{"id":9961,"date":"2023-03-24T23:54:55","date_gmt":"2023-03-24T23:54:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/24\/the-best-statue-of-liberty-tour-in-new-york-city-in-2023\/"},"modified":"2023-03-24T23:54:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T23:54:55","slug":"the-best-statue-of-liberty-tour-in-new-york-city-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/24\/the-best-statue-of-liberty-tour-in-new-york-city-in-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Statue of Liberty Tour in New York City in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Posted<\/strong>: 3\/24\/2023 | March 24th, 2023<\/p>\n

I love New York City<\/a>. I\u2019ve spent so much time visiting and living here. To me, it\u2019s the beating heart of the world. There is no language spoken or food eaten that you can\u2019t find here. And there\u2019s a never-ending stream of things to see and do<\/a>. You can never be bored in this city. <\/p>\n

Whenever I want a deeper dive into a place, I take a walking tour.<\/p>\n

And when it comes to walking tours, NYC has it all.<\/p>\n

Free tours, history tours, pub crawls, food tours, ghost tours \u2014 there are a ton of walking tours around town<\/a>.<\/p>\n

My favorite company \u2014 in NYC and abroad \u2014 is Walks<\/a>. They began in Italy in 2009 but quickly expanded to other countries and cities in Europe. Then they made the leap over the Atlantic, offering guided tours in New York City, Niagara Falls, New Orleans, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, DC. <\/p>\n

While their tours aren\u2019t free, they are super insightful and balance having fun with learning.<\/p>\n

In New York, they run a handful of offerings, including a tour to Ellis Island to see the Statue of Liberty<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As someone who studied history in college (fun fact: family came to America via Ellis Island) this tour was especially interesting to me.<\/p>\n

And, after taking it, here\u2019s my review: <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tour Review<\/h3>\n

\"The

Between 1892, when the 27-acre island first opened in New York Harbor, and 1954, when it closed, the Registry Room received over 12,000,000 immigrants, who quickly became new Americans. <\/p>\n

The tour group met at 8:15am on the southern tip of Manhattan. There were 14 of us plus our guide, Nicola, an Italian-born former criminal lawyer who said he had been fighting the mafia in his native Florence before he wisely decided on a career change. He soon shepherded us toward the ferry for our half-day stroll around Liberty Island, home to the iconic Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. <\/p>\n

As we walked there, Nicola regaled us with tales about the founding of New York City, how it ping-ponged between the Dutch and the British<\/a>, and how 35 percent of Manhattan today is on landfill. <\/p>\n

When we got to the ferry in lower Manhattan, there was a huge line to board the boat. But Nicola led us around the army of tourists, much to their annoyance, and we got right to the front of the line. I don\u2019t know if Nicola was just being a seasoned and bold guide or if it has something to do with the fact that Walks and the boat company Hornblower are both owned by City Experiences \u2014 perhaps giving Walks the extra privilege of skipping the lines. <\/p>\n

Whatever the case, having to not wait with the masses to board the boat was worth the cost of the tour.<\/p>\n

Once on the ferry, Nicola directed us to sit in a very specific spot, which we were able to get thanks to the fact that we were the first people on the boat. This gave us an awesome view of the NYC skyline. <\/p>\n

After about 20 minutes, you get off the ferry on Liberty Island and stroll the front of the Statue of Liberty where, when the weather is nice, you get to learn about the history of the iconic statue and how it came to be placed here. <\/p>\n

When we were on Liberty Island and Ellis Island, Nicola was a wealth of information. He mentioned this was his 1,144th tour of the islands. He dropped some amazing facts that I\u2019d never heard before, including these three gems: <\/p>\n