Visiting The Statue Of Liberty & Ellis Island From New Jersey’s Liberty State Park

I love NYC. I mean, it’s my heart city. There are very few places on earth that I’ve been to that make me feel like NYC. I’ve visited for most of my life and even lived there for a little while in 2003. So, I’ve done most of the iconic, “must-dos,” like the Empire State Building, walking the Brooklyn Bridge, The Tenement Museum, Grand Central Station, the Chelsea Highline, Times Square, Rockefeller Plaza, Central Park, The NY Public Library, and more. I’ve even been to the crown of the Statue of Liberty pre-9/11. But, until this December, I’d never been to Ellis Island.

I knew that my students would LOVE a field trip to the Statue of Liberty and saw that getting a Statue of Liberty Pedestal ticket including a ferry ride from/to NJ’s Liberty State Park included a stop at Ellis Island. I booked it and boy am I glad I did. I had a wonderful day; it ended up being so perfect from start to finish that I recommend only going on a mild, winter, day to anyone for the perfect day!

Transport and Parking

I probably could’ve taken a bus from Toms River to Liberty State Park, like I did to go to NYC, but Stephen didn’t need the car and so I drove myself. It was ~1.5 hours to/from Liberty State Park from Seaside Heights, NJ, and parking, at the time of writing, was $7 for the day.

Tickets

At the time of writing, Statue City Cruises is the only company that has the concession with the National Park Service to provide tickets to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You can choose your tickets here.

If you plan to go into the Statue of Liberty to visit the crown you need to book really early as those tickets are very limited, but the pedestal still had a few tickets available the week before even though it was a Saturday in December. That being said, better safe than sorry, so don’t miss out on your tickets if going inside Lady Liberty is really important to you. If it’s not, you can just get the island tickets and go to the visitor center and see the Statue of Liberty up close from the outside. All tickets include an audio tour at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

The Boat Ride

My timed boat ticket was for 11am and they recommend arriving no less than 30 mins before your time so you can go through security. I arrived around 10:20 am at the parking lot and made it through security and onto the boat by about 10:35 am. This was at a good walking pace, but without the stress that I’d miss my boat. I’m sure during the height of summer you need to plan for more time.

The ferry ride over was fun – even on the upper deck – as it was a cool day but not icy, so it was enjoyable to be out in the wind as we glided over to Ellis Island. There was a snack bar on board, with indoor and outdoor seating options on the top deck and indoor seating on the bottom deck. There were also bathrooms and informational talks about Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty on both journeys. I arrived at Ellis Island at 10:57 am.

Ellis Island

I went straight inside and took in all the exhibits in The Baggage Room, then went through the first exhibits on the ground floor. I tend to spend a fair bit of time in most museums – either because I’m a big nerd about the subject or because I’m gathering field trip information for my students.

There was so much to take in in the Journeys: The Peopling of America 1550-1890 exhibit. My favorite feature though, hands down, was the small alcoves with personal stories recorded throughout. You had to move close to them to activate them and they were both interesting and revealing about the attitudes and experiences of those in America and coming through Ellis Island. I didn’t spend any time in the Journeys: The New Era of Immigration 1945-Present since I was on a tight-ish schedule seeing both Ellis Island and Lady Liberty.

I went to the 2nd floor using the central staircase in the Baggage Room and, while I’m sure the other immigration exhibit would’ve been good, I’m glad I didn’t miss out on having all the time I wanted on the 2nd floor. The Registry Room is a special place. Its huge windows, giant flags, and informational spots dotted around the room make it a place to spend a few minutes getting your pictures and imagining what it would’ve been like for those coming to America.

From the Registry Room, you head into the Through America’s Gate exhibits. They offer you two entrances making it seem like either way is fine – BUT GO THROUGH THE DOOR ON THE LEFT when you’re facing the exhibit’s end of the Registry Room. This is the way immigrants would’ve gone through the system starting with health and legal checks and it makes the whole exhibit make a lot more sense instead of starting with their train journey to other parts of the US after their processing – which is where you end up.

I went through the Peak Immigration Years exhibit quickly and made my way up to the 3rd floor. I took the staircase (if you’re looking at the map above) in the top right (nearest Theater 2). That stairway has some historic significance and has a historic elevator you can see. It was also nice and cool – an excellent place to refresh yourself after the sunny warmth and bodies of the Registry Room and exhibits. There isn’t much on the 3rd floor, but what’s there is totally worth making the trip up to see.

The Dormitory Room exhibit shows you what it was like for those who stayed at Ellis Island. You also learn about the making of Ellis Island from a military installation to an immigration center, you can see items from immigrants who came through Ellis Island and learn about the restoration of the property. There are also pictures that overlook the Registry Room on the 3rd floor that show you what it looked like throughout history.

I took some time to stop by the gift shop, get my NPS passport stamp, and use the restroom. NOTE: The restroom near the cafe/gift shop is ridiculously tight – a very authentic historical experience. I almost had to sit on the toilet just to close the door to the stall. Be prepared if you’re disabled or plus-sized (like me) that you might have some discomfort so it might be worth checking out the other bathrooms available.

