Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour
Did you know that half of Ellis Island is closed to the public? There is a way to visit the closed section of Ellis Island. To visit the closed section of Ellis Island, you need to take the Ellis Island hard hat tour. The Ellis Island Hard Hat tour can be purchased either from the Statue City Cruises website when you purchase your tickets to the Statue of Liberty or on the Save Ellis Island website. Here is what to expect on the Ellis Island Hard Hat tour.
Why is Half Ellis Island Closed?
Ellis Island was the United States’ very first federal immigrant processing center. Its peek immigration years were between its opening on January 1st, 1892 to the passing of the Johnson-Reed Act in 1924. After 1924, the immigrant processing system to enter the United States changed, so Ellis Island was no longer primarily used as an immigrant processing center. The only immigrants who passed through were those who had issues with their paperwork. There was, however, a military facility and hospital that remained on Ellis Island until 1954. In 1954, the last remaining detainee on Ellis Island was released and the U.S. Government entirely ceased operations on the island. The Island sat in a state of decay. The museum as we know it today opened in 1990. A massive fundraising effort amassed over $350 million to restore the main immigrant processing center to how it would have looked between 1918-1924. The money did not extend to the south end of the island where the hospital wing was located. An organization called Save Ellis Island raised $70 million to begin work on the hospital unit, which now primarily sits in a state of “arrested decay.” The hope is to raise more money and restore the hospital section to its former glory as well, but until then, it is not safe for large crowds of people to walk through the preserved halls.
What is the Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour?
The Ellis Island Hard Hat tour allows a small number of visitors every day to take a guided tour of the hospital wing. The Ellis Island hospital was cutting-edge and considered one of the best in the country at the time. In fact, it was so good, it was also a teaching hospital that would shape the brilliant young minds of tomorrow. There were both a psychiatric ward and an infectious diseases section of the hospital. On the Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour you will learn what really happened within these walls, and hear both heartbreaking and heartwarming stories of the immigrants and doctors who lived there. Each guide has a different area of expertise, so if you take the tour multiple times, you will hear different stories. There are, afterall, hundreds of thousands of immigrants who stayed in these buildings, as well as military families who called Ellis Island home.
What You Need To Know About the Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour
The Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour runs 7 days a week multiple times a day. As of publication, Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour times are 10:30am, 11:30am, 12pm, 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2:30pm. Tickets are $55 + Ferry Ticket to the Island. The minimum age to take the Ellis Island Hard Hat tour is 10 years old. For safety, everyone on the tour must wear a hard hat throughout the tour’s duration. Tours last approximately 90 minutes. After the tour, you are free to explore the public grounds of Ellis Island, including the Immigrant Processing Center.
Your ferry tickets for the Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour also includes a trip to the Statue of Liberty. There are many great photo opportunities at the Statue of Liberty. Take beautiful photos and put them on the Welcome to Times Square Billboard. How much does it cost to be on a Times Square Billboard? Just $150 a day!