Ellis Island is actually a better experience - for older kids - than
The Statue of Liberty. Here, at least, there's a lot to do, and lines move more quickly.
The
theater shows the award-winning film, "Island of Hope, Island of Tears," which offers a thought-provoking view of what it must have been like to immigrate to America. A live theater production, which explores multicultural immigrant stories from the early 1900s to the present, is offered from March through October.
The
Ellis Island Immigration Museum offers exhibits of over 2,000 artifacts, starting with "piles of all their earthly possessions" as you enter through the first floor
Baggage Room. Climb to the recently restored
Registry Room of the Great Hall, where immigrants were questioned and either allowed into the country or sent packing.
There's a lot to see on the second and third floors, and if you've brought a picnic, the Island is a nice place to rest and eat. Otherwise, the
ferry back to Manhattan is only a 10-minute ride, and there are plenty of restaurants in the area behind 85 Broad Street.
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