:: Guest blog post by Andy Hong ::

Last updated: October 27, 2026

It’s pretty obvious that going to see the Statue of Liberty is a leading tourist destination in New York, so what more needs to be said?  If you don’t purchase tickets ahead of time, you can buy them at the Castle Clinton National Monument in lower Battery Park in Manhattan.

The thing to point out primarily about the Statue of Liberty is that security is tight ….. as in tighter than airport security.  Keep this in mind in regards to the timeslot that you have scheduled on your ticket. It will take awhile to get through security to access the pedestal at the Statue. And it will take time to wait for the ferry to let people off and then to reload. The ferry goes to the Statue, then to Ellis Island, and then back to Battery Park.

A regular ticket to the Statue of Liberty will get you access to the observation platform at the top of the pedestal only. If you’re feeling ambitions, you can climb the 215 steps to the pedestal, otherwise, you can take the elevator. However, if you know the date that you will be at the Statue and it is a couple of months ahead of time, you can get crown tickets online – so just go get it done! 

You need to have the full names of all of the people in your group ahead of time when you order the tickets online, and you are required to show up with everyone together at the Castle ticket window. They will check everyone’s IDs and issue you wristbands.

The obvious benefit of getting crown tickets is that it is really cool to go all the way to the top through a very tight, winding, spiral staircase (with 162 steps) in the Statue to see the amazing views privileged by only a small number of people at a time. The not so obvious benefit is that you get to cut the security line if it’s super busy, which is really worth it just for that.  And don’t bypass the small museum at the pedestal base.  It is brief, but is also well worth the information regarding the history, lobbying, logistics, and design of the Statue.

Your ticket to the Statue will also get you access to Ellis Island which is pretty cool also. Get the audio tour, and it will take you through all the processing rooms that the immigrants had to go through with explanations. The rest of Ellis Island is mostly exhibits of artifacts and photos which are pretty informative and interesting but can get tiring as it is a lot of standing and reading.  Lots of statistics and dates here.  Also, you can look up your family name and find out when your family came over to the US.  Over 90% of Americans are related to someone who passed through Ellis ….. okay, I made that up, but Ellis Island is an extraordinarily interesting place to visit.

UPDATE: This blog post was updated on October 27, 2026 to include updated travel information and to include additional photographs.

Image 1: Statue of Liberty, Andy Hong, 2010.

Image 2: At the Statue of Liberty Crown with Chuck and Melissa, Andy Hong, 2010.

Image 3: At the Statue of Liberty Crown with Lori and Kristi, Julie Henkener, 2026.

Image 4: View of Statue of Liberty Arm from the Crown, Julie Henkener, 2026.

Image 5: Main Processing Room, Ellis Island, Julie Henkener, 2026.