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Ellis Island is a historic landmark, which was the primary immigration station for immigrants who came to the US from Europe. They processed over 12 million immigrants between 1892 to 1954. You have to purchase Ferry tickets with the Statue City Cruises to get onto the island. The museum on the island is free to enter and browse. During our visit, the Journeys: The People of America section was down for renovation so we did not get to explore that part. We explored the other 2 sections of the Ellis Island Experience and New Eras of Immigration. A blend of the old and the new, and the struggles and hardships immigrants face throughout the course of the US history. Pushes and pulls that drive immigration. If you're already paying for the ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty, I recommend you also make time to drop by Ellis Island. This experience on its' own un-rushed can take a good 2 hours. Especially for those who have relatives they might want to look up in the registry.
Interesting and meaningful visit to Ellis Island. Took the ferry/shuttle from Liberty State Park in NJ and stopped at Ellis Island on the way to the Statue of Liberty. Really well done restoration of certain areas where immigrants entered the US. Lots of varied exhibits and captioned photos. Self guided audio tour. Could easily spend 3-4 hours here ... or longer.
Take the tour. It is worth it. We had a college student who was majoring in history. She was full of knowledge about Ellis Island and the time it represents. I was lucky to get to ask so many questions to someone who knew the answers.
Often referred to as "The Isle of Hope", this is a truly remarkable place to visit and learn about; the audio guides in particular augment the visual exhibits to communicate a fascinating picture of Ellis Island and it's rich history. One of the many facts I learned while visiting here is that if an immigrant needed to be held for a time before their processing was completed, the shipping company that provided their transport was required to pay for their food and board until processing was completed. At that time, if they needed to be returned to their point of origin, the shipping company would pay for that too. Most impressive to me is how efficiently so many tens of thousands of hopeful immigrants to the US were processed through the required medical and legal checks. Doubly impressive are the stories you'll hear about how compassionate the individual immigration officers were to the concerns and problems of the immigrants. The recent events in Washington make the professionalism and compassion that characterized the immigration officials at Ellis Island (when it was operating) seem especially relevant today.
Ellis Island is one of the most popular destinations in the National Park Service, thanks in part to the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. No trip to the Statue of Liberty is complete without visiting Ellis Island Even if you don't consider yourself a museum person, this is a place I'd recommend to anyone, especially if you've never been to Ellis Island before. Ellis Island explores the history of U.S. immigration, with a specific focus on the island as a national immigration center from 1892-1954 Behind the museum, you'll find the American Immigrant Wall of Honor. On this massive wall, you can find names of immigrants who came to the U.S. Alphabetically engraved on the wall are hundreds of thousands of immigrants, from various time periods. There is also a large grassy patch that provides the perfect spot to have a picnic with views of New York City and the Statue of Liberty.
First stop on the way to the Statue of Liberty, and its a great destination. Multiple buildings that aren't accessible to the public other than the museum and plenty of space to walk around and explore. Some great views too. Going to the Statue of Liberty is more than just the Statue of Liberty.
If you're visiting New York, Ellis Island is a MUST! The history came to life when taking the ferry over for an afternoon. Three floors with exhibits ranging from history of Ellis Island and the restoration after it closed in 1954 to immigration before Ellis island and after. There are audio tours available in many languages that help guests make the most of the museum.
No trip to Ellis Island is complete without the Hard Hat Tour offered by Save Ellis Island. I've taken this tour several times and each time I have learned something different. Most recently, I took a group from the National Park Traveler's club on the tour. Our group had a dedicated guide from Save Ellis Island. Save Ellis Island is the non-profit fundraising group seeking to restore or arrest the decay of Ellis Island's south side. They receive no federal money and depend on the income from the tours they conduct to fund the preservation. After donning our hardhats, we followed the guide first to the laundry room. He then led us through the Contagious Disease Hospital, sharing the history of Ellis Island. Along the way he pointed out interesting artifacts and the art installations by JR. Some of these have worn away since the last time I visited. I also noticed more of the windows were boarded up. The guide said this is to protect the old windows. Save Ellis Island hopes to restore all 29 historic buildings, but it is an uphill battle. Since my last visit, they completed the restoration of the Outdoor Recreation Pavilion, built in 1937.
