Experience Ellis Island's National Museum of Immigration with a National Park Service Ranger — a free, expert-led journey through the Great Hall where 40% of Americans can trace an ancestor's first steps in the New World.
What to expect
After arriving by official ferry, your NPS Ranger guides the group through the Baggage Room, up the famous Staircase of Separation, and into the soaring, vaulted Registry Room — restored to its 1918 splendour. The Ranger shares first-person accounts from the Ellis Island Oral History Project, medical inspection stories, and the statistical reality of 12 million arrivals between 1892 and 1954. The American Family Immigration History Center allows you to search the original ship manifests for your own family name.
Good to know
Ranger tours depart at set times — check the daily schedule at nps.gov/elis on the day. Ferry tickets (required) must be booked in advance at statuecitycruises.com. Plan 2–3 hours on Ellis Island alone. Combine with Liberty Island on the same ferry ticket.