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Ellis Island: Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Hospital

New York City, New York

Ellis Island: Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Hospital

New York City, New York

Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Overview

Explore the abandoned Ellis Island Hospital complex on a hard hat tour in New York, NY. Discover what's still in place of the disease wards, autopsy rooms, staff house and more as you walk in the footsteps of immigrants who were there a hundred years ago.

🏥 Discover the eerie and fascinating history of the abandoned Ellis Island Hospital complex

🚶‍♂️ Walk in the footsteps of immigrants who were there a hundred years ago

📷 See several life-size photographs of immigrants pasted on the walls of the abandoned buildings

🤝 Your tickets directly contribute to the restorations efforts of Save Ellis Island, a non-profit organization

Availability

When do I choose a date?

After purchase, you can request your preferred dates and times by following the instructions in the email you receive. If it's a gift, the recipient will also get an email with booking instructions.

Seasonal,
April - December:
Saturdays and the first Sunday of the month

Full description

Step back in time and discover the eerie and fascinating history of the abandoned Ellis Island Hospital complex on a hard hat tour. This once-renowned medical facility, which was also used as a US Coast Guard base and FBI detention center, has been left to decay for nearly 60 years.

During this behind-the-scenes experience, you will explore the many buildings on ellis island including the laundry building, disease wards, autopsy rooms, staff house, and many more. As you walk in the footsteps of immigrants who were there a hundred years ago, you'll also see several life-size photographs of immigrants pasted on the walls of the abandoned buildings, part of the french artist, JR's, exhibition "Unframed - Ellis Island."

Led by a Save Ellis Island docent, this exclusive tour will uncover the many buried secrets of the 29-building South Side hospital complex. Although the building now looks desolate and skeletal, it was once one of the largest public health undertakings in American history.

While there are plenty of opportunities to take photos on this tour, it's important to note that this is not a photo tour, and guests are expected to stay together as a group.

Practical information

Any restrictions to participate?

Age: 10+
Experience level: This tour is easy and most people can participate.

Who can you accommodate for?

Children: This is not an experience for children under 10 years old.
Individuals with disabilities: Unfortunately this tour is not ADA accessible.
Pets: Pets are prohibited from using the ferry system and being on Liberty and Ellis Islands. However, documented service/assist animals are exempt from this policy. Please contact Statue City Cruises

What to expect on the day of the experience?

Duration: 1.5 hours long
What’s included:
- Exclusive hard hat tour inside the abandoned Ellis Island Hospital, in partnership with Save Ellis Island, led by a Save Ellis Island docent
- Access buildings usually off-limits to the public
- Discover the history of this hospital, once the standard for the U.S. medical care and abandoned since 1954
- See what life was like in the hospital as you explore the laundry building, contagious disease wards, autopsy rooms, staff house and more
- Your ticket includse: Round trip ferry tickets to and from Ellis Island, access to the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, exclusive hard hat tour inside the abandoned hospital.
Who will be present: You will have a guide with you at all times; also, other guests may be joining.
Spectators: No spectators are allowed, everyone must have a ticket/reservations.
Photo/ video: Guests may take photographs, but tripods, monopods or filming are not allowed. While there are a lot of opportunities to take photos on this tour, this is not a photo tour and guests are expected to stay together as a group.
Specific rules to follow: No scooters, wheelchairs, or walkers are permitted. All guests must remain with the guide at all times. Everyone must wear a hard hat for the duration of the tour. Hard Hats provided at the beginning of the tour.

How to prepare?

Weather dependency: This is a mostly indoors experience.
Arrival: You will need to be at the ferry terminal (Castle Clinton, Manhattan or Liberty State Park, NJ) at least 2 hours prior to the start of the tour to go through airport style security and board the ferry to Ellis Island.
- Departure from Castle Clinton, Manhattan: If your tour starts at 2pm on Ellis Island please arrive at Castle Clinton, Manhattan no later than 12pm in order to get in the “reserve” line, go through the airport style security, and board the Statue Cruises ferry to Ellis Island. The boat ride itself takes 40 minutes. The boat will first stop on Liberty Island, stay on the boat and wait until its second stop which will be Ellis Island.
- Departure from Liberty State Park, NJ: If your tour starts at 2pm on Ellis Island you will need to arrive at Liberty State Park, NJ no later than 12pm in order to get in the “reserve” line, go through the airport style security, and board the Statue Cruises ferry to Ellis Island. The boat ride itself takes 15 minutes. Ellis Island will be the first stop.
Parking: Parking available onsite.
What to wear: All participants must wear closed toe and closed heel shoes. All participants must wear a face mask (until further notice). Please dress for the weather.
What to bring: Phone, wallet, and a water bottle are recommended.
Restrooms/ lockers/ changing rooms: Restrooms may be available but it is important to go beforehand.

Anything else I should know before going on this experience?

All participants must sign waiver upon arrival.

Returns, exchanges and cancellation

Unused Experience Vouchers can be returned within 30 days for a full refund to the original purchaser, no questions asked.

If you have any unused Experience Vouchers, you can exchange them for anything else in our marketplace, no matter when. If you choose an experience that's more expensive, you'll need to pay the difference, but if you choose one that costs less, you'll receive a credit towards your next booking.

No refunds are allowed once the experience is booked, but you can reschedule up to 72 hours before your experience, for a date within a year of the original booking. To reschedule, contact the experience provider directly. No-shows or rescheduling less than 72 hours in advance means losing the value of your experience.

Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes

$95.40

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Here's what others have to say!

Based on 0 reviews

Steve S

We ended up as a smaller tour group and our guide was wonderful. We got to explore a number of wards and all of it was very cool. Highly recommended for history lovers especially