Island Tours: Ranger-guided tours of the island's grounds are offered free of charge at regularly scheduled times through the day (staff permitting). Program listings are posted at the island's Administration/Information building. Public Access at Liberty Island 1. Lobby, Promenade, Museum, Fort Wood and the 10th Floor Pedestal Observation Level (monument access requires a time pass): stroll into the lobby where visitors can experience the original torch., the Statue of Liberty Exhibit, then proceed to the promenade area for an up close view of the statue and a spectacular view of New York Harbor.
Visitors can stroll the 11-point star-shaped Fort Wood and take an elevator to the ten-story pedestal observatory. People can get a full circle view of the harbor and a close-up view of Lady Liberty. The Statue's crown and torch are not accessible.
Ranger Guided Tours: 45 minute tours explaining the conception, construction, and restoration of one of the world's greatest monuments. Island history and harbor environs and answers to any question you may have are covered by our Stetson-wearing staff. (free - available first-come, first-served).
Schedule of offerings posted at Information Center. Ranger-guided tours of Liberty Island are offered with ASL - American Sign Language translation at scheduled intervals. Current ASL tour schedule.Audio Tours: are also available from the island's food and gift concessionaire. These tours are available in English,Italian, French, German, Spanish and Japanese and can be rented for $6.00.
Food & Gift Concessionaire: the Evelyn Hill, Corp. operates a food and gift concession on Liberty Island.
For complete information or to contact them, call: 212 363-3180. Museum Exhibits Statue of Liberty Exhibit: The Statue of Liberty is more than a monument. She is a beloved friend, a living symbol of freedom to millions around the world. This exhibit is her biography. It is a tribute to the people who created her, to those who built and paid for her, to the ideals she represents, and to the hopes she inspires.
The Statue of Liberty exhibit, located on the second floor in the pedestal of the Statue, traces the history and symbolism of the Statue of Liberty through museum objects, photographs, prints, videos and oral histories. The exhibit opened in July 1986. In addition to historical artifacts and descriptive text, full scale replicas of the Statue's face and foot are also on display. The main historical sections include: From Idea to Image, Fabricating the Statue, Stretching Technology, Fundraising in France, The Pedestal, Fundraising in America, and Complete at Last. The next area focuses on the symbolism of Liberty with sections titled Mother of Exiles, Becoming the Statue of America, Century of Souvenirs, The Image Exploited and The Statue in Popular Culture. The Torch Exhibit: The Torch Exhibit includes the original 1886 torch and much altered flame in the lobby. On the second floor balcony overlooking this torch is a display on the history of the torch and flame, explaining the various alterations through diagrams, photographs, drawings and cartoons. The "New Colossus": Famous sonnet written by Emma Lazarus in 1883. A bronze plaque, dedicated in memory of Emma Lazarus' contribution to the completion of the Statue's pedestal, has been affixed to the inner walls of the pedestal since the early 1900's. This plaque, currently located in the Statue of Liberty exhibit, has come to symbolize the statue's universal message of hope and freedom for immigrants coming to America and people seeking freedom around the world.
