Statue of Liberty Museum - The Torch at Eye Level

A stop on Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, a free self-guided tour.

When the ferry lands on Liberty Island, walk a short way from the dock to the long, low building with grass growing on its roof. This is the Statue of Liberty Museum, opened in May 2019 and free with your ferry ticket.

Inside, you meet the statue's backstory. The French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed it as a gift from the people of France, and Gustave Eiffel, years before his famous tower, engineered the iron skeleton that holds up her thin copper skin. You'll see a full-size model of her face and a short film that sweeps you around the statue from the air.

The showstopper waits in the last gallery: the original torch, which Liberty held aloft from 1886 until the restoration of the mid-1980s, when a new one took its place. Standing next to it shows you just how huge she really is.

Before you leave, climb to the rooftop meadow for a long view down the island to the statue itself.

Getting here: Get off the ferry at the Liberty Island dock and walk a few minutes north to the museum beside the flagpole plaza.

Did you know?: The museum was built a few feet above the 500-year flood level, a choice shaped by Hurricane Sandy, which flooded much of Liberty Island in 2012.

Photo op: From the rooftop meadow, frame the statue at the far end of the island with the wild grasses in the foreground.

Nearby: Crown Cafe and restrooms are a short walk away near the ferry dock.

More on Wikipedia: Statue of Liberty Museum · Frederic Auguste Bartholdi · Gustave Eiffel

Statue of Liberty Museum - The Torch at Eye Level

Stops on this tour