I never get tired of seeing our lovely Lady Libert...

I never get tired of seeing our lovely Lady Liberty on my visits to New York. But a bit of advice....planning is the key when you book your tour. If you want to go to highest allowable access point otherwise known as the crown you will need to book those tickets in advance. They only allow 400 visitors a day to access the crown so advanced booking is a must. When we did this tour in May, people were being told crown tickets were not available again till September. Another tidbit go early to avoid the crowd, and oh my there will be crowds. One thing you may not know is the time they give you for your tour, really guarantees you nothing. It is is only a time for ticket pick-up, everything else is based on 1st come 1st served. So we booked our pick-up time for the 1st available, 8am. We arrived at Battery Park early so a very nice way to see the park without the crowds. We got our tickets and waited in line for the ferry to take us Liberty Island which is where The Statue of Liberty is located. You will have to go through 2 airport style security checks when going up to the pedestal or the crown. you will have to check your bag or purse so you will need to have cash for a locker rental fee. There are Park rangers at all access points who are very friendly and have a wealth of knowledge about the history of the island and statue. Don t be afraid to have a conversation with them. There aren t elevators per se and it is a lot of narrow stairs so be prepared, good walking shoes are a must. Again for us going early was the key. We didn t have people pushing us forcing us to go so we could take our time and huff and puff our way to the top of the crown. 1st stop before entering the climb to the pedestal is the Statue of Liberty museum. it has a lot of the history, memorabilia and eduction of the building process and the people involved in the making and planning of this monument. After that is a climb to the pedestal and it has a place to go outside and look around on and take pictures. Then on to the crown and again more narrow stairs. at the top it is a very crowded, cramped space and you can feel it sway from the wind but the Park Rangers very helpful and informative. And again if you go early you get to stay a little longer and really take a good look at the inside of The Statue of Liberty. Then the climb back done. We had lunch while in the island and then were able to catch the ferry that then stops at Ellis Island Ellis Island is actually where all the immigrants were took and Inspected before allowing to enter to the United States. This place is also a wealth of history and ancestral heritage. Once you have explored Ellis Island you can ferry back to Battery Park. It is a FULL day of adventure but if you plan early one that will be very memorable for your entire party.