Statue of Liberty and Liberty State Park – New Jersey

Located in Jersey City, NJ opposite Ellis Island, Liberty State Park is bordered by water on three sides: on the north by the Morris Canal Big Basin and on the south and east by Upper New York Bay. As such, it offers daily ferries to the Statue of Liberty National Monument, Ellis Island, and Liberty Island. Check out their website for more info. 

This was one of the first things we really visited after landing in Newark. We spent part of the day with some work friends and they took us to one of their favorite places, Liberty State Park. It is one of the most amazing and peaceful parks I have been to. It felt very tranquil. They have two paths for strolling called Freedom Way and Liberty Walkway. Freedom Way goes through the center and serves as a barrier between the area closed to the public, to its west, and the area that is open to the public, to its east. It has many bike paths, walkways, and fields.

Liberty Walkway is a crescent-shaped promenade that stretches along the waterfront south to the Statue of Liberty overlook, bridging two coves along the way. It is part of the longer Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. Halfway along Liberty Walkway is a bridge to Ellis Island, but only authorized vehicles are allowed. The southeastern corner of the park contains the Statue of Liberty overlook, picnic facilities, a playground, the U.S. Flag Plaza and Liberation Monument, the Public Administration Building, and a memorial to the Black Tom explosions.

Picnicking and barbecue facilities are also located at the southern end of the park. Originally called “Liberty Walk”, this part of the project won a landscape award in 1995. The name “Liberty Walk” was already associated with Philadelphia such as through a booklet The Liberty Walk Through Historic Old Philadelphia published by the American Wax Museum, Philadelphia (before 1969) which listed a walk around 23 sites of historic interest.

As I said earlier, it felt very tranquil and I would have loved to have sat around and hung out longer, but it was a little cool in October. However, the best part of this park is being able to see the Verrazano Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.  This park is also where we caught the boat to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island that next morning. Below is the info about this amazing statue. Here is some visitor information about Liberty State Park.

Liberty State Park Visitor Information

Address:

200 Morris Pesin Dr.
Jersey City, NJ 07305ddress:

Phone:

201-915-3403

Hours:

Daily 6 am – 10 pm

Price:

Free

Directions:

By Car
Take the NJ Turnpike to exit 14B. Follow the signs into the park.

Public Transportation from the Hoboken Train Terminal
From the Hoboken Train Terminal, you can take the Bergen-Hudson Lightrail to the Liberty State Park Station.

Public Transportation from NY

Via Train
Take the PATH to the Hoboken Train Terminal. Then follow directions above from the Hoboken Train Terminal.

Via Ferry
From the North Cove Marina, directly in front of the World Financial Center, take the Liberty Landing Ferry to the Liberty Landing Marina which is located in Liberty State Park.

Parking:

$7

The Statue of Liberty

According to the National Park Service website, “The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World” was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886.  It was designated as a National Monument in 1924.  Employees of the National Park Service have been caring for the colossal copper statue since 1933. It was so amazing to finally see it in person. Read more info on their website.

The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States and was a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad.

The original construction of the statue was started by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, with help from Gustave Eiffel. They were focused on the statue itself, while committees here in the United States worked on obtaining funds for the construction of the pedestal. There was criticism both of Bartholdi’s statue and of the fact that the gift required Americans to foot the bill for the pedestal. In the years following the Civil War, most Americans preferred realistic artworks depicting heroes and events from the nation’s history, rather than allegorical works like the Liberty statue. However, fundraising events were held, and work on the pedestal was eventually completed.

On June 17, 1885, the French steamer Isère, laden with the Statue of Liberty, reached the New York port safely with the crates holding the disassembled statue on board. Two hundred thousand people lined the docks and hundreds of boats were put to sea to welcome the Isère. A ceremony of dedication was held on the afternoon of October 28, 1886. President Grover Cleveland, the former New York governor, presided over the event.

On the morning of the dedication, a parade was held in New York City; estimates of the number of people who watched it ranged from several hundred thousand to a million. President Cleveland headed the procession, then stood in the reviewing stand to see bands and marchers from across America.

Today the Statue of Liberty remains a very powerful symbol, embodying a wide range of meanings and adapted every day to represent new ideas. After 9/11, people in New York once again called upon the Statue to express their grief, horror, and rage. It is so much more than just a statue. It is definitely a symbol of freedom and democracy. We had an amazing experience going up the pedestal and looking out at New Jersey on one side and New York on the other side. It is something I will not soon forget.

Here is more information about visiting the Statue of Liberty from Liberty State Park in NJ or from Battery Park, NYC.

