City Island
4.8(38)google
4.6(11)yelp
BoatingKidsYouth-FriendlyOutdoorLocal LifeFreeIslandRiverSports
Overview
City Island is a unique, 63-acre mile-long park situated right in the middle of the Susquehanna River, directly accessible from downtown Harrisburg via pedestrian and auto bridges. It serves as a major hub for family recreation and professional sports, housing FNB Field, home of the Harrisburg Senators baseball team. Visitors can enjoy an array of vintage activities, including rides on a miniature steam train, a ride on the Pride of the Susquehanna paddlewheel riverboat, championship miniature golf, and beautiful beach areas. It offers a wonderful, breezy escape with panoramic city views.
Practical Info
Suggested Duration2-4 hours
Best TimeIdeal from May to September during the summer recreational wave. The golden window is 3:30 PM to sunset; situated right in the center of the Susquehanna River, the west-facing riverbanks offer an completely unobstructed vantage point to watch the sun silhouette the entire Harrisburg downtown skyline and the historic Market Street Bridge against fiery crimson waves.
Getting ThereNestled entirely on an island split by the Susquehanna River. Accessible easily by car: follow Market Street from either downtown Harrisburg or City West straight onto the historic Market Street Bridge. In the middle of the bridge span, turn right down the dedicated ramp following the 'City Island' gateway signs. The island provides an immense, completely free surface asphalt parking plaza outside the stadium gates.
Travel Tips
- City Island is situated mid-river, accessed via the historic Market Street Bridge which features extremely narrow lanes and rigid vehicle weight/clearance limits; wide-body trucks and RVs are prohibited from crossing here and must detour via the Harvey Taylor Bridge instead.
- When FNB Field hosts home games for the Harrisburg Senators, the island's single-lane thoroughfares experience severe gridlock 2 hours pre-game; pricing at the parking lots spikes dynamically to event rates. Non-sports travelers must consult the team calendar to bypass these major bottleneck dates entirely.
- The Susquehanna River surrounding the island features hazardous shallows, sharp subsurface rocks, and highly unpredictable rapid river currents; outside of sanctioned commercial riverboat docks, wading, open-water swimming, and unlicensed fishing are strictly banned across the island's perimeter.
Reviews
Positive
- Situated in the middle of the Susquehanna River, it offers wide views; walking along the banks while looking at the Harrisburg skyline is lovely.
- The island is packed with recreation like a mini-train, miniature golf, and riverboat cruises, perfect for families with young children.
- FNB Field is a great venue to catch a minor league baseball game; the stadium atmosphere is enthusiastic and stadium food is reasonably priced.
- Connected to downtown via a historic pedestrian bridge that bans motor vehicles, making the walk across safe, breezy, and pleasant.
Heads up
- Highly seasonal; outside of summer and game days, many rides and concession stands completely shut down in spring/fall, looking deserted.
- Some public infrastructure feels dated and aged; playground slides, benches, and restrooms are showing wear and need renovation.
- Mosquitoes are rampant near the water in summer, especially around dusk; without bug spray ahead of time, you will get bitten all over.
- Parking fees on the island skyrocket on game days, and the single vehicular lane leading off the island gets bottlenecked during exit rush.