Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty rises green with age on her island in New York Harbor, a colossal copper figure of Liberty lifting her torch, given by France in 1886 and long the first sight of America for millions of arriving immigrants. A UNESCO monument, she remains the great symbol of freedom, seen up close by ferry and paired with the moving Ellis Island museum.

History

The National Park Service traces the idea to the French historian and abolitionist Édouard René de Laboulaye, who is said to have proposed in 1865, after the Union victory and the end of slavery, a monument built by the common effort of France and the United States, though a 2000 report by the Park Service called that story a legend from an 1885 fundraising pamphlet and dated the idea most likely to 1870. The sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the copper figure, Gustave Eiffel built its iron framework, and it was dedicated on 28 October 1886; Liberty holds a tablet dated 4 July 1776 and stands on a broken chain and shackle marking the abolition of slavery after the Civil War (Wikipedia, Statue of Liberty).

Highlights

• The statue - the colossal copper Liberty up close on the island.
• The pedestal and crown - the museum, the pedestal view and, for the booked, the crown climb.
• Ellis Island - the immigration museum on the neighbouring island.
• The harbour view - Manhattan's skyline across the water from the ferry.

When to go

Year-round; spring and autumn are most comfortable, summer busiest. Crown access is very limited and must be booked far ahead. The ferry gives fine skyline views in any season.

What to expect

You cannot reach the island except by the official ferry, which is busy and has airport-style security, so allow time and expect queues. Crown and even pedestal tickets sell out weeks ahead. Ellis Island is included and, for many, the more moving half of the visit.

Nearby

Battery Park and Lower Manhattan are at the ferry; the 9/11 Memorial and Wall Street are a short walk.

Key facts