This former immigration station processed 12 million arrivals and now houses a moving museum with photos, artifacts, and interactive exhibits. Reach it by ferry near Liberty Island; free ranger tours add depth.
“Free ranger-guided tours take in the Baggage Room, the "Peopling of America" exhibit, and the remarkable 30-minute documentary "Island of Hope, Island of Tears" in the theatre room.”
– The Telegraph
Fodor's
"The island's main building, now a national monument, reopened in 1990 as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, which is divided into four major exhibit areas." Full review
Concierge
"Roughly 12 million immigrants passed through this island as they entered America from the late 1800s through the mid-1950s, sometimes at the rate of thousands a day."
Travel + Leisure
"See America through the eyes of the 12 million immigrants that entered through Ellis Island." Full review
Time Out
"Trace the history of U.S. immigration with a visit to the three floors of objects, photographs and interactive displays housed on the famous island next door to Lady Liberty herself." Full review
Michelin Guide
2 Stars
"Ellis Island is situated about halfway between lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor." Full review
U.S. News & World Report
25.0
"You can just glimpse Ellis Island when you stand on the shores of Battery Park...take one of the Statue Cruises ferries over for a visit." Full review
Frommer's
"One of New York’s most moving sights, the restored Ellis Island opened in 1990, slightly north of Liberty Island." Full review
Lonely Planet
Top choice
"An icon of mythical proportions for the descendents of those who passed through here, this island and its hulking building served as New York’s main immigration station from 1892 until 1954." Full review
Condé Nast Traveler
"Crowds board the ferries that sail from Castle Clinton in Manhattan's Battery Park to Liberty and Ellis Islands, which together make up the Statue of Liberty National Monument in Upper..."
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Lonely Planet
"Or catch cool breezes on the ferry, the greatest gift NYC has to offer, whether you're off to the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island, or just taking in the skyline from the water"
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Experts' Choice Award 
Fodor's
Concierge
Travel + Leisure
Time Out
Michelin Guide
U.S. News & World Report
Frommer's
Lonely Planet
Condé Nast Traveler
