NPS Photo - V. Scott

Join a ranger tour!

There are many things to experience when visiting Ellis Island:

Self-Guided Tours
The three floors of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum were designed to be self-guiding. The Ellis Island brochure guides visitors through the museum exhibits at their own pace. Allow several hours to explore the museum. 

We Welcome Visitors From Around the World
Brochures are available in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, as well as English.

Journey Back in Time with a Ranger
Learn about the island's history and our nation's immigration past by joining a ranger-guided tour. See rangers at the information desk for where and when they begin.

Catch A Moving Movie
You can watch the movie "Island of Hope, Island of Tears" and listen to immigrants talk about their experiences at Ellis Island. Ask about free movie tickets at the Information Desk in the Baggage Room.

Search for Your Past Today
You can search the database of Ellis Island immigrant manifests at the American Family Immigration History Center. Perhaps you'll discover a part of your family's history!

Ask Questions and Learn More Things to Do at our Info Desk
You will find Ellis Island brochures, movie and tour schedules, and exhibit information at the Information Desk in the Baggage Room of the Administration Building.

Visit the Immigrant Wall of Honor and Fort Gibson
The remnants of Fort Gibson, built in the very early 1800s, can be seen behind the Main Building. You can learn about how Ellis Island was used long before there was an immigration station here by visiting the excavated fort.

Fort Gibson was uncovered in the 1990s, when excavations for the Immigrant Wall of Honor were begun. The Wall of Honor is not a list of Ellis Island immigrants. It is a fund-raising project; people make a donation to the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, and can have a name inscribed on the Wall. You are welcome to visit the Wall, which is near the fort, as well as enjoy the spectacular views of New York City and Harbor.

Sections of the Wall of Honor are being periodically closed, due to on-going repairs to Ellis Island's seawall. You can get more information about these closures here.

Check out our new Exhibit!
"Journeys: The Peopling of America 1550-1890" is an updated permanent exhibit about immigration before the federal government opened Ellis Island. Graphic panels and first-person stories invoke different aspects of the journey - Leaving, Making the Trip, Arrival, Struggle and Survival, and Building a Nation.