I went outside and found I’d *just* missed the 1:10 pm ferry over (I wasn’t going to run and I hadn’t bothered to check the ferry times beforehand). Rather than go back inside to see the exhibit I missed, I just sat in the sun looking at the water and the Statue of Liberty while I waited for the 1:40 pm ferry. It was delightful getting a little rest and vitamin D.

The Statue of Liberty

I was in line for my lunch at the cafe on Liberty Island by 2:00 pm (according to my photos – I didn’t keep meticulous track of my time until I realized how perfect my timing was, so I’m recording it here to help you have the perfect wintery visit.) A story about how I timed out my visit to Liberty Island.

A word of warning – know your timings and plan accordingly

After arriving at Liberty Island, I walked over to the Visitor’s Center to get my stamp and ask some questions. Mainly – did I have time to grab some lunch before going to the Pedestal? The answer was “yes” spoken with concern and a warning… It was like being Cinderella… “You MUST, I cannot stress this enough,” said the Ranger, “be inside the Pedestal no later than 3:30 pm because that’s when security closes and then you can’t get in.” The reason for my question was that I knew there was a cut-off time to get into the Pedestal, but I also wanted to see the Visitor’s Center museum and take some photos around the island and knew that the Visitor’s Center and other sites on the island closed at 5:00 pm. But, I’d also hoped to have some food. With the Ranger’s warning buzzing in my ears, I went to find sustenance. I grabbed my postcard too so I’d make sure that was out of the way, maximizing my museum time after I wolfed down some food.

It turned out that I didn’t need to be as concerned about eating as I was. I had plenty of time to eat my lunch – I was outside by 2:16 pm. Not hours, but I ate at a reasonable pace and people watched while facing the Statue of Liberty and it was worth it. If you have a family with you, or children that you know are slow eaters, you may want to arrive a bit earlier to Liberty Island if you plan to eat there. I purposely didn’t eat at Ellis Island’s cafe because the line looked crazy long.

I finished my hotdog, chips, and soda and was on my way to the lockers just outside the Pedestal security area by 2:25 pm. You can’t take large bags into the pedestal, or metal water bottles, etc. They have free lockers; although it’s a quarter to operate the lockers, you get that back at the end and there’s a change machine there too. I was through security and inside the Pedestal well inside my 3:30 pm time.

I chose to take the stairs up inside the Pedestal. There is an elevator – I just didn’t feel like waiting. On the one hand, I’m not really in shape for those kind of steps. On the other hand, there are really fun facts all along the walk, so if it interests you at all you should totally go up via the stairs. Just don’t start a race with a 7-year-old on your way up and you should be fine.

There’s a museum inside the Pedestal that I spent a little time in. If you’re limited on time, most of the information is also available in the Visitor’s Center and it’s newer and a bit more interactive. I had plenty of time to exit the Pedestal at a few levels and get even more pictures and videos outside.

I made my way to the Visitor’s Center after collecting my items from my locker and walking around the front to see the Statue of Liberty from the ground. I was on my way to the Visitor’s Center by 3:33 pm giving me 1.5 hours until the park closed, and an hour before the Visitor’s Center stopped allowing entry.

It’s worth leaving that amount of time for the Visitor’s Center if how they made and renovated the Statue of Liberty and torch interests you. There are a lot of hands-on exhibits and videos explaining the process and, of course, you can pick the Statue of Liberty’s nose… or, um, just show what size you are compared to her face. You can also see the original torch on display inside the Visitor’s Center. The torch that’s there now is lit from the outside, rather than the inside like the original one.

I’d made it through the Visitor’s Center by 3:58 pm and went up onto the roof. I started to wonder about my timings as the sun was setting… could I see the sunset from the ferry as I rode past the Statue of Liberty!? I decided to take the 4:40 pm ferry back to Liberty State Park. Since I had some time to kill, I went back to the front of the Statue of Liberty for some final “golden hour” (golden hour is a time about 30-60 mins before sunset where lighting is particularly good for photography) pictures of her in the setting sunlight.

Back to New Jersey’s Liberty State Park

Finally, we were on our way and I had indeed timed it perfectly for December 16, 2023. As the sun set, she went from soft golden green. Then the lights came on and I was able to also get photos of her in the dark with the lights of Liberty Island and Ellis Island in the picture. We were able to see NYC lit up for the night as well. It was the perfect way to end the day with beautiful photos and memories made.

I stopped at the “Empty Sky” 9/11 Memorial in Liberty State Park before heading back to the parking lot to pay my parking fee and drive the 1.5 hours back to Seaside Heights. Have patience with the ticket machines – using a credit card seemed to be a slow process, so it’s worth also just having $7 cash on you if you want to avoid any potential issues.

Overall, it was just the perfect day. Not too rushed, not too slow and I feel like I experienced the very best of both sites (other than going up into the Crown but that would’ve created other logistical issues) and I highly recommend it. In December 2023, ticket prices for going into the Pedestal and Ellis Island, including an audio tour on both islands, on the ferry from/to Liberty Island State Park in New Jersey were $24.80 total.