Ellis Island Immigration Museum

I enjoyed the experience. I need to get back to see what’s been added and improved. i remember you could use a computer to search for your relatives. You can trace the names back to the ship they arrived on. Some of those hands on activities may have changed since my last visit.
It’s a definite tourist attraction. Get your tickets in advance. Enjoy everything on the island as well as the museum. It’s a great day trip. There’s a lot to take in. Don’t forget to bring your camera!

Loved it. Know my my great great granddad came though here. Wow if the walls could talk. Lots of good exhibits to look at.

Ellis Island was one of the top attractions on my New York To Do List, so naturally I made a bee-​line for it on day one of my adventures. It took a bit of street smarts to wade through the pools of «official Ellis Island employees» (read: scammers) out the front of the docks at Battery Park, one of whom had the gall to tell me unless I booked my tour through him i’d have to wait THREE DAYS to be able to go, but in the end some friendly NYPD guys pointed me to the actual ticket booth, where I could buy (and use!) my tickets on the spot.
The ferry goes to both Ellis and Liberty Islands however make sure you allow enough time (at least the majority of your day) if you want to thoroughly do both.
Tickets are only $ 18 which I though was fair considering it included the ferry and museum at Ellis Island (you need to pay more if you want to climb the Statue of Liberty but be warned, tours up to her crown aren’t available everyday so check ahead).
Once on Ellis Island it was really interesting, seeing the docks where millions arrived was really cool. However, my partner is of Italian heritage and some of her family immigrated to the U.S. so she really wanted to check the genealogy room and see if she could trace her family’s arrival.
Turns out the U.S. «recycled» all the arrival documentation and log books post-​WWII so all that was available was digitized copies of the carbon copies of those books. To top it off, if you wanted to use the computers available for this it cost an additional $ 7!
The guy was like «you can pay $ 7 or just look it up yourself at home, it’s all exactly the same…» What?! Why would I pay $ 7 to google something?! It was overall pretty disappointing.
That aside Ellis Island was interesting and I definitely recommend it if history is your thing — just don’t get sucked into paying for the genealogy thing!

Amazing attraction in NYC that is a must for tourists and locals alike. Ellis Island was an immigration center that served as a gateway for arriving immigrants starting in 1892. This place is filled with so much history, it’s crazy. There are thousands of old photos and old artifacts from that period in time. It’s amazing to be able to walk through the different sections like the luggage area, hospital facilities and the main hall. I recommend you try to get to Battery Park early and see both Ellis Island and Liberty Island (Statue of Liberty) in one day.

Great piece of American history available for everyone to explore. Highly recommended to stop by here on your visit to the Statue of Liberty. Went late in the day and the ticket booth lady told us we wouldn’t have enough time to see both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, but if you’re frugal with your time you can enjoy both thoroughly even if you’re short on time.
Great views of downtown Manhattan from the island. Nice photo opportunity.

Ellis Island was really cool to visit. We took the ferry from Statue Cruises (and pretended we were migrating to the Land of the Free). The process was pretty simple– I definitely recommend buying a ticket online (in advance). The gift shop is neat– I got a sweet mug!

I do think that Ellis Island is the more interesting part of the Liberty/​Ellis combo, and that’s primarily because there’s so much more going on at Ellis Island than Liberty Island.
I personally don’t have any family who were processed through Ellis, so it’s fascinating to read through the history of those who were.
Everything is set in the building where immigrants stayed, which in and of itself is just something to soak in. While there have been quite a few renovations to maintain it, they simply replicate the original building of years ago. No granite countertops or stainless steel appliances here!
Additionally, you can learn about current immigration laws to the US, and given the current refugee crisis, it’s worth a quick read-​through. Plus, you can take a test to see if you’d be granted US citizenship! I got a 9/​10, which probably does not reflect positively of myself…
I think you could easily allot 2 – 4 hours for Ellis Island, but a lot of it can be skimmed through. Just the feel of the rich history that happened in the entire building is what makes it worth visiting.

