Great place with welcoming people. They're teaching you how to row and handle boats. They also…read moreinvite people to build boats. I enjoyed rowing here. Looking forward to came again and bring my friends.

Our family needed a refreshing experience a few weekends back and thought we'd do some free…read morekayaking but ended up at the Village Community Boathouse for a 2 1/2 hour row. Wow! That was great! You get to go out in traditional rowboats up or down and across the Hudson River. We made it all the way to a little beach on the NJ side. Who would have known there was a beach? The whole experience on a Sunday afternoon was just so unusual and full of interesting surprises. And we (ages 17 to 69) felt very safe with our very experienced coxswain lady. Oh, and best thing is ....it's free. Apparently it is an entirely volunteer run non profit organization and the rely on donations. Which we happily did (by check for a tax deduction) BTW - they were super nice and let us park our bikes inside the boathouse.

It's the season of sunny skies and warmer weather. I am finally ready to leave the comfort of my…read morebed and go somewhere fun. Amongst my many hobbies, one that I've missed the most is boating. I had the best time rowing my kayak in the Downtown Boathouse. LISTEN UP! Make sure you get there early, as lines can get super long. I got there with my friend at 2:30PM and got into the water at 3:20PM. We were one of the last groups to get into the water because the volunteers had to leave for the day. We were allowed into the water for only 20 minutes at a time. The water was a bit rough and WILL seep into the kayak, so I recommend bringing a change of clothes and/or a protective phone case. There are other locations in the city offering free kayaking, but you must check out their respective webpages. Downtown Boathouse at Pier 26 Weekends 10 AM - 4:30 PM, Tues/Thurs 5:30 PM-7 PM

Located on Governors island, this Boathouse offers free kayaking all day on the weekend!…read more Until noon, you could take a free ferry onto Governors Island. From there, walk a few yards, and you'll see the Boathouse with kayaking on your left side. This is one of the worlds largest free kayaking programs that provides water access to all! It's first come, first serve. We had to wait about 15 minutes for a group of 3 people. We ended up using one single and one double kayak. The double kayaks were often given to the people with young children since they need to be accompanied by an adult. Hours: 10am-4:30pm on the weekends. In addition, they offered free lockers. You could kayak as long as you want, but keep in mind of how long you're out on the water in case there is a line. For kayaking, you're limited to around a football field or 1.5 football fields of water for safety reasons. They give you a few minutes lesson on how to use the kayak and paddle as well. I highly recommend this place, especially if you're on a budget. After this, there's a restaurant nearby called Gitano Island. It's a beach paradise in NY, but a little pricey for the food amount.

Amazing way to spend a weekend. Had a really great two days learning the basics of sailing. Had…read morezero experience coming into it and between the "classroom" time and time on the water I am walking away feeling like I have a really good understanding of how sailing works. And a pretty strong desire to do it again. The staff are great. Eric, Calvin, and Zoe. Can't beat sailing around lower manhattan. Strong recommend.

Such and amazing experience! I've been fascinated by sailing for years but have never gotten to try…read moreit. I was VERY nervous to come on board and LEARN with a 3 hour private lesson with a few friends, considering we had ZERO experience between us. Our instructor, Amber, was so cool. She was as eager to get to know us as we were eager to get to know her, and while she let everyone get their hands on the boat's functions, she never pushed expectations or made us feel small for being novices. She would have stayed out with us longer if she could, and we would have too! Also important to note, the team was SO HELPFUL with rescheduling. When our sail date threatened heavy wind & rain all morning, they graciously changed our lesson date, giving us the best experience possible. Couldn't ask for a better, more receptive or more inviting team to work with and learn from.

This was one of the most shocking customer experiences I've ever had…read more My reservation was accepted months in advance. I received confirmation emails, booking numbers, check-in instructions, and multiple emails thanking me for my purchase. Like any reasonable customer, I believed I had a legitimate reservation. At no point during the booking process, in the confirmation emails, or on my reservation was I ever told that I was on a waiting list. In fact, everything I received indicated that my reservation was confirmed. Then, just FOUR DAYS before the event, I received an email informing me that there was no space unless I agreed to pay $1,200 PER PERSON. When I called customer service to understand what had happened, I was told that I had actually been on a waiting list all along. That was the first time I had ever heard those words. If customers are on a waiting list, they deserve to be told before they spend months planning flights, hotels, and an entire vacation--not after everything has already been booked. Think about that for a moment. A company advertises an event, accepts reservations, sends confirmation emails, provides booking numbers and check-in instructions, thanks customers for booking, and allows them to spend months planning their trip around what appears to be a confirmed reservation. Then, only days before the event, it announces that the reservation can only be honored if customers pay $1,200 per person. To me, this shifts 100% of the risk onto the customer while leaving the company with virtually none. The refund of my small deposit did not refund my flights, my hotel expenses, my vacation planning, my lost opportunities, or the trust I placed in this company. The strongest legal disclaimer in the world cannot manufacture trust once it has been broken. Fine print may protect a contract, but it can never repair a reputation. Businesses are remembered not for the loopholes they write, but for the promises they keep. A confirmed reservation should mean something. Customers should not spend months planning a trip only to face what feels like an ultimatum days before the event: pay an extraordinary amount of money or lose the experience they planned their vacation around. Whether this practice is ultimately permissible under the company's terms is for consumer protection authorities and the courts to decide. From a customer's perspective, however, it felt profoundly unfair and completely inconsistent with the trust people place in a confirmed booking. I will never trust this company again, and I strongly encourage anyone considering booking with them to think carefully before making travel plans around one of their "confirmed" reservations. Trust is earned over years and can be destroyed in a single email. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened here.

