$39
small-group walking tour
NYC Underground Subway Tour
Explore the surprising history of the world's largest subway system, and discover its many secrets on this walking tour, including abandoned subway stations
"Unframed" JR Tour of Ellis Island's Abandoned Hospital
- 1.5 hours
- $95
- Up to 10 guests
- Flexible Cancellations
Tour Highlights
- Celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Unframed,” an immersive art installation by world renowned artist JR on an exclusive hard hat tour inside the abandoned Ellis Island Hospital, in partnership with Save Ellis Island
- Access buildings usually off-limits to the public to view larger than life images pasted onto the walls, floors, furniture, and more
- Hear the heartwarming story of the “babushka grandmother” arriving at Ellis Island
- See images of young girls undergoing treatment for Favus, a fungal scalp infection
- Experience a poignant encounter with the somber faces of those navigating immigration
- Get a glimpse into the historic operating room, populated by doctors and nurses from a bygone era
- Please Note: You will need to be at the ferry terminal (Castle Clinton, Manhattan or Liberty State Park, NJ) at least 2 hours prior to the start of the tour to go through airport style security and board the ferry to Ellis Island.
Make this tour private, for your group only. Starts at $950
Guests Love This Tour!
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Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour - amazing experience! I went on the Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour and it was amazing!! I would recommend it to everybody who is interested in history. 
AnneBoletteKK7/17/2022Unforgettable Ellis Island Experience Ellis Island Hospital Hard Hat Tour was an amazing walk back through time. While the main building is a beautiful recreation with excellent exhibits, the hospital is in various states of decay that give you a better idea of what the facilities looked like at the early part of the century. There are long hallways leading to various buildings that served as both short term and long term medical facilities for immigrants with contagious diseases, mental conditions, tuberculosis and various other medical problems that detained both adults and children. We learned so much about the history of the buildings and the people who both worked there as well as were detained there. Our guide was excellent and represents Save Ellis Island Foundation, a non profit working to restore these buildings. This tour made me realize what a difficult journey many of our ancestors experienced. Not for very young children PenelopeA1073/28/2022 - excellent access to abandoned facility with history. We did the hard hat tour of the abandoned hospital on Ellis Island. Our guide Tory was amazing. We learned so much. This should be a must see for everyone who had immigrant ancestors. It is amazing all that was done for our ancestors.. LindaChana226/20/2021Hard Hat Tour of Ellis Island - HIGHLY RECOMMEND I have always wanted to do a Hard Hat Tour of Ellis Island and I finally got to do it. Excited about the event, I have picked a wrong ferry - from NJ instead of NY.
Untapped Cities' customer service representative Augustin was very helpful and changed my ferry reservations quickly after I reached out to the company! Awesome!
The tour itself is great and very informative! If you are into history, and history of immigration in particular you would LOVE the tour. Going through these wards and corridors you realize what these immigrants who came to the USA by boat and happened to get sick (and how would not be you after being huddled on the boat for 2 weeks or more?) had to go through. Wonderful work, educators and organizers! Wanderlust4555/26/2021 - Top notch tour of Ellis Island hospital My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the hard hat tour of the abandoned hospital on Ellis Island. The ferry ride to the island was a total delight. The tour guide was knowledgeable and the tour was fascinating. When we were there, there were many photos of immigrants that had been superimposed on the walls by the artist JR - very eerie but totally cool. Try to leave enough time to see the museum. We didn't but we'll definitely come back. aaly-oop5/23/2021Hard-Hat Tour of Ellis Island I took the hard-hat tour of the abandoned Ellis Island hospital. It was great. The tour guide was very well informed and the tour was fascinating.
Everything Untapped NY does is awesome! I love it! I became a paid member because I like them so much! Steven S5/03/2021 - This a must-see for history buffs, lovers of New York lore and those who want to understand how we treated immigrants in our past so much better, with more dignity and care than we do know. Our guide was very passionate, knowledgeable and generous. Extraordinary history, breathtaking views and you will meet really interesting people. thanks Untapped Cities MARK M12/30/2019Excellent tour. Our guide Jim was not only completely knowledgeable but very enthusiastic. We had a great time and would do another with this company. I also had a ticket issue, and their customer service was fast and took care of the problem without issue. 317annieg12/09/2019
- What a great tour. Jim our guide was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and friendly. The tour was fascinating and I