NEW YORK CITY ELLIS ISLAND

 

(212) 363-3200
Ferry schedules and prices. (212) 269-5755.

Between 1892 and 1954, over 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island with the hopes of starting a new life in America. Over 40% of all Americans can trace their history back to Ellis Island. Today, the island houses two modern theaters and 30 galleries of artifacts, photos, multimedia presentations and temporary exhibits.

You can get to Ellis Island by taking the Ferry from Battery Park. Ferries leave daily every 30-45 minutes from 9:15 am to 4:30 pm. Tickets for both Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty can be purchased in Castle Clinton (in Battery Park) and include both transportation and admission.

The three floors of the Immigration Museum were designed to be a self-guided tour, but a 45-minute tour given by Park Rangers is also available. Both tours seek to personalize the experience of touring the museum by providing information in anecdotal form. One of the most original and interesting parts of the museum is "Ellis Island Stories", where professional actors depict the Ellis Island immigration experience, by acting out stories collected from the Ellis Island Oral History Archive. The 30 minutes plays require an additional fee, but are well worth it.

After walking through the Baggage room, You can see the Peopling of America exhibit. Originally the Railroad Ticket Office where immigrants could make travel arrangements to their final destinations in the United States, the room now contains exhibits covering 400 years of immigration history. Another notable room is the Registry Room where the "six-second physicals" took place and immigrants were processed for medical and legal matters.

One of the most moving exhibits is the American Immigrant Wall of Honor. This wall is inscribed with the names of over 500,000 immigrant Americans, including John Washington (George Washington’s great-grandfather), as well as the descendants of Irving Berlin, Harry Houdini and Barbara Streisand.