Museum Type:
Historic Site or Landmark
Length of Activity:
3 - 5 Hours
Hours of Operation:
Starting April 12th and continuing through May 28th, the first ferries will depart for Ellis Island at 9:00 AM, and the final ferries will leave for the mainland at 5:15 PM. Beginning on May 29 and continuing through October 11, the first ferries will depart for Ellis Island at 8:30 AM. The final ferries will leave Ellis Island for the mainland at 6:15 PM. Liberty and Ellis Islands are open daily except December 25th. Our highest visitation occurs during the months of June through September. Visitation is also high during holiday and weekend periods throughout the year. To enjoy both Liberty Island and Ellis Island, you should leave the mainland before 1PM. Access to facilities at both Liberty and Ellis Islands is limited when you choose to sail to the islands after 3PM.
Ticket Office Location:
Battery Park or Liberty State Park in New Jersey
Admission Prices:
FEES:
Museum Entrance Fee: None
Ferry Transportation Fee:
$12.00 - Ages 13+ - Day
$10.00- Seniors 62 and over - Day
$5.00- Children 4-12. - Day
National Park Pass holders should note that they must purchase ferry tickets.
Opened on January 1, 1892, Ellis Island became the nation's premier federal immigration station. In operation until 1954, the station processed over 12 million immigrant steamship passengers.
Ellis Island's Main Building was restored after 30 years of abandonment and opened as a museum on September 10, 1990.
Millions of American citizens can now trace at least one ancestor through Ellis Island.
Ellis Island has grown over the years. The original, natural island of 3.3 acres, shown in dark green on this map, was built up with landfill between 1890 and 1892 to build the new immigration station.
As the station's needs expanded, so did the island. After the existing Main Building was opened in 1900, more landfill was added to the left side of the ferry slip. Most of this landfill came from the excavation of the New York City subway tunnels. This land was used for the complex of hospitals built to treat immigrants who failed their medical inspections.
Today, the areas to the left of the ferry slip are not open to the public, since the buildings and the grounds have not been restored.
Other Important Information:
Ellis Island is accessible only by StatueCruises ferry boat. Private, and other commercial, vessels are not allowed to dock at either Ellis Island or Liberty Island.
The StatueCruises ferry that leaves from Liberty State Park in New Jersey stops at Ellis Island first, then continues on to Liberty Island before returning to New Jersey.
The StatueCruises ferry out of Battery Park in lower Manhattan stops at Liberty Island first. From there, the boat stops at Ellis Island, then returns to New York City.
