By: Jennifer Broome
On a New York City trip, you likely have Broadway, Central Park, Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty in your itinerary. Did you know the New York Harbor is also home to twelve National Park Service sites? The Statue of Liberty National Monument is just one of them. I visited 10 of 12 sites in two and a half days and found it to be a unique way to explore different neighbors. Getting to all 12 sites in three days is not as hard as you think if you plan. Here’s how to visit New York Harbor’s National Park Service Sites along with tips to know before you go. Most of the sites are free to visit including some of the guided tours.
Day 1: Visit 5 Sites in a Day Starting at the Statue of Liberty
Book your ferry ride ticket for the Statue of Liberty National Monument before your trip. Popular days sell-out well in advance. I booked the first ferry of the day and got a crown ticket. Large bags are not allowed on Liberty or Ellis islands. Take a ride share, taxi or the subway to Castle Clinton National Monument in Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan Island. Will Call for pedestal and crown tickets is inside Castle Clinton. You want to arrive at least 45-60 minutes before your scheduled ferry to check-in and allow for a little time to wander around where New York City began. The Southwest Battery was originally built 1808-1811. The fortification was one of four forts in the harbor to prevent a British invasion during the War of 1812. In 1817 it was renamed Castle Clinton in honor of Mayor and later Governor of New York Dewitt Clinton. In the 1820s it was an entertainment center and during 1855-1890 it was an immigrant landing depot. It was named Castle Clinton National Monument in 1975. Since it’s home to the Statue of Liberty ticket office, it gets over 3 million visitors a year making it one of the most visited National Park Service sites. After a quick walk-around Castle Clinton, head to the ferry security check-in line.
Statue of Liberty National Monument is comprised of two islands in the New Harbor representing freedom, democracy and the American Dream. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886. It sits on top of the remains of Fort Wood, built between 1808 and 1811 in the shape of an eleven-pointed star as a fortification to protect New York City and its harbor. While the Statue of Liberty is incredible to see from Manhattan or New Jersey shorelines, it’s even more striking and inspiring from the water. Your ferry ticket gets you access to the grounds, but if you want to go up into the pedestal or crown, you need a separate ticket purchased in advance. I sat on the starboard side (right side of boat when facing front) and had an amazing view of the 305-foot copper statute as the ferry approached Liberty Island. I spent a few minutes walking around then quickly made my way to go inside of Lady Liberty. Take change for the locker storage for backpacks, coats and small bags. Lockers require a 25¢ deposit. There are change machines for $1 and $5 bills. I only took my phone for pictures and sunglasses with me inside the Statue of Liberty after putting my small backpack in a locker. You’ll go through an additional security check as you go inside. It’s 215 steps or about 10 stories up to the top of the pedestal. As you climb, read the Statue Facts along the way. They’re strategically placed for breath brakes. There is an elevator if you don’t want to take the stairs. Go around the observation deck to take in the view. If you have a crown ticket like I did, no bag of any kind is allowed. Leave everything but your phone and/or camera in a locker before you enter the Statue (heads up: the couple in front of me was denied entry because they had a bag.) The reason is because it is a very narrow spiral staircase up an additional 162 steps to the crown. You’re only allowed a few minutes in the crown to look out some of its 25 windows before taking a separate spiral staircase back down to the pedestal. It is a lot of effort, but you get bragging rights as you’ve stood in the Statue of Liberty crown. You need at least one or two hours to visit the Statue of Liberty, its grounds and museum, before catching the ferry to see Ellis Island National Immigration Museum. Between 1892 and 1954, over 12 million immigrants went through Ellis Island. As I walked into what was the Baggage Room, I imagined what it was like as thousands moved through here in search of a better life and the American Dream. If you have ancestors who passed through Ellis Island you can search the approximately 65 million records at the American Family Immigration History Center (AFIHC) at Ellis Island or do a passenger search online. Make sure to go upstairs to the Registry Room restored to the way it looked in 1918-1924. From there you can walk through various medical and legal examination rooms just as those immigrating to the United States would have done at Ellis Island. You need at least an hour at Ellis Island and longer if you’re searching records. Plan on a half day of 4-5 hours to visit both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
From Battery Park it’s a 15-minute walk to Federal Hall National Monument on the site of the first capitol of the United States and where the Constitution was put into practice. The first building, which was demolished in 1812, was also the site of the first Congress and where the Bill of Rights was passed, creation of a court system including the Supreme Court and creation of Executive Branch of government. The current building was a Customs House and part of the US Sub-Treasury. The domed rotunda with elegant columns is stunning. Make sure to see the rock slab where George Washington stood on April 30, 1789, as he was sworn in as America’s first president. Go upstairs for a different view of the rotunda. You only need about 30 minutes to visit Federal Hall National Monument.
