40°41′21″N 74°2′40″W – The Statue of Liberty is located in New York Harbor on Liberty Island. Access to see Lady Liberty is free, however you do have to pay for ferry service to the island. From the New York side, you board the Battery Park Ferry. If you’re coming from the New Jersey side, go to Liberty State Park to board the ferry. Once you get to the island you do not necessarily get access inside the statue. You must reserve pedestal level or crown access tickets in advance. You can contact the National Park Service to reserve tickets. If you’re wanting crown access, book them months in advance because they are booked up typically.
Once we arrived at Liberty State Park, you purchase the tickets for the ferry then you have to go through a security check. After that, we boarded the Miss New Jersey Ferry from Liberty State Park, which seemed to be the best option because it was way less crowded than the Battery Park Ferry. It makes a stop at Ellis Island first if you’re interested in that – we were not, so we stayed on the boat. If you decide you want to check out Ellis Island, usually the ferries run in 40 min increments.
Once we made it to Liberty Island and docked, you can walk around the base of the statue all the way around. If you have pedestal or crown access tickets, you will have to enter a security check line at the back of the statue. Yes, that is two security check lines for one statue – so make sure you plan accordingly so you’re not rushed.
All in all it was a smooth trip out to Liberty Island and beautiful weather. We were there in late August and fortunately it wasn’t humid or hot. Be sure to check out the video of our trip below as well as the photos!
Statue of Liberty – Liberty State Park Photos
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