Ellis Island is part of Statue of Liberty National Monument and one of two stops when taking a Statue ferry. Ellis Island was an immigrant inspection and processing station from the 1890's to the 1950's. You can spend a better part of the day going through all the exhibits here. I have done the full audio tour on a couple of occasions. Tickets prices usually include both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island when you purchase them. The tour tells the stories of the millions of immigrants that passed through this facility trying to come to America. They went through a series of medical and mental inspections while being processed. Not all of them made it through and many were deported. I found the experience humbling as I read and listened to the stories from those that came all the way to America to live out their dreams. I have always loved how cultured New York City is. It is said that many people in the city can trace their family roots back to this facility. Ellis Island closed as an immigration facility in 1954. I highly recommend doing the audio tour if you have time while visiting here.
While Ellis Island and the Ellis Island museum are both amazing, it's the Ellis Island hard hat tours, organized and run by the Save Ellis Island Foundation, that are the most amazing. The hard hat tours are more exclusive, limited in number, but more expensive. Two tickets (for me and my friend) were 150.00. Please keep in mind that your security times and tour times are different. Our tour was at 11:30, but our security time was at 9 AM. We showed up about 10 minutes early and waited in line, but it moved fast (my first two tours had no wait time, as it was before tourism picked back up in NYC). We arrived on Ellis Island with about 45 minutes to an hour before our tour. We grabbed snacks and drinks, and that's about all we had time for. I have gone three times--once alone in 2021, with my husband in 2022, and with a friend just recently in 2024. Each time, I've seen and learned different things. The first time I visited, I saw many of the art installations by French artist, JR. On my second visit, I saw different art installations by JR, while also getting to view the psych hospital. On my third visit, I got to see the TB ward. Each tour guide was interesting and engaging without talking too fast or too much. No info overload here. The tour was relaxed, and you could tell each guide held passion for preserving this forgotten part of Ellis Island. You'll learn about the immigrants who didn't pass immediately into America. The sick, the disabled. Those who really didn't have anything wrong with them, but physicians who believed in eugenics sent them to the psych ward anyway. Because this part of Ellis Island is not being restored, rather than placed in "arrested decay," the parts of the hospital campus you'll be able to see will be based on whatever is being worked on and whatever has been recently stabilized. This is why I've managed to see and learn new things each time I've visited. All of the funds from your ticket price got to "Save Ellis Island," the non-profit in charge of this endeavor. They don't get any funds from the government or National Park Service. You won't regret ponying up a few extra bucks for this special experience. And even doing it again and again!
Visiting here was an amazing and humbling experience. As a descendent of immigrants (some of who came through here), my wife and I loved touring every aspect of Ellis Island, from seeing just how the evaluation process occurred once they got here to learning more about the people who risked everything on the American Dream. The facility is quite large and it has numerous exhibits to view. We came here after touring The Statue of Liberty and it was an amazing day filled with American History. It takes more guts than you can ever imagine to leave everything you know and hope things will work out in a distance and unfamiliar land. We are both so grateful to our ancestors and this place for helping them accomplish that dream.
From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 million immigrants went through here hoping to be let into the US. Today it is said that nearly 40% of the population can trace a root back through here. That seems very high to me, but it certainly is plausible. The registration room is a must-see, but a visit certainly doesn't end there. There are displays in the various rooms past registration and all of this is free for access after arriving at the island. There are audio tours available and one of the most interesting add-on options is the hard hat tour that takes you into spaces that have not been renovated for public access yet. The research area has a cost associated with it. You can bypass that fee if you sit down at home, but you still need to pay for any of the files you want to have copies of. Unless I am wrong there are no digital downloads which really turns me off. However, you can "work around" that through ancestry dot com if you really want to get into filling out your family tree with as much information as possible. Lines for the ferries can be long. I have no idea what the secret is to avoiding that fact. I have been on the past two visits here. Going during the week is probably a better bet than on the weekends.