Walk a couple more blocks to the African Burial Ground National Monument. Go through the gold doors to explore the exhibit area to learn about this sacred space in Manhattan. Behind the building is the outdoor memorial to the six-acre burial ground with approximately 15,000 intact skeletal remains in the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground for free and enslaved Africans in North America. The burials date back to the 1600s and 1700s. Give yourself 30 to 60 minutes to visit. The outdoor memorial is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday from early May to early September. The visitor center is closed on Sundays and Mondays so plan accordingly.
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum is a little over a mile away if you’re up for a walk. They offer a variety of tours from neighborhood walking tours to tenement apartment tours. There is a charge for tours and you need to book in advance. The only way to see the apartments is on a guided tour. I did the 100 Years Apart tour on two immigrant women – Natalie Gumpertz and Mrs. Wong – living a century apart in the Garment District. Tenements were the first apartment buildings in New York City. On this tour we started in the recreated 1880s tenement apartment of the Gumpertz family then went upstairs in what felt like a time warp to an interactive 1980s Chinatown garment shop and home. It was fascinating to hear the stories of a 19th century German-Jewish immigrant followed by the stories of a 20th century Chinese immigrant. The tenement apartment tours run 60 minutes and the walking tours are 90 minutes. After you finish a mid or late afternoon tour, you’re close to amazing eateries in nearby Little Italy and Chinatown.
Day 2: Two Homes, A Memorial and National Monument
Hamilton Grange National Memorial was one of the two sites I didn’t make it to during my 2 and a half days exploring the National Parks of New York Harbor. The memorial is open year-round, but the 25-minute tours of the home are only offered three days a week. Hamilton Grange preserves Alexander Hamilton’s country estate in uptown Manhattan. It was completed in 1802. The restored home is on a three-acre plot within St. Nicholas Park. Home tours are only offered Friday through Sunday. Since the tours are on a first-come, first-served basis with limited hours, I suggest being there when they open at 10 a.m.
General Grant National Memorial is about a mile and a half walk from Hamilton Grange so enjoy a nice walk or jump in a ride share or taxi. Completed in 1897, the granite and marble structure is the largest mausoleum in North America and where President Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, Julia, are entombed. Give yourself 30 to 60 minutes to visit inside the mausoleum and to see some of the 20 outdoor exhibits in Riverside Park along the Hudson River.
In the afternoon, take the subway, taxi or ride share to Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park district. The townhome at 28 E. 20th Street is the boyhood home of the 26th president. Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to be born in New York City. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday. You can visit the museum on the first floor anytime, but I highly recommend getting on one of the guided tours so you can see the home’s five restored period rooms. There are six tour times and reservations can only be made day of and in person.
From Theodore Roosevelt’s Birthplace, you can walk or take a taxi or ride share for the 1.3 miles to Stonewall National Monument in Christopher Park in Greenwich Village. At Stonewall Inn, in 1969 members of the LGBTQ community stood up against years of oppression in a symbolic spark igniting the modern LGBTQIA+ rights movement. Using your phone, you can experience the digital monument to learn the story of Pride. The Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center is slated to open on June 28, 2024. You need at least 30 minutes to visit and learn through the augmented reality app and more time with the visitor center opens. The Stonewall Inn is under construction, but the bar is open in the evenings.
Day 3: Outside of Manhattan
Dating back to 1665, St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site is the farthest site from the heart of Manhattan. Since it’s in Eastchester, 20 miles north of New York City, I suggest taking the subway early in the morning. Guided tours are offered or you can do as I did and go self-guided. From the Dyre Avenue station in the Bronx, it is about a 15-minute walk (2/3 of a mile) through an industrial area from the subway stop to the church. During the Election of 1733, issues of freedom of religion and the press were raised here. The 18th century stone church was used as a military field hospital during the American Revolution. Grab one of the cemetery pamphlets to learn about some of the people buried in the historic cemetery. The oldest gravestone is dated 1704.
I made it to Gateway National Recreation Area in time to catch a cloudy sunset from Canarsie Pier at Breezy Point in the Jamaica Bay Unit in Brooklyn. For more than 300 years, Canarsie Pier has been a popular fishing spot. Gateway spans 27,000 acres from Sandy Hook in Jersey to Breezy Point where I was. There are three units of Gateway: Sandy Hook, Jamaica Bay and Staten Island. Each unit has green spaces, beaches and historic structures. You can easily visit for an hour or longer.
Like Gateway, you need several hours to enjoy Governors Island National Monument. The 172-acre island is a 10-minute ferry ride from Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. It was the second site I didn’t get to on my trip. The island is open year-round, but Fort Jay and Castle Williams are only open May-October. There are no motorized vehicles on the island. You can rent a bike or walk. You can also bring a picnic or dine from food trucks and tent vendors on the island. After you explore Castle Williams, Fort Jay and the National Historic Landmark District, spend a little time on the Promenade and enjoy one of the best views of New York City.