Best things to do in Staten Island

It’s the “forgotten borough” no more. Long dismissed as the most suburban, least dynamic part of New York City, Staten Island is having a moment.

New waves of migration are revitalizing its North Shore, transforming a place long associated with Italian Americans into a center for the Sri Lankan and Liberian communities. New Yorkers are discovering the lush glories of the city’s greenest borough – with Freshkills Park, the site of a former landfill, set to grow to 2200 acres by the 2030s. 

Whether you’re looking for some outdoor relaxation or cultural appreciation, here are a few reasons why you need to visit Staten Island right now.

Lie out on the best beaches in New York City

Deeply tanned seniors in beach chairs don’t seem to mind the frolicking kids and Jehovah’s Witnesses passing out pamphlets at South Beach, a 2.5-mile-long stretch of sand that might be New York City’s best. With the majestic Verrazano Bridge as a backdrop, you can take a dip with a view – or go for a walk or bike ride on the boardwalk, made from real, wonderfully creaky planks (and complete with a shadowy space underneath for teens to make mischief). However you do South Beach, expect a tableau of New York eccentricity.

A few miles further south, the dunes at Great Kills – managed by the federal National Parks Service as part of the region-wide Gateway National Recreation Area – sprout with…