Quick Tip: Plan for at least a 4 – 5 hour experience and buy tickets in advance. Search for your ancestor passenger records in the online Ellis database from home first (try misspellings of names as well).
Ferry Tickets:
Ellis Database:
Ticket & Line Timing:
The day before we planned to go, there were only two ferry times left for ticket reservations. We signed up for the 9am ferry time. On the day of our visit, we got in an already long line early at 8:40am, but still waited until 9am for the security building to open and start letting the line through. Most people were on board by 9:20am. The boat actually took off at 9:30am.
Security Screening:
It’s like airport screening– so finish those liquid drinks or toss them out, expect to take coats off, and put bags through an X-​ray.
Ride to Ellis Island:
The first ferry stop, about 15min away is for Liberty Island. Takes about 15min for boarding process. We chose to skip Liberty completely for our visit and landed at Ellis around 10am. We were the first group to arrive.
Ellis Island Time Frame:
4 – 5 Hour Visit if you try to read/​see everything
2 Hour Visit if you just skim the surface while listening to a few of the audio tours
30min movie plays at select times posted
15−30min Appointment times can be made to speak with research librarians
Ellis Exhibits:
— First floor focuses on where immigrants arrived from and what factors caused migrating populations
— Second floor focuses on the people who came through Ellis and the processes of screening immigrants and the experience of being processed, held, or sent back at Ellis
— Third floor has a few smaller exhibits to represent some of the things mentioned on the second floor
Amenities:
— Audio Tour w/​Headsets
— Elevator
— Restrooms
— Cafeteria w/​Sandwiches, Soups, Salads
— Archive research librarians

Any visitor to NYC should visit Ellis Island. There is so much history behind it. Many ancestors travelled to Ellis Island from their homelands. They were in a new place and it helped to shape New York in to the multicultural city that it is today. In the museum, they showcase how immigrants arrived to America, their living conditions, work conditions, and other facts. They also had real artifacts that some of the immigrants had brought over to America. The audio tour was really informational and some parts were very sad. It opened my eyes to the sacrifices many of my ancestors probably endured for their future generations.

A place everyone should visit. This is our history & so well done. $ 18 gets you there on a clean & safe ferry. We’ve come so far but yet have so far to go. I’m proud to be an American & ashamed of some of our past but we all need to learn how to be better. Visit Ellis island :) 9÷25÷15

History lovers, young and old, should flock to Ellis Island.
This historical site holds over a 100+ years of history, and welcomed millions of immigrants to our great nation. It is said that about 40% of citizens can trace family who have transitioned through these buildings. Do you know if your family has came through here? I know mine has.
Outside the buildings is the American Immigrant Wall of Honor. Here is where we can each honor the families of who had come through Ellis island and their heritages. The wall overlooks the harbor, New York City and the Statue of Liberty.
Inside the halls highlight the different rooms that were used as immigrants went through medical and legal inspections. You see here preserved photos of different ethnicities, that they could’ve brought over by ship, where they could’ve stayed, as well as the documents or tools used for registering them by the Immigration Service officers.
To get to the island you have two options: by ferry from New York City or by ferry from New Jersey. Statue cruises are the ones that conveniently take you to both landmarks — Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. That ferry service alone deserves it’s own review.
But if you are in New York City, get a glimpse of what makes our nation so unique, here!

Super storm Sandy did a number on Ellis Island. So that’s the reason for 3 stars. I think normally it would probably be 5. But after the storm, they had to remove a number of exhibits due to the environmental system being damaged. Many of the display cases were practically empty or audio systems on other displays didn’t work. Plus, it was ice cold inside. I’m all for air conditioning, but I was a Popsicle. I wanted to leave just so I could warm up.
It was a nice combination with the Statue of Liberty tour. Ellis Island was much less busy. And the ferry was easier to get back onto from there.
Overall, an interesting tour, but I’d like to see it one day in its entirety.