Confirmed reservation. Months of planning. Then, just 5 days before the event, I was told I had to…read morepay $1,200 per person or lose my spot.

Margo and Paul took excellent care of us on our sunset kayak trip. With an emphasis on safety, they…read moretaught the basics on land, made sure we were comfortable on the water, and then led us on a tour, stopping often to share historical information (and to let the stragglers catch up.) Our trip wasn't a high level athletic event, but Manhattan Kayak does offer training and equipment to get you there if you desire. PS, my wife forgot her wallet in a changing room, the staff called and texted immediately but we were already home when we checked our messages. Stacy came in early the next day so we could collect the valuables. Operation, equipment, and staff all highly recommended at Manhattan Kayak.

The Social Paws allows you to kayak or paddleboard on the Hudson River with your dogs for about 45…read moreminutes! You don't even have to own a dog to participate; simply be a dog lover. Paddleboarding is recommended if you have a dog. I wish you could kayak/paddleboard more, but you are allowed to explore the area around the Intrepid. If you are not interested in the Social Paws, there are other tours available, such as the Night Kayaking Tour, the Private Hudson Tour, the Spuyten Duyvil Tour, the Tribeca Tour, and so on. Five stars - it's a fun time!

As other Saling Clubs in New York City (OK, the Manhattan Yacht Club is slightly above the…read morecompetitors), ONE 15 Brooklyn Sailing Club is all about groups of weekend's sailors who enjoy to meet once a week to roam around the NY Harbour, with no particular attention to the basic seafaring rules, and drink some beers at the dock later, which is totally OK, but you can't call this serious sailing. As US Sailing certified instructor and Star Sailor League's Crew, I have volunteered as instructor on board and I have personally seen pepole unable to correctly start the engine or uncapable to face a 10 knots wind in order to get back to the dock, and before the sailing session, the only concern of Steven, the Directors of Sailing, was to ask crews about the price of an eventually broken equipment or the exact sunset time (it looks to be so relevant if someone fails to correctly remeber it, and this means he wants the exact time reported on some smartphone's apps he only knows). This sounds ridiculous to me! Therefore, the way of teaching is quite confusing and not focused on the right things to do on board, not following a logical pattern. The staff, starting from the Director of Sailing, claim itself to be top-notch sailors, but if you are looking for rigorous racing please take a look to the Long Island Sound or Oyster Bay and you will find much better clubs and probably for a cheap price! Please stay away from these club in particular, but also from the other ones in NYC, if you can.

Well run and lots of fun. I have been racing and sailing for a long time and this is one of the…read morebest sailing clubs I've found. The boats are top quality and well maintained. New sailors, whether they are racers or cruisers, have many opportunities to get on the water, improve their skills and try new things. I enjoy mentoring and not only do I get a chance to help people become better sailors but I receive top level coaching well above my skill set. As a racer I appreciate that the club fleet is evenly maintained, the boats are rotated every week, there is a program to recruit and train people interested in racing, there are debriefs and coaching to make the fleet more competitive, great RC and a culture that is supportive rather than cutthroat. We have a great time on the water and off. One of the main attractions of the club for me is that it is under the direction of Stephen Yip. His decades of experience as a racer, PRO and instructor and his dedication and professionalism make this a top notch sailing venue. I've had the good fortune to receive coaching from him in several of the Saturday races that are designed to improve the racing program and that coaching has greatly improved my Thursday race results - last night we got a first in fleet and a first overall. In the first Saturday race I participated in he put someone on my team who had never raced before who said that "racing was her worst fear", she improved as a novice spinnaker trimmer under his coaching while I improved as an experienced driver, the entire team had a lot of fun and everyone has been back for more. Having a program like this that mixes novices with experienced racers and coaches makes racing fun for just about everyone at any level.

I reserved the 2 hour charter as a surprise for my boyfriend's birthday. Captain Felix and his mate…read moreJose were exceptional. They shared so much information about NYC & the Hudson. They were great at serving us all the drinks we brought. It was a good time.

We loved Bret and Spencer! We had the best time chatting and sailing around with them. They were…read moresuch a delight! We will definitely be doing this again, and requesting them.

Conservatory Water, Central Park - Conservatory Water has a very pleasant, family-friendly…read moreatmosphere and reminds me of peaceful parks in European cities. The small lake, model sailboats, and benches create an ideal place to relax. It is a tranquil corner of the park where visitors can sit, watch children and families, and momentarily forget that they are in the middle of bustling New York City.

Conservatory Water is a charming ornamental pond in Central Park, famous for model boating, hidden…read moresculptures, and a rich 19th‑century history. The pond's name comes from a planned glass conservatory for tropical plants that was part of the 1857 Greensward Plan by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. The conservatory was never built, but the "hard‑edged" reflecting pool was, and it became the pond we know today. When Central Park was created in the mid‑1800s, hardy water lilies grew wild in the mud, while delicate varieties were wintered in the park's conservatory. Later, the pond was reshaped into the model boat pond we see now. The pond's water originally came from the Sawkill stream, which once flowed through the area toward the East River, via the Ramble and Lake. Children have been sailing here for over 150 years, inspired by similar ponds in Paris and London. Today, you can rent radio‑controlled or wind‑powered boats from the Kerbs Memorial Boathouse. The pond's edge is home to Alice in Wonderland and Hans Christian Andersen statues, popular with kids and art lovers.