governors Island returns on Wednesday for the season with new programming for guests and the public. Photo Credit: Library Hotel by Library Hotel Collection

The new luxury campsite on Governors Island returns for the summer this week with private boats, weekend field days and even more dining.

The six-acre retreat called Collective Governors Island is all about the glamping (glamorous + camping) experience. Tours of the harbor and a picnic for up to eight people will be offered on private boats, which are available for after-hours check-ins. 

For those who want to get the full camp experience, each Saturday the retreat will hold a field day with island scavenger hunts, lawn games (kite flying, croquet, dance classes), crafts and DIY workshops in macramé, tonic elixir making, hat-making, and more, plus yoga and meditation classes — all starting May 18.

The public can buy tickets at $25 per day for field day access from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Yoga and meditation will be run by Tru Format, Thursdays through Sundays, with five classes per week. It’s free for guests but ticketed with the public’s Saturday day pass.

Glamping is "glamorous" and "camping" put together -- meaning it's not your typical tent-in-the-woods deal.
Glamping is "glamorous" and "camping" put together — meaning it’s not your typical tent-in-the-woods deal. Photo Credit: Collective Retreats

The restaurant at Three Peaks Lodge, the retreat’s lobby, will be open to the public for dinner, weekend brunch and as a bar. New farm-to-table menus will offer family-style meals incorporating clams, shellfish and fluke with a Mediterranean twist.

Those who can afford $450 to $650 per night (depending on the date) can stay in the “Summit” tents, which house a king or two single beds with 1,500 thread-count sheets, a down comforter and “designer-curated” blankets. Don’t worry about your phone losing battery power; there is electricity and bedside sockets at your disposal. And there’s no sharing a latrine or shower with strangers. Each Summit tent has its own fancy bathroom with a rainshower head and an actual porcelain toilet. It literally is a hotel room set in the great outdoors — you even get free breakfast and a s’mores kit.

For anywhere from $75 to $127 a night, the “Journey” tents offer a more quaint experience. Choose between a queen or two single beds with 1,000 thread-count sheets, electricity and plush towels. But you’ll have to share a bathroom trailer, which has private toilets and showers.

You can book now for a stay between May 1 and Sept. 30.

Governors Island opens for the season on Wednesday. Visit governorsisland.com for more information on programming.