Ellis Island

Ellis Island is a very popular tourist attraction and visitors to NYC usually club their visit to this island with that to the Statue of Liberty together. However, this island, located minutes off the southern tip of Manhattan Island, is lot more than a popular place to hang out with your friends.

Ellis island holds a special place in the heart of every American and it is said that more than half of all Americans alive today can trace their family history to at least one person who passed through the Port of New York at Ellis Island. Between 1892 and 1954, approximately 12 million passengers were processed on Ellis Island and immigrants coming into the United States through the port of New York had to undergo a legal and medical inspection at Ellis Island. Even though it has been nearly a century since the peak years of immigration, Ellis Island continues to be a soft spot for Americans.

For a lot of people, a trip to Ellis Island is like stepping through a doorway in time. Naturally, most of the exhibits and displays here are related to the time of massive European immigration across the Atlantic via ocean liner and there are several things you can do here.

You can begin by watching the free screening of “Island of Hope, Island of Tears,” a 30-minute documentary that will introduce you to the immigrant experience on Ellis Island. You could also opt for the Ranger Guided Tours, which are again free and last 45, taking visitors through Ellis Island’s history. If you don’t like the idea of guided tours, you could also choose the paid Audio Tour which is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian & Japanese.

“Taking a Chance on America: Bela Lugosi’s Ellis Island Story” is a 30 minute, interactive play performed by live actors. You have to buy the tickets separately and there are several performances throughout the day for you to catch.

If you are here to research a member of your family head towards the American Family Immigration History Center where all the genealogy archives are kept. If you find your family member’s name on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor, you are most welcome to take a rubbing of it.

Ellis Island is a great place to enjoy a picnic. Rather than buying food on the island, which may work out to be more expensive, pack your own lunch and have it out in the open on one of the many picnic tables on Ellis Island, while enjoying fantastic views of lower Manhattan.

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