Travel Tips

This is the sign located at the dock on Liberty Island. It is a nice wooden dock with a roof over some of it for shading.

You have to wait to ride the ferry every 1/2 hour..and it cost $10 but that is for both Liberty Island and Ellis Island.

We took this picture as we approached the statue of Liberty. It was taken from the ferry.

Current Park Hours: 8:30am - 5:15pm. The last ferry departs the island at: 5:30pm. The park is open daily except Dec. 25th. Visitors experience a special insider's view of the engineering marvel that is the Statue of Liberty. Time passes are needed to enter the monument. A limited number of time passes are available at Liberty Island for walk-ins on a first-come, first-served basis or reserved in advance by calling the ferry company at: 1-866-STATUE4(1-866-782-8834)U.S. calls only. Callers outside the U.S. can call the NY ticket office at: (212) 269-5755 or on-line at: WWW.STATUERESERVATIONS.COM

To better understand this monumental work of art, visitors will be able to view inside the Statue through a glass ceiling, guided by a park ranger and an enhanced lighting and new video system. In addition, visitors can walk out onto the Statue’s observation deck to see the panoramic views of New York City and the Harbor, and witness the Statue up close from her promenade and Ft. Wood. The Statue's crown is not accessible and the torch has been officially closed since July 1916.

Located on 12-acre Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty was a gift of international friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886 and was designated a National Monument on October 15, 1924. The Statue was extensively restored in time for her spectacular centennial on July 4, 1986.

Liberty Island is federal property located within the territorial jurisdiction of the State of New York

FEES
ACTIVITY FEES

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry Fees

Fees
$10.00 - Ages 13+ - Day
$8:00- Seniors 62 and over - Day
$$4:00- Children 4-12. - Day

Details
There is no entrance fee to enter the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island. National Park Passes only apply to entrance fees. Ferry fees: $10.00 - ages 13+. $8:00 - Senior Citizens (62 and over. $4.00 - Children 4 - 12.

The Statue of Liberty National Monument officially celebrated her 100th birthday on October 28, 1986. The people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as this international friendship

The story of the Statue of Liberty and her island has been one of change. The Statue was placed upon a granite pedestal inside the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood (which had been completed for the War of 1812.) The United States Lighthouse Board had responsibility for the operation of the Statue of Liberty until 1901. After 1901, the care and operation of the Statue was placed under the War Department. A Presidential Proclamation declared Fort Wood (and the Statue of Liberty within it) a National Monument on October 15th, 1924 and the monument's boundary was set at the outer edge of Fort Wood. In 1933, the care and administration of the National Monument was transferred to the National Park Service. On September 7, 1937, jurisdiction was enlarged to encompass all of Bedloe's Island and in 1956, the island's name was changed to Liberty Island.

On May 11, 1965, Ellis Island was also transferred to the National Park Service and became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. In May of 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca to head up a private sector effort to restore the Statue of Liberty. Fundraising began for the $87 million restoration under a public/private partnership between the National Park Service and the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., to date the most successful such partnership in American history.