Sometimes you get free stuff in places and it’s nice, but really no big deal. A 1/2″ piece of fudge at every touristy fudge store in the country. A cheap Christmas ornament (with every $50 purchase). You know what I mean. But then every once in a while you get something really cool for no cost at all!

Like go kayaking near the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. Yes, FREE in NYC!

What Are the Dets?

Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse has been providing free kayaking on the East River since 2010 and over the years their program has grown from a couple of boats and a single day program to over 7,000 paddlers over the course of the 2018 summer season. Besides regular kayaking, they also offer kayak polo games every week; they’re the only organization in the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area that offers that for free.

Free kayaking is available for adults and kids (under age 14 must be accompanied by a guardian in a double kayak. Kids age 14-17 may take a single kayak as long as a guardian is present) from June through August:

• Thursday: 5:30pm to 7:00pm (or 5pm to 6:30pm, depending on what page of their website you look at???)
• Saturday: 10:00am to 2:00pm
• Sunday: 10:00am to 2:00pm

Their Mission

From their website:

Our goal is to bring human-powered boating to everyone, free of charge. If you’re willing to provide the human power, we’ll provide the boat, life vest and paddling instructions. Simply walk up, fill out a waiver and we’ll handle the rest.

They don’t take reservations and getting a kayak is first come, first served. Each 20-minute kayak session allows amazing views of Lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and, of course, the Brooklyn Bridge. And if you’d like to kayak some more when you’re 20 minutes is done, you’re welcome to get back on line. 🙂

They also offer summer youth programs and water quality testing throughout the summer months.

How to Take Advantage of the Free Kayaking

Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse is located in Brooklyn NY, between Piers 1 & 2, a few blocks south of the Brooklyn Bridge (look for their floating dock near the rollerskating rink). Parking is limited so they recommend using public transportation:

Subway: 4/5 to Borough Hall, A/C to High Street, F to York Street, or 2/3 to Clark Street stations
Bus: the nearest buses are the B25, B61, B63, B67
NYC Ferry: East River route to Dumbo or South Brooklyn Route to Atlantic Ave/Pier 6 (this is the ferry Joe and I used on our last visit to NYC. It was very convenient and CHEAP, too!)
CitiBike: there are CitiBike stations at the north and south entrance to the park

Want more info? Here’s where to find them:

Website: http://www.bbpboathouse.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Brooklyn.Bridge.Park.Boathouse/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbpboathouse/

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