New Yorkers have long possessed a voracious appetite for camping, finding myriad ways to escape the concrete grid through the sprawling peaks of the Catskills and the Adirondacks. In recent years, a burgeoning wave of music-forward retreats and luxury outdoor experiences has made this outdoor culture even more expansive and accessible for hardcore urbanites who prefer a comfortable bed after a day in nature. Yet, for those unwilling to endure a multi-hour drive upstate, a much closer sanctuary has existed since 2018 courtesy of Collective Retreats. Offering a seasonal, six-acre glamping oasis situated on Governors Island—just an eight-minute ferry ride from Lower Manhattan—the destination has long served as an urban escape within sight of the city skyline. This season, however, the landscape on Governors Island welcomes a distinct new addition: the Urban Cowboy Tent.
Waking up inside the 325-square-foot tent, guests are immediately enveloped in a rich, tactile environment clad in red Pendleton textiles and El Paso Saddle Blanket rugs. Stepping outside onto the private porch, visitors are greeted with framed, unobstructed views of the Statue of Liberty rising majestically over New York Harbor. It is a striking juxtaposition of rugged wilderness aesthetics and iconic metropolitan grandeur, bridging the gap between remote frontier isolation and the pulse of the financial district just across the water.
The cowboy quarters are the brainchild of Lyon Porter, co-founder of Urban Cowboy and creative director of Cowboy Creative. Porter has imbued the space with a lovingly curated collection of custom and vintage furnishings that grant the tent an immediate sense of history and depth. Rather than relying on out-of-the-box hospitality decor, the interior features antique artwork, repurposed boat oars, and a vintage radio. These found objects were meticulously sourced from regional treasure troves like the Beacon Flea Market and the Elephant Trunk Country Flea Market, giving the new tent the distinct impression of having lived a long and storied life before ever touching the lawns of Governors Island.
To complete the narrative of the space, Kevin Jacob Design contributed a series of custom elements, including intricate hand-painted stencil work, bespoke signage, and authentically mounted deer antlers that anchor the lodge aesthetic.
Despite the rugged, old-west cowboy aesthetic that defines the visual language of the tent, the guest experience is thoroughly modern and accommodating. The structure is fully equipped with an advanced HVAC unit designed to maintain absolute comfort on warm summer days and crisp autumn nights. An ensuite bathroom provides the luxuries of a boutique hotel, featuring a generous standing shower, a large vanity mirror, and a proper flushing toilet.
The undisputed standout feature of the accommodations, however, is the patinated cast-iron tub. Plumbed directly with on-site hot water and strategically angled toward the harbor, the tub allows guests to soak while taking in sweeping sunset views over the water.
Porter highlights the provenance of this centerpiece as one of the defining triumphs of the design process. Among his favorite found objects is the French cast-iron tub, a piece that captures the philosophy of Urban Cowboy. While an antique soaking tub of this caliber can typically command a price tag of around $11,000 on the specialty market, Porter managed to acquire it for just $400 while it was sitting forgotten in a Connecticut mansion’s yard. Weighing approximately 500 pounds, the tub features a naturally rusted exterior patina that contrasts sharply with its smooth white porcelain interior. It is precisely these kinds of unexpected, weathered finds, Porter notes, that inject authentic character into the spaces he creates.
This latest Governors Island installation also continues Porter’s ongoing creative and professional relationship with Dovetail + Co., the hospitality group and operational engine behind Collective Retreats. The two entities share a history of successful collaboration, most notably marked by the 2020 opening of the Urban Cowboy Lodge in the Catskills. That upstate property has firmly established itself as a premier destination for travelers seeking a refined wilderness retreat since its debut.
With this newest urban-adjacent location, Porter positions Urban Cowboy’s signature maximalist aesthetic as an intentional, tactile antidote to modern screen fatigue and digital overload. An authentic Urban Cowboy experience, he explains, is deliberately designed to be transportive. Despite being situated mere minutes away from the dense, frantic energy of the nation’s largest metropolis, the whimsical, highly detailed environment helps guests feel as though they have traveled worlds away.
The Urban Cowboy Tent is available for reservations through the end of November 2026, with bookings open through the official Collective Retreats website.
