Ellis Island Immigration Museum
Following the restoration in the 1980's, the Main Building reopened in 1990 as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, a symbol of America's immigrant heritage. The museum exhibits chronicle Ellis Island's role in immigration history and view it in the context of its time and the still broader context of four centuries of immigration to America.

The exhibits also portray and give voice to the immigrants themselves. Each of their stories is unique and bears witness to the courage and determination that enables men and women to leave their homes and seek new opportunities in an unknown land.

This 100,000 sq. ft. museum on three floors of the Main Building; includes objects, photographs, prints, videos, interactive displays and oral histories. The largest exhibit is the building itself — the imposing French Renaissance Revival structure designed by Boring and Tilton, built in 1900 and restored to its 1918-1924 appearance.

The 45-minute audio tour, available in nine languages, invites visitors to relive the immigrant experience as if they were the "new arrival" and is ideal for individuals with limited time. Additional tour options describe exhibits in more detail via in-depth interviews with historians, architects and archaeologists. A special children’s tour is narrated by “Marty the Muskrat” and is offered in five languages.

American Immigrant Wall of Honor®
A popular exhibit at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum is the American Immigrant Wall of Honor. The Wall of Honor is located outdoors, just outside the "Peopling of America" exhibit. The Wall honors America's immigrants regardless of when they immigrated or through which port they entered. The Wall is currently inscribed with over 700,000 names, and registrations are currently being accepted for a new phase of the Wall. To have a name inscribed on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor, click here.

American Family Immigration History Center® (AFIHC)
Opened on April 17, 2001, this new family history research facility contains the ship passenger records of the over 25 million people who entered through the Port of New York and Ellis Island from 1892-1924, the peak years of immigrant processing at Ellis Island. Visitors are able to access 11 fields of digitized information, as well as view and obtain reproductions of original ship manifests and photos of ships of passage. To prepare for a search, visitors should gather as much information as they can, such as: the passenger's first and last names; approximate year of arrival; "ethnicity" (which may include race, nationality, and religion); approximate age on arrival; ship of travel; port of departure; and whether the passenger traveled with other family members. Search Passenger Records Now.

Ellis Island Living Theater presents...
Thank you for supporting our live theater production at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Although our 2009 season is over, we will open a new show in the Spring of 2010.

Ellis Island Living Theater productions feature professional actors, who bring to life the experiences of the millions of immigrants who made their way to America through Ellis Island, the largest human migration in modern history — experiences shared by immigrants today.

The 30-minute plays are based upon actual immigration information obtained from various ship passenger manifests, located in the American Family Immigration History Center® (www.ellisisland.org), as well as the oral histories of Ellis Island immigrants, now stored for posterity in the museum's Oral History Archives.

Look for the announcement of our newest production in February!