Located on a 12 acre-island on the Jersey side of the Hudson, a statue stands as one the most recognized symbols of freedom in the world. It of course is the Statue of Liberty given to the people of the United from the French, dedicated on October 28, 1886.  It was not designated as a National Monument until 1924.  The statue was restored for her centennial on October 28, 1986.

Below is the famous poem written by Emma Lazarus in 1883.  This was one of the attempts by the people of the arts to raise money for the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal.  This poem did not receive much attention at first.  In 1903, a bronze plaque of the poem was placed in the inner walls of the statue.

THE NEW COLOSSUS 

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land,

Here at our sea-washed, sunset- gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flames

 Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome, her mild eyes

 command

The air-bridged harbor that twin-cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she,

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore;

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”  

I assure spending a day at the Liberty State Park will be one of the most enjoyable and  memorable experiences, as it definitely was for me. 

For more information about planning a trip to Liberty State Park, check out the National Park Service: Statue of Liberty site.

 

Another museum I definitely recommend is the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.  What is now a museum was once a gate way to America for millions of immigrants, including my husband’s great-grandfather who came to Ellis Island all the way from Italy when he was ten years old.  Knowing that my husband’s great-grandfather had come through Ellis Island made the trip to the museum even more special for my husband and I.  The museum is great with its interactive exhibits and computers set up for a geneology search so visitors can find records of their family if they had come through through Ellis Island when first arriving in the United States. 

After you pay the fare to get on the ferry to Ellis Island and Liberty Island, there is no admission fee required to get into the museum or to visit the statue. 

For more information about the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, check out the National Park Service: Ellis Island site as well as the Ferry Service site to start planning your trip to the Liberty State Park.