Group Tours
History comes alive at the Hard Hat Tours of the Ellis Island Hospital Complex. Tour the unrestored historic hospitals with your family, colleagues, club or organization as docents lead the way back in time. A fun and educational event, this 90-minute one and a half mile tour is one you will not want to miss.
Since its inception in 2014, the Hard Hat Tour has been one of New York City’s top tourist attractions. Your guide will help you explore the contagious disease wards, laundry, kitchen, staff housing, morgue, the autopsy theater and more.
Appearing like ghosts throughout the Hospital Complex is the exhibit Unframed: Ellis Island by French artist JR, a larger than life installation of archival black and white photographs.
JR is known for his installations of large scale photographs in places accessible to the public such as New York City’s Times Square, the Pantheon in Paris, and also some not accessible to the public such as the favelas of Brazil. “Ellis”, the award winning short film starring Robert De Niro, written by Eric Roth and directed by JR was filmed along the tour route.
A Representative Review:
“What a fun and informative experience. Jim was our tour guide and it was evident he was passionate about the history of Ellis Island and the abandoned hospital. I learned so much more than I anticipated. I have told everyone about this tour. It’s a must do!” ~ Jessica B, Trip Advisor
Group Tour Tickets are $50. Scheduled at your convenience, group tours require a minimum of ten participants.
To schedule a Group Tour please call 201-332-8485 or email qdegroot@saveellisisland.org
*Ferry Tickets must be purchased separately on Statue City Cruises’ website. (Under Tour Option, select: General Admission)
“Contemporary abandoned spaces house a unique material landscape in which the process of ruination has at once frozen time as well as materialized its passing. Objects are preserved, though fragmented, despite their position outside of societal remembrance and strategies. Without being interpreted into a linear historical narrative, abandoned objects embody involuntary memories and enable the visitor to engage in a bottom-up interpretation model where objects speak for themselves”. ~ Natalie Write