Gayle and I recently visited Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty on the same boat ticket. Known as the National Immigration Museum, this historical place really did bring that experience to life, starting at the Great Hall and proceeding through what came next. Gayle and I were impressed with the architecture, the ongoing restoration work on the Island, and the professional exhibits. A separate one that covered the politics of immigration was especially poignant. Ellis Island is layered enough that you could spend the whole day here, or just a few hours. And if you're hungry in the middle of all this, the cafeteria was OK, with the outdoor seating being even better. Gayle was able to look at the records here and find information on family members who came through Ellis Island. My family history took another path (at least what I know), but I did find that there is more than 1 Eric Brink out there.
1 of 2 Yelp Reviews. Make sure you buy your tickets from Statue Cruises, NOT street vendors. Be safe. Quality/Quantity - What an amazing, fun, historical, and educational experience. Also, it gives some insight into how my family (many generations ago) came to this country. Tourist attraction, an amazing # of people visiting. Crazy long lines initially boarding the ferry, but it moves fast. Very organized and experienced. See all my excessive pictures. Ambiance - 12 million immigrants came through here. Service - Self service. Cut and pasted from their website: "In 2001, the Foundation opened the American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island, which contains a searchable database of passenger manifests for Ellis Island and the Port of New York between 1820 and 1954. The database is also available online." Price - Part of the Statue of Liberty ferry tour ride. $30 per person; inexpensive in my opinion. Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success since 1900. 1971 - New Jersey register of historic places. 1982 - President Reagan with Lee Iacocca raised funds for restoration and preservation of Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. 1990 - Restoration and re-opening. 1993 - NY City Landmark. 2016 - Statue of Liberty Museum. read more
13 days ago
Ellis Island is a historic landmark, which was the primary immigration station for immigrants who came to the US from Europe. They processed over 12 million immigrants between 1892 to 1954. You have to purchase Ferry tickets with the Statue City Cruises to get onto the island. The museum on the island is free to enter and browse. During our visit, the Journeys: The People of America section was down for renovation so we did not get to explore that part. We explored the other 2 sections of the Ellis Island Experience and New Eras of Immigration. A blend of the old and the new, and the struggles and hardships immigrants face throughout the course of the US history. Pushes and pulls that drive immigration. If you're already paying for the ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty, I recommend you also make time to drop by Ellis Island. This experience on its' own un-rushed can take a good 2 hours. Especially for those who have relatives they might want to look up in the registry. read more
1 year ago
Interesting and meaningful visit to Ellis Island. Took the ferry/shuttle from Liberty State Park in NJ and stopped at Ellis Island on the way to the Statue of Liberty. Really well done restoration of certain areas where immigrants entered the US. Lots of varied exhibits and captioned photos. Self guided audio tour. Could easily spend 3-4 hours here ... or longer. read more
Take the tour. It is worth it. We had a college student who was majoring in history. She was full of knowledge about Ellis Island and the time it represents. I was lucky to get to ask so many questions to someone who knew the answers. read more
Often referred to as "The Isle of Hope", this is a truly remarkable place to visit and learn about; the audio guides in particular augment the visual exhibits to communicate a fascinating picture of Ellis Island and it's rich history. One of the many facts I learned while visiting here is that if an immigrant needed to be held for a time before their processing was completed, the shipping company that provided their transport was required to pay for their food and board until processing was completed. At that time, if they needed to be returned to their point of origin, the shipping company would pay for that too. Most impressive to me is how efficiently so many tens of thousands of hopeful immigrants to the US were processed through the required medical and legal checks. Doubly impressive are the stories you'll hear about how compassionate the individual immigration officers were to the concerns and problems of the immigrants. The recent events in Washington make the professionalism and compassion that characterized the immigration officials at Ellis Island (when it was operating) seem especially relevant today. read more
