Ellis Island is amazing. You need to get there early. Catch  the first ferry to the Statue of Liberty  and looked around. After that you can catch another ferry to Ellis Island. It is always a big help to purchase your ferry tickets online prior to your trip.This will help you avoid long lines for same day purchasers.

Get there early as there are real long lines at Battery Park to get there if you arrive at 1.00 pm. It is too late to see both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island at that time. Try to get there at about 8.15 am for the 8.30 am ferry.

There are security checks, so make sure you do not have any sharp objects. And there is a check where they blow air on you to make sure that you are not hiding anything. Definitely do the AUDIO TOUR at Ellis Island.

Do not get sucked into seeing the play, when you first arrive someone will try to get you to see a play. Just head on up to the audio  tour and take your time to check out everything. It is amazing. You will love it. Lots to see and experience where it all happened- IMMIGRATION IN NYC, stories that the immigrants had to tell, the money the travelled with and the families they left behind for a better life. It makes Lady Liberty a real heroine. She is an inspiration to all who see her and believe in her. The dreams of freedom for all who set eyes on her. I am Australian and loved all she stands for.

For all  who had immigrant parents or grandparents, the halls of Ellis hold special memories especially if you were lucky to have those memories passed down in your family. For those of Irish decent,  think about all the people leaving their large Irish families for this adventure to a new land. My grandmother came through Ellis at seventeen years of age and had never seen a large city or had travelled on a ship before. My  Irish grandfather arrived at Ellis on St Patrick's Day 1909, and left in time to see his first New York City St. Patrick's Day parade. Ellis holds these stories for all who ventured through their doorways and the American immigrant experience is woven deep into us and Ellis is part of that thread.

Outside the doors of Ellis, are the memorial walls to immigrants who have passed on to their next adventure but not before they left their mark on our hearts. A visit to Ellis Island is part of both the New York and the Great American experience as well! ...Daughter of Irish Immigrants.