On the Long Island Sound, just a short ride from City Island, sits one of the city’s newest parks.

It’s also the country’s largest common gravesite and home to over a million New Yorkers who were laid to rest.

From military training to missile storage, Hart Island has had a long history in the borough: as a workhouse, as a POW camp, and as storage for Nike defense missiles during the Cold War. Since 1868, it’s been the final resting place for over a million New Yorkers and counting, but for decades it was mostly cut off from the public. Some of those buried include those who passed away unidentified or people whose families couldn't afford a private burial, including victims of the HIV/AIDS epidemic or COVID-19 pandemic.

Management of the island was transferred to the New York City Parks Department in 2021, allowing easy access for the first time to families grieving loved ones on weekends. Two years later, the site opened for scheduled public tours on Tuesdays.

New upgrades to attract visitors include a welcome center, restrooms, shade, benches and more, although it plans to keep the focus on reverence and not recreation. New Yorkers can expect the final plan this summer.