Hours:

Boat Schedule March 7, 2020- May 22, 2020

FIRST FERRY Departs from Mainland	LAST FERRY Departs from Mainland	CLOSING FERRY Departs from Liberty Island
8:30 A.M.	3:30 P.M.*	5:00 P.M.**

Boat Schedule May 23, 2020– September 7, 2020

FIRST FERRY Departs from Mainland	LAST FERRY Departs from Mainland	CLOSING FERRY Departs from Liberty Island
8:30 A.M.	5:00 P.M.*	7:00 P.M.**

Boat Schedule September 8, 2020- October 12, 2020

FIRST FERRY Departs from Mainland	LAST FERRY Departs from Mainland	CLOSING FERRY Departs from Liberty Island
8:30 A.M.	4:00 P.M. *	6:00 P.M.**

Boat Schedule October 13, 2020- November 20, 2020

FIRST FERRY Departs from Mainland	LAST FERRY Departs from Mainland	CLOSING FERRY Departs from Liberty Island
9:00 A.M.	3:30 P.M.*	5:00 P.M.**

Prices:

CROWN RESERVE TICKET

Adult: $22.25 | Senior 62+: $17 | Child 4-12: $12

The ticket includes access to the Crown and Pedestal of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Limited Tickets Available.
What you get with this ticket:

Access up-to the Crown of the Statue of Liberty.

Priority entry into the Screening Facility Queue saves
you wait time at the departure point.

Access to the grounds of Liberty Island and Ellis Island.

Audio Tours of Liberty and Ellis Island included

PEDESTAL RESERVE TICKET

Adult: $19.25 | Senior 62+: $14 | Child 4-12: $9
Child (0-3): Free Admission

Ticket includes access to the Fort Wood section of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Limited Tickets Available.
What you get with this ticket:

Access up to the Fort Wood section of the pedestal of the Statue of
Liberty.

Priority entry into the Screening Facility Queue saves
you wait time at the departure point.

Access to the grounds of Liberty Island and Ellis Island.

Audio Tours of Liberty and Ellis Island included.

RESERVE TICKET

Adult: $19.25 | Senior 62+: $14 | Child 4-12: $9
Child (0-3): Free Admission

The ticket provides access grounds access to the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
What you get with this ticket:

Access to the grounds of Liberty Island and Ellis Island.

Priority entry into the Screening Facility Queue saves
you wait time at the departure point.

Audio Tours of Liberty and Ellis Island included.

PURCHASING TICKETS

Ferries provide transportation to both Ellis Island and Liberty Island (site of the Statue of Liberty). One ferry ticket provides access to both islands. Statue Cruises is the official ferry service provider. Purchasing tickets through vendors other than Statue Cruises may result in unnecessary additional charges. All private vessels are prohibited from docking on either island.

The National Park Service recommends purchasing tickets prior to the day of your visit. You may use one of these methods to reserve tickets:

• Online: www.statuecruises.com
• By Telephone: 1-877-LADY-TIX (1-877-523-9849) or 201-604-2800
• In Person: At the ticket booths at both ferry departure points.

Directions:

Directions from Liberty State Park are listed above. Here are directions for Battery Island (best by using public).

By Bus	The M5, M15, and M20 stop at South Ferry. Walk to the west, or follow signs for the Statue of Liberty ferries. Click for the MTA Manhattan Bus Map. (PDF)
By Subway	Several subway stops are located near Battery Park. The 4 and 5 trains stop at Bowling Green. The R train stops at Whitehall Street. The 1 train stops at the South Ferry station. Click for the MTA Subway Map.

Parking:

$7 at Liberty State Park. No parking available at Battery Park in NYC.

Accessibility

The Information Center is wheelchair accessible. Here you can locate a limited number of wheelchairs (on a first-come, first-served basis). They can be borrowed, free of charge, with the deposit of a driver’s license, or another form of identification at the information desk.

Liberty Island Information Center offers visitors a narrated movie about the Statue’s history. All video programs with sound and ambient audio exhibit programs are induction looped and compatible with t-coil enabled hearing aids and cochlear implants.

There is a Braille Ready Park Brochure available to use by guest who are blind or have low vision. There are also two tactile displays within the Information Center.

Service animals are welcome in all areas of the park except for access to the Crown. Assessments have determined that allowing service animals on the Crown stairs pose a legitimate threat to the safety of the disabled handler, to other visitors in the Crown, and to the service animal itself.

Visitors who wish to make arrangements to leave their service animal in a portable kennel during their visit to the Crown should contact the park at least two weeks prior to their visit.