Its proximity to the city of Saint John has resulted in a seasonal community of about 100 cottages, as well as a 3-hole golf course and tennis court being established.

The island's perimeter contains many secluded beaches, rocky outcrops and has natural deep-water coves which provide excellent shelter for boaters needing safe harbour to lay in overnight.

There was also a one-room schoolhouse, a post office, a commercial river-boat landing and a small hotel where, during the early 1900s, visitors wanting a reprieve from the heavy industrial environment in Saint John would stay on weekends.

During the spring melt, high waters often pinch the island into two separate entities near its thinnest point.

An inlet called McCormack's Cove juts into the island's south side from Grand Bay, the meeting point of the St. John and Kennebecasis rivers.