The overall experience was really more like 1 star, but I added a couple stars for the time on the island itself, which was very educational. All of my grand parents came to America through Ellis Island, so being able to retrace their steps, and see the conditions, was worth it.
However, the ferry ride over was completely unorganized as they staff literally herded people like cattle onto and off of the boats. The lines to get on the ferries were ridiculously long — if you’ve ever been to a theme park like Disneyland, it’s like waiting in line for the most popular ride. There’s got to be a better way to do this!!! Maybe some kind of reservation system?
Also, as you’re touring the island, you’re going to get hungry. I would recommend that you plan ahead and bring food, as the cafeteria on the island does not have much of a selection, and what they do have is not very good. I’d compare it to airport food in terms of price & quality.
For some reason which defies logic, the ferry company reduces the number of boats in service in the afternoon — right when everyone wants to get off the island. So expect an even longer wait to leave, and be squeezed onto the final boats like sardines.

This was pretty cool but unfortunately our feet were in pain from walking around earlier so we didn’t really enjoy it all the way. There were lots of exhibits but it was mostly reading of stories of immigration. They were interesting but I could see that I didn’t need to go to a museum necessarily to learn about it.
The cooleer part was the upstairs and seeing the place where people would arrive and get checked in.
My husband had relatives that came through Ellis Island so it was really neat to go to the room where you can look them up. There were 2 sides — 1 side you had to pay like $ 7 but the other side they were doing a test on new machines for free so we tried that out. They ended up having to take us to the paid side anyway. It was definitely neat to see the actual scanned records and facts about their arrival, etc.
I’d love to come back!

After Liberty Island, our visit to Ellis Island came next. Stepping off the ferry you could start to imagine how all those millions of immigrants felt when they arrived — full of hope for the future, yet scared that they may be turned back.
The complex is far larger than I thought, with the main building cleared of the many benches that would have been packed full of people waiting for their number to be called. It’s a truly beautiful space though, with a magnificently tiled arched ceiling.
The audio tour was very interesting, though on some occasions when you were wandering from room to room you struggled to find the particular number you needed to type in to start listening to the next log entry.
It was also disappointing (but completely understandable) that many of the museum’s artefacts had been removed for temporary storage off-​site, as the buildings’ climate control system was still being fixed after the island was hit by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. There were still numerous info boards full of historical facts though, plus the rooms themselves were definitely worth exploring.

This museum on the outside is absolutely stunning. On the inside, just as much so. There is so much history here and it’s amazing to soak it all up.
Though, inside, warning you, it can get really hot when that heat is on full blast so be ready to begin sweating. There is so much to see here that you could spend forever.
Instead of pictures and having to use the audio tours, I wish they had more memorabilia and vintage goodies from the past. One room did have some stuff from when they found the building including an old piano, that was really pretty.

When we booked our last trip to Statue of Liberty we booked the ferry that would allow us access to Ellis Island too. This is the site of the biggest immigrant inspection station in the late 19^th century /​first half of the 20^th century.
Millions of immigrants passed through the doors of this place as this was the busiest There is something quite haunting about the place as you first walk into the great hall /​processing room. If you’re doing the Statue of Liberty tour you should definitely make use of your admission allowing you to visit here.

What a remarkable experience. An island where it all started (melting pot). My boyfriend and felt like as if we traveled back into time. Haha, we’re suckers for history!
Museum:
Free audio tour!!! The descriptive self tour is well put together and of course interesting. During my stay, the museum was not at all crowded. It’s still well restored and there are plenty of past pictures of Ellis.
Some exhibits were closed because of the hurricane however that did not stop my enjoyment so don’t let it ruin yours. We can’t control mother nature. There are still plenty of exhibits to view with tons of artifacts. You will also find a theater that shows a mini presentation of several immigrants talking about coming to America.
Free information brochures and maps are also available at the information desk to your left.
Recommend visiting the Café before you leave. The café room is super nostalgic and an interesting experience. They accept cards.
Souvenir Store:
Better than Statue of Liberty store! They do sell some Liberty items here too if you missed on liberty’s island. They sell tons of items from books to toys. The ornaments are gorgeous! It’s the same company that designs for the White House ornaments. My boyfriend collects them for our Christmas trees.
The cookbooks are my favorite souvenirs versus the pens and key chains. Another good buy, Coming to America book. This book is very informational and educational for ages 13 to adults.
Ellis Island:
Clean and beautiful! It gives a great view of both the Statue of Liberty and the city. Now I know why the immigrants fell in love… that view!
Boat to the city arrives every 20 – 25 minutes.