Ellis Island is one of the most popular destinations in the National Park Service, thanks in part to the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. No trip to the Statue of Liberty is complete without visiting Ellis Island Even if you don't consider yourself a museum person, this is a place I'd recommend to anyone, especially if you've never been to Ellis Island before. Ellis Island explores the history of U.S. immigration, with a specific focus on the island as a national immigration center from 1892-1954 Behind the museum, you'll find the American Immigrant Wall of Honor. On this massive wall, you can find names of immigrants who came to the U.S. Alphabetically engraved on the wall are hundreds of thousands of immigrants, from various time periods. There is also a large grassy patch that provides the perfect spot to have a picnic with views of New York City and the Statue of Liberty. read more
First stop on the way to the Statue of Liberty, and its a great destination. Multiple buildings that aren't accessible to the public other than the museum and plenty of space to walk around and explore. Some great views too. Going to the Statue of Liberty is more than just the Statue of Liberty. read more
If you're visiting New York, Ellis Island is a MUST! The history came to life when taking the ferry over for an afternoon. Three floors with exhibits ranging from history of Ellis Island and the restoration after it closed in 1954 to immigration before Ellis island and after. There are audio tours available in many languages that help guests make the most of the museum. read more
2 years ago
No trip to Ellis Island is complete without the Hard Hat Tour offered by Save Ellis Island. I've taken this tour several times and each time I have learned something different. Most recently, I took a group from the National Park Traveler's club on the tour. Our group had a dedicated guide from Save Ellis Island. Save Ellis Island is the non-profit fundraising group seeking to restore or arrest the decay of Ellis Island's south side. They receive no federal money and depend on the income from the tours they conduct to fund the preservation. After donning our hardhats, we followed the guide first to the laundry room. He then led us through the Contagious Disease Hospital, sharing the history of Ellis Island. Along the way he pointed out interesting artifacts and the art installations by JR. Some of these have worn away since the last time I visited. I also noticed more of the windows were boarded up. The guide said this is to protect the old windows. Save Ellis Island hopes to restore all 29 historic buildings, but it is an uphill battle. Since my last visit, they completed the restoration of the Outdoor Recreation Pavilion, built in 1937. read more
Ellis Island is part of Statue of Liberty National Monument and one of two stops when taking a Statue ferry. Ellis Island was an immigrant inspection and processing station from the 1890's to the 1950's. You can spend a better part of the day going through all the exhibits here. I have done the full audio tour on a couple of occasions. Tickets prices usually include both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island when you purchase them. The tour tells the stories of the millions of immigrants that passed through this facility trying to come to America. They went through a series of medical and mental inspections while being processed. Not all of them made it through and many were deported. I found the experience humbling as I read and listened to the stories from those that came all the way to America to live out their dreams. I have always loved how cultured New York City is. It is said that many people in the city can trace their family roots back to this facility. Ellis Island closed as an immigration facility in 1954. I highly recommend doing the audio tour if you have time while visiting here. read more
1 year ago
While Ellis Island and the Ellis Island museum are both amazing, it's the Ellis Island hard hat tours, organized and run by the Save Ellis Island Foundation, that are the most amazing. The hard hat tours are more exclusive, limited in number, but more expensive. Two tickets (for me and my friend) were 150.00. Please keep in mind that your security times and tour times are different. Our tour was at 11:30, but our security time was at 9 AM. We showed up about 10 minutes early and waited in line, but it moved fast (my first two tours had no wait time, as it was before tourism picked back up in NYC). We arrived on Ellis Island with about 45 minutes to an hour before our tour. We grabbed snacks and drinks, and that's about all we had time for. I have gone three times--once alone in 2021, with my husband in 2022, and with a friend just recently in 2024. Each time, I've seen and learned different things. The first time I visited, I saw many of the art installations by French artist, JR. On my second visit, I saw different art installations by JR, while also getting to view the psych hospital. On my third visit, I got to see the TB ward. Each tour guide was interesting and engaging without talking too fast or too much. No info overload here. The tour was relaxed, and you could tell each guide held passion for preserving this forgotten part of Ellis Island. You'll learn about the immigrants who didn't pass immediately into America. The sick, the disabled. Those who really didn't have anything wrong with them, but physicians who believed in eugenics sent them to the psych ward anyway. Because this part of Ellis Island is not being restored, rather than placed in "arrested decay," the parts of the hospital campus you'll be able to see will be based on whatever is being worked on and whatever has been recently stabilized. This is why I've managed to see and learn new things each time I've visited. All of the funds from your ticket price got to "Save Ellis Island," the non-profit in charge of this endeavor. They don't get any funds from the government or National Park Service. You won't regret ponying up a few extra bucks for this special experience. And even doing it again and again! read more
7 months ago
Visiting here was an amazing and humbling experience. As a descendent of immigrants (some of who came through here), my wife and I loved touring every aspect of Ellis Island, from seeing just how the evaluation process occurred once they got here to learning more about the people who risked everything on the American Dream. The facility is quite large and it has numerous exhibits to view. We came here after touring The Statue of Liberty and it was an amazing day filled with American History. It takes more guts than you can ever imagine to leave everything you know and hope things will work out in a distance and unfamiliar land. We are both so grateful to our ancestors and this place for helping them accomplish that dream. read more
From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 million immigrants went through here hoping to be let into the US. Today it is said that nearly 40% of the population can trace a root back through here. That seems very high to me, but it certainly is plausible. The registration room is a must-see, but a visit certainly doesn't end there. There are displays in the various rooms past registration and all of this is free for access after arriving at the island. There are audio tours available and one of the most interesting add-on options is the hard hat tour that takes you into spaces that have not been renovated for public access yet. The research area has a cost associated with it. You can bypass that fee if you sit down at home, but you still need to pay for any of the files you want to have copies of. Unless I am wrong there are no digital downloads which really turns me off. However, you can "work around" that through ancestry dot com if you really want to get into filling out your family tree with as much information as possible. Lines for the ferries can be long. I have no idea what the secret is to avoiding that fact. I have been on the past two visits here. Going during the week is probably a better bet than on the weekends. read more
Gayle and I recently visited Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty on the same boat ticket. Known as the National Immigration Museum, this historical place really did bring that experience to life, starting at the Great Hall and proceeding through what came next. Gayle and I were impressed with the architecture, the ongoing restoration work on the Island, and the professional exhibits. A separate one that covered the politics of immigration was especially poignant. Ellis Island is layered enough that you could spend the whole day here, or just a few hours. And if you're hungry in the middle of all this, the cafeteria was OK, with the outdoor seating being even better. Gayle was able to look at the records here and find information on family members who came through Ellis Island. My family history took another path (at least what I know), but I did find that there is more than 1 Eric Brink out there. read more
3 years ago
Outstanding self guided tour from Jersey City. Short ferry ride Friendly staff The tour includes a radio that provides history and information about each room and office. 5 stars all the way. read more
An absolute must stop after visiting the Statue of Liberty. It is incredible to see the place that millions of immigrants crossed through while coming to America and learn all about its history and culture. We could've spend more time here than at Liberty Island, hands down. The best activity we did on Ellis Island was the Hard Hat Tour of the old hospital. It was a 90 minute tour and cost about $80/person - 100% worth it. The tour took us through multiple different wards in the hospital - contagious disease, hospice, morgue, and our tour guide was wonderful (I wish I remembered her name!). She explained in depth many of the areas and gave so much history to what it was liking going through Ellis Island (and in some cases, living on Ellis Island). If you have the time and the money, this should be a must on your list. They also have an area where you can rent computers and look for ancestors who might have come through Ellis Island. It cost around $10/30 minutes and was time well-spent looking for my ancestors. I wish we had planned more time for Ellis Island because there was an entire museum we didn't have time to visit. So if you're wondering on if you should stop, do it. And plan ample time to enjoy all it had to offer. read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
I have to be honest, I wasn't super excited about this ferry stop, but everyone said it was a must see. Well, my perception quickly changed. They have done such a great job on this place and the history is fascinating! We paid extra to use the database and search for relatives in their archives. Even I, a skeptic at first, found myself geeking out over all of it. I highly recommend this stop! read more
2 years ago
We visited on the 100th anniversary of my husband's grandparent's arrival to Ellis Island. There is so much information available to learn, and the history is fascinating. Their names on the Wall of Honor were easy to find, as the museum has a database on site that was very user friendly. We were able to walk right to their names and make etchings of them. Beautiful memorial. Worth the trip. Great way to teach your kids! Special shout out to my favorite Ranger, Sam. He was knowledgeable and fun to talk to. THANKS SAM!! read more
This is what we were excited for on the cruise! We had a few family members come though Ellis Island so this spot has a little bit more meaning to us. While the information on your ancestors is accessible online at no fee to you, you do have to pay by the hour to use the computers. It is $10 to use them for an hour. If you want to print it out there you also have to pay per printout. We found that most of our ancestors information was east to access but a few of the manifest attached to some people didn't actually list their names. Not sure if that was an error in the info or error in the original manifest log keeping. But generally it was all there! read more
1 year ago
This is the second stop when taking the ferry from Statue of Liberty. The national museum is a good historical location. There is an included self guided audio tour which gives lots of facts and gives you a sense of how it was like when immigrants got to NYC. You can search the passenger log and to our surprise we were able to find some members of my boyfriend's family. You can spend most of the day here as it's a large building. read more
Ellis Island is a National Park or Government Island. Here you will find the National Immigration Museum and a bunch of Government Buildings. If you took the Statue Cruise to see the Statue of Liberty than the second stop is Ellis Island before heading back to New Jersey or Manhattan. If you pay extra you can do the Hard Hat Tour of Ellis Island. I opted out of that tour because it was a bit pricy also because I was only spending a week in NYC, I wanted to make good use of my time. It is definitely worth a visit when you are in NYC. Lots of history here. read more
4 years ago
Amazing history and a walk through time. Beautiful stunning architecture that surrounded me Everywhere read more
One of my favorite parts of the trip so far. I loved all the history from stepping foot on the island to being inside and seeing the large hall where all the immigrants waited. Tons of artifacts and stories and the audio guide through each room was very helpful. Clean grounds and has been restored beautifully. read more
Ellis island is a great glimpse of what pur ancestors and immigrants, had to endure and the long grueling process of trying to enter America and even then it was no guarantee. There is 3 floors of so much history and you kind of get to relive what every immigrant had to do. Give yourself at the very least 3 to 4 hours to do this whole thing if you chose to get an audio guide from the first floor. If you don't use it then of course it will take less time! But u highly encourage you to use the audio. So much information!! read more
We decided to follow the advice of other helpers and before our NYC trip we booked a hard hat tour of Ellis Island. Yes we had a lovely day and went to Statue of Liberty first. The ferry stops there first and the views were amazing but Ellis Island was an amazing tour. Both the Statue and Ellis Island include audio tours with your tickets. Please be careful of people trying to have you hire or buy really expensive tours in Battery Park, get your tickets straight from the source. The included audio tour was so informative, I wish we had more time for it. We had a time certain for our hard hat tour of the in-renovated side. After we signed the waivers we joined our group of 15 people past the crowds to the non-public areas. These tours are run by the Save Ellis Island non-profit and and led by a docent. We had to wear hard hats and needed sturdy closed toe shoes. If you are interested in an old hospital or amazing art by JR than I recommend this tour. Here is the article about the art. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/arts/design/jr-brings-ellis-islands-abandoned-hospital-to-life.amp.html read more
Nothing I can say about Ellis Island and the Immigration Museum that hasn't been said ad nauseam and more eloquently in previous reviews. If you have no personal connection to Ellis Island, it's an amazing visit and well worth the price of admission. Add in the hard hat tour, and it's even more so. If you DO have a personal/family connection to Ellis Island, it's an invaluable experience that you couldn't possibly put a price tag on. An absolute can't miss if you're in NYC or Newark. read more
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