Team Zuhl took a trip to the Statue of Liberty recently. We've been, of course, many times. It's a favorite of out-of-State tourists but there's plenty for locals to do as well.
The Statue of Liberty is open for visitors daily but you won't want to visit unless you've made reservations. On slower days or days with inclement weather this might be optional, but lines can be long. The ferry ride from Liberty Park first goes to Ellis Island and then to the Statue and then back to Libery Park - in total, about an hours ride.
There are three types of tickets you can purchase:
-
G
rounds only - This ticket allows you to visit the island where the Statue is located but not to access the inside of the Statue. There is a self-guided tour and a ranger-led tour of the island available, and the grounds really are beautiful. You are also granted access to Ellis Island and the Immigration Musuem. - Pedestal - This ticket allows you access to the ferry and to the grounds but also allows you to the inside of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The Museum is in the Pedestal so you'll need this level of ticket or higher to see the Museum. The Pedestal is about half of the height of the Statue.
- Crown - Crown tickets allow you access to the ferry, the grounds, and the Pedestal, but also allow you to climb the entire Statue of Liberty all the way up to the Crown. (Torch access was closed years ago.) These tickets usually sell out months in advance, especially in the summer. This is a 22 story climb along some very narrow staircases and is not recommended for everyone.
If you haven't been there in a while, you'll see some changes. The most obvious change is the airport like security involved in getting on the ferry. The security is repeated before you access the interior of the Statue of Liberty.
A second change in the past 5 years was the construction of the 911 Memorial at Liberty Park. The memorial is named Empty Sky and is breathtaking. It consists of twin walls which are aligned with the space where the Twin Towers once stood. The names of each of the 746 victims are etched in stainless steel on the inside of the walls.
Comments(14)