I love coming here. I have visited the island 3 times so far. Its a fantastic museum of American immigration. A story of peoples hopes and dreams. Getting over has become so painful because of the security lines are so very long, there is more security than at an airport. Ladies and metrosexuals, take a Parasol in summer months, rednecks will be ok.
They screen a couple of docos over there,

Bestandteil unseres Fährtickets zu Liberty Island und den Besuch der Freiheitsstatue, war auch ein Besuch des Immigration Museum auf Ellis Island. Diese Insel hat auch den Beinamen «Insel der Tränen und Hoffnung» erhalten, da in den Jahren 1892 bis 1954 rund 12 Millionen Menschen diese zentrale Sammelstelle passieren durften. Für rund 350.000 Menschen endete hier die Reise mit der Abschiebung.
Bei unserem New York Besuch im Jahre 2013 konnten wir Ellis Island leider nicht besuchen, da der Wirbelsturm «Sandy» im Oktober 2012 Ellis Island komplett überschwemmt hatte. Dabei wurden unter anderem die Heizungs– und Kühlungssysteme und die Elektrik des Museums zerstört. Auf einigen Bildern der Ausstellung kann man die dramatischen Auswirkungen erkennen.
Wenn man mit der Fähre anlegt, kann man bequem über einen aufwendig überdachten Eingangsbereich das Museum erreichen. In der Lobby des Museums kann man sich mit einem Audioguide versorgen, der auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar ist.
Seit dem Jahre 1990 ist das Immigration Museum geöffnet und verfügt über 3. Stockwerke. Absolut sehenswert ist die Große Halle sowie der Gepäckraum, aber auch die vielen alten Fotografien, die eindrucksvoll die Armut der damaligen Menschen widerspiegeln. Im dritten Stock kann man die Schlafsäle besichtigen, in denen die Einwanderer ihre ersten Nächte in den Vereinigten Staaten verbrachten.
In der Bibliothek des Museums kann man anhand digitalisierter Passagierlisten nach seinen Vorfahren recherchieren. Auf der Wall of Honor, eine riesige mit Namen beschriftete Mauer, kann man die Namen der Einwanderer nachlesen.
Das Museum wird durch den National Park Service verwaltet. Der Eintritt ist mit dem Kauf des Fährtickets bereits abgegolten. Eine wirklich eindrucksvolle Sehenswürdigkeit und ein wichtiger Teil amerikanischer Geschichte.

The only reason why I give the Ellis Island Museum a 4 star rating is because there are so many cool artifacts and exhibits missing due to the hurricane. Otherwise, I’m so happy they’ve reopened this museum to the public. I love learning about the history and walking through the various parts of Ellis Island. I think there’s something really romantic and exciting about being in such a place.
I highly recommend making the stop over as part of the Statue of Liberty ferry package. I felt as if a lot of people just spent either all their time at the Statue or didn’t even both checking out Ellis Island. No matter, I enjoyed it more given the space that I had to wander throughout the museum exhibits. They have cool recordings of immigrants or past staff talking about the medical exams, background checks etc. A quick tip, the real good stuff is on the upper floors and not in the main entrance hall /​areas which have been newly constructed.

C’est l’île à côté des liberty Island, on y va avec le même ferry, il n’y a pas grand chose à voir, les salle sont grandes mais vide, et au musée il n’a que des valises, et quant à la cantine elle n’est pas terrible.

Équipé de l’audio guide, vous serez dans la peau d’un candidat à l’immigration au début du 20ème siècle. Le lieu est émouvant, bourré d’anecdotes et de photos … Incontournable !