What to See on Ellis Island
Many people overlook Ellis Island when planning a trip to New York. In a city with so many landmarks known across the world, the island is often forgotten, despite its immense historical significance. For over 30 years. Ellis Island was the entry point for more than 12 million immigrants who arrived in the United States of America. Just a short distance away from the beaconing Statue of Liberty, this was the place where so many took their first steps in the country, chasing the American Dream. It is estimated around 40% of Americans have at least one ancestor that was processed on Ellis Island! Today, the island is home to an excellent immigration museum. Its easy to combine a trip to the island with the Statue of Liberty (your admission ticket gets you to both), and personally, I think Ellis Island is the highlight of the combo.
- I’ve written a detailed post about all the things you can do in New York City. You can check it out HERE.
Ellis Island Basics:
- Where? Ferries to Ellis Island depart from Castle Clinton Monument, Battery Park, New York.
- When? Ferries depart daily every 25 minutes from 9.00am. The last ferry to back to Manhattan leaves Ellis Island at 4.40pm.
- How much? General Admission is $24.00 USD for adults ($12.30 for children 4 to 12 years old). Admission also includes the Statue of Liberty. Ellis Island visits are included in the New York Sightseeing Pass and City Pass.
- How to get there? You can get to Battery Park by taking the Subway to Lower Manhattan. The closest station is South Ferry Station on the 1 line. Ellis Island is the second ferry stop (after the Statue of Liberty).
- Website: https://www.nps.gov/elis/index.htm
A (Brief) History of Ellis Island
Today, Ellis Island serves as an immersive immigration museum. The reasons for that stem from its days as one of the most important points of entry to the United States throughout the early 20th century. The Federal Government acquired Ellis Island from one Samuel Ellis (after whom the island is named) in 1808. It was originally used to defend New York Harbour, with the construction of Fort Gibson in 1811. Throughout the 19th century, immigration to the US was handled by the individual states, with New York’s immigration was managed at the site of Castle Clinton in Lower Manhattan. That changed in 1890, when immigration became a federal affair.
In 1892, the US government opened a purpose built immigration centre on Ellis Island. While the original structure burnt down a few years later, the brick building that stands on the island today opened in 1900. It remained in operation until 1954, but it saw especially large numbers of migrants arrive in the early part of the century. Of the 8.8 million immigrants that arrived in the United States from 1901-1910, 6 million were processed at Ellis Island. The record for arrivals on a single day was set on April 17, 1907, with 11,474!
People came to Ellis Island from all around the world, in pursuit of the American Dream. After weeks at sea, they were inspected in the Great Hall, processed with a series of questions and ultimately granted entry or deported back to their country of origin. It is said only 2% of arrivals were denied entry to the US at Ellis Island.
While the Immigration Centre was decommissioned in 1954, Ellis Island eventually became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. The building was restored and today’s museum opened in 1990.
How to Get to Ellis Island
Getting to Ellis Island is really easy. You have to take a ferry operated by Statue Cruises. They have two departure points, but if you’re in New York, you’ll be catching the boat from Battery Park in Lower Manhattan (the other ferry leaves from New Jersey). Your ticket includes admission to Liberty Island, which is where you’ll be able to access the Statue of Liberty.
Ellis Island is one of the reasons why I always tell people to get on the first ferry of the day when going to the Statue of Liberty. After seeing the Statue, you can be back on the boat within 2 hours, heading onwards to Ellis Island as the next stop. Once you’re there, you should expect to spend at least a few hours touring the museum. The first time I visited, I was genuinely surprised by how much there was to see at Ellis Island, thinking it was just an add-on to the Statue of Liberty. Since that time, Ellis Island has become one of my favourite places to visit in all of New York. It should not be overlooked!
When you’re boarding the boat to Ellis from Liberty Island, make sure you don’t accidentally take the ferry back to New Jersey. Sit on the right side of the boat and you’ll have the best views as you dock in front of the island’s main building.
- I’ve written more about visiting the Statue of Liberty in another post, which you should check out HERE.
The Ellis Island Immigration Museum
When the ferry docks at Ellis Island, you’ll disembark right out front of the main building. This three storey structure has an elaborate design, evoking images of a grand train station. There’s lots to take in throughout this museum, with exhibits chronicling the experiences of migrants processed at the site, in addition to the wider history of immigration in the United States. If you’re a first time visitor that doesn’t have all day, you’ll want to be selective with which exhibits you spend time in. Just like the Statue of Liberty, admission to the Immigration Museum includes an excellent audio tour. You can pick this up as you step inside the main building to begin exploring. Follow the guide and you’ll see the best parts of the Museum.
The Baggage Room
You enter the Museum the same way countless migrants took their first steps into the Main Building on Ellis Island. The front doors open into the Baggage Room, and its here that new arrivals left their belongings before ascending the staircase to be processed on the next floor. Today, the Baggage Room is something of an information hub, where you can pick up your audio guide, visit a bookstore and find all your general tourism services. It shouldn’t be skipped though as there’s an exhibit that chronicles the history of the room’s use during the peak days of the immigration centre. The pieces of luggage you’ll find throughout the hall date back over one hundred years, serving as examples of the bags that were checked here daily by concession employees.
The Museum’s main theatre is also near the Baggage Room. Here you can watch a short film containing footage of migrants arriving at the Immigration Centre. With first hand recollections, its a great introduction to the Museum.
The Great Hall and Registry Room
Heading up the main staircase you’ll come into the Great Hall on the building’s second floor. Restored to its original design, this is undoubtedly the most beautiful room in the building. Its huge vaulted ceiling definitely gave me Grand Central Terminal vibes. The migrants that passed through Ellis Island had plenty of time to take it in as well – the Great Hall is where they waited and went through medical and legal examinations conducted by immigration officers.
While the Great Hall stands bare today, a gaping chamber of 103 metres in length, during Ellis’ heyday, it was packed with benches and examination cubicles. In some cases, arrivals would wait for days to be processed. After being processed, the masses would part ways at the appropriately named Stairs of Separation. Those successful in passing immigration screening would embark on their next American adventure (most catching ferries to New York or New Jersey), while others would undergo further evaluation, detention or deportation.
While you’re admiring the Great Hall, don’t forget to head up to the Museum’s third floor for views of the vast chamber from above.
Through America’s Gate Exhibit
If you’ve only got time to experience one of the historical galleries on Ellis Island, make sure its the “Through America’s Gate” exhibit. Located on the second floor, just off the Great Hall, the audio tour takes you here, so there’s no surprise that its the highlight. This immersive exhibition chronicles the step by step process that new arrivals on Ellis Island went through when being processed. There are exhibits here that document the way in which those suspected of being infected with illnesses were subtly marked for further examination, the cognitive tests carried out on arrivers and the legal hearings in which detained immigrants could plead their case to the Board of Special Inquiry.
The exhibit is really interesting and I recommend spending enough time going through the halls to take all the information in. One part I enjoyed was a computer quiz where you could answer a set of questions to determine whether you likely would have been accepted or rejected if you were migrating to the US at the height of Ellis Island’s processing days.
Other Historical Exhibits
Ellis Island is packed with exhibits that go far beyond the immigration process carried out on the island. You won’t be able to fully go through these on a short trip, but if you’re really enjoying yourself like I was, its worth lengthening your stay by checking out some of the other halls.
Immigration – Before and After Ellis
On the first floor, “Journeys: New Eras of Immigration, 1945 – Present” picks up where Ellis Island left off. When the island ceased to operate as an immigration hub, this exhibit explains what came next, all the way to the United States’ contemporary immigration processes. On the other side of this level you’ll find “Journeys: The Peopling of America 1550 – 1890” which provides an overview of immigration in the days before Ellis Island. Together, they give some historical context to the role of Ellis Island processing center. You can also stop by the Immigration History Center, where, for a fee, you can search databases for records and manifests from immigration vessels that arrived in New York from 1892 to 1924.
About the Immigrants
On level 2, you’ll also find the “Peak Immigration Years” exhibition. This is a good choice to stop by after the main Through America’s Gate exhibition, as it looks into the immigration wave of 1880 to 1924 in more detail. Its another really interesting exhibition, exploring the reasons why people left their homelands to come to America, as well as the changing attitudes to immigration at the time.
On the third level, you can also check out the “Treasures from Home” collection, which displays over 2,000 possessions donated by the families of migrants that were brought with them to the United States from their homelands.
The Story of the Island
The museum’s third floor is all about Ellis Island itself, outside of the immigration setting. “Ellis Island Chronicles” covers the island’s history since its acquisition by the federal government, with a series of models showing the expansion of the island’s facilities. “Silent Voices” focuses on the period of abandonment following the immigration station’s 1954 closure, while “Restoring a Landmark” chronicles the restoration work of the National Park Service, bringing Ellis back to its former glory as a tourist site.
Even if you don’t have time to take in the galleries on the third floor, its worth stopping by the Dormitory Room up here, which provides an authentically recreated room that housed detainees circa 1908.
Other Things to do on Ellis Island
When you’re finished taking in the Museum’s exhibits, don’t rush back onto the ferry. Instead, spend some time outside on Ellis Island for some of the best views of downtown Manhattan. Outside the Museum, you can also see the American Immigrant Wall of Honor. Built by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation to commemorate all immigrants, the Wall is inscribed with the names of over 700,000 migrants. Its actually thought to be the world’s longest wall of names. Any American can make a donation to have the name of a migrant recorded on the Wall, with the funds going towards upkeep of Ellis Island. If you know of someone that migrated to the United States, try to find their name on the Wall.
The Wall was erected in 1990, and its construction actually led to the ruins of Fort Gibson, the original military fort on the island, being uncovered. Along with Castle Clinton in Manhattan and Castle Williams on Governor’s Island, the Fort served as a harbour defence system against the British, following United States independence.
While Fort Gibson is the only ruined site you’ll be able to see on a normal tour of Ellis Island, you can actually sign up for a “hard hat tour” (for an additional fee that needs to be booked in advance) where you can see some of the other structures across the rest of the island, such as the old hospital complex and disease wards. Tours run for around 90 minutes and cost an additional $50 USD. There are specific requirements that you can look into on the official website if you’re interested. I haven’t done one of these tours, so if you have, I’d love to hear about it!
As an attraction that I feel is definitely overlooked (myself being guilty there), I think Ellis Island is an essential part of any New York itinerary. Its a city known for its people coming from all over the world after all! You may want to rush back to the city after seeing the Statue of Liberty, but hopefully this post has shown you that there’s quite a few interesting stories waiting to be heard at this site that is responsible for so much of American culture. If you’ve been to Ellis Island, tell me all about your experience. Did you come in knowing all about it, or did you learn something new like I did? If you haven’t visited, what are you waiting for?