Let’s Visit Liberty Island

A trip to New York City really isn’t complete without a visit to the giant lady herself, Lady Liberty. Situated on Liberty Island, Lady Liberty is made of iron, hence her green color, and boy is she big - those feet are seriously huge! Looking at her you can almost hear her robes swishing as she walks - and she is walking. Holding aloft the Book of Independence and a beacon (lighting the way) she looks like she is about to stride off of her platform and across the bay.

Liberty Island is accessible from both Jersey City and Battery Park in downtown Manhattan. You will need to book a boat to get across to her - Statue City Cruises offers a standard ticket for $25 which will allow you to travel across to Liberty Island and, if you wish, you can also visit nearby Ellis Island for no extra charge. Your ticket will also give you access to the Liberty Island museum and an audio tour is included in the price.

You will need to book a ticket with pedestal entry if you want to enter the pedestal viewing area. Similarly if you want to visit her crown, tickets need to be booked in advance as access is limited.

As you would imagine security remains tight and there is an airport style security area prior to boarding your boat - as is usual they do not like you to take large bags and backpacks, but in any event all bags are scanned.

With a journey time from Battery Park of just 15 minutes you will be across the bay in no time. Be prepared for a choppy and windy journey outside of peak season! On arrival you can go into the museum free of charge - her torch was damaged by years of rain and cold temperatures, and was corroded beyond repair. This was removed on 4th July 1984 and replaced, however the original is on display in the museum.

I would definitely recommend taking the free audio tour which guides you around the island giving you some interesting facts on how Lady Liberty was designed and built - did you know that Gustave Eiffel, the architect who created The Eiffel Tower, also worked on building Lady Liberty herself. I’ve done this a couple of times over the years and its always interesting.

When we last visited the escalators were out of service and we had to climb the stairs up to the pedestal viewing platform - this was around 200 steps ! To get to her crown from here there is no alternative but to climb yet more stairs - the stairs are open, spiral and there are around an additional 160 steps to get to the top. It’s worth noting that the staircase is very narrow but there are places to stop along the way if you need to rest. The views from the top are spectacular, and although it is a little cramped up there, I feel it is well worth the visit, even if you just do it once. Did you know that the seven spikes on her crown represent the seven seas and the seven continents!

There are restrooms and a restaurant on the island but it is of course pretty expensive but expected given that this is a huge tourist attraction. There is also a gift shop where I have purchased many a magnet for our fridge!

You can spend as little or as long as you wish on the island - when you are ready to leave just head back to the jetty and wait for your Jersey / Ellis / Manhattan boat to arrive.

I would say take a half day to visit the island, you really need an hour to travel from central Manhattan down to Battery Park and to get through security. Take the audio tour, visit the museum, buy some souvenirs in the shop and perhaps have a coffee and take in the view of the downtown skyline from the island - it certainly gives you a different perspective of it.

So, whatever you do in New York City, enjoy !

See you soon

Tracey & Georgia xx

** follow our travel adventures on You Tube at georgialouisetravels