Coney Island cuts ribbon on new Visitor Center

As Coney Island continues to grow, so does the need for visitors to plan their trips accordingly, and the new Coney Island Visitor Center plans to help out with precisely that.

On August 18, the ribbon was cut on the new center located in the Stillwell Avenue subway station both to welcome and inform guests throughout the remainder of the season.

Alliance for Coney Island Executive Director Johanna Zaki was joined by members of the Alliance, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Coney Island Greeters, Brooklyn Cyclones mascot Sandy the Seagull and others to celebrate the opening.

“It’s been over three years in the making,” said Zaki. “We are so happy that we were finally able to get this open. Primarily, it took this long because we wanted this particular location. We felt that it was the perfect spot. It’s very easy for the millions of visitors that use the train station every year to go to the amusements to stop in and pick up information.”

The center is filled with various brochures, Coney Island merchandise and a giant map that will help Coney fans navigate to their favorite spot. Coney Island Greeters, donned in blue t-shirts, were also in attendance and expect make visitors feel welcome. “The center will be run by the greeters,” said Zaki. “They’re well versed on everything that is Coney Island.”

Initially, the visitor center will be open Friday through Sunday. However, the plan for next summer is to have it open daily.

Borough President Eric Adams is pleased to see the overall transformation in the subway station – which was renovated just a few years ago — compared to years ago.

“This is where I started my policing career and I remember how instead of being a welcoming location, it was a place where people felt unwelcome,” he said. “And now by having young people to greet people when they get off the train and visit Coney Island, it’s a different energy and spirit. The Alliance really needs to be commended.”

The center will also be a place for businesses to promote themselves. “For the amusements themselves, and for the restaurants and businesses that are within the district, they can use this as a place to put out whatever information they’re looking to give out at that particular moment such as discounts, promotions, events that are happening,” said Zaki.

This is great news for Coney Island as we continue to welcome more and more New Yorkers and tourists to the great restaurants, attractions and beach here in the People’s Playground,” added Councilmember Mark Treyger in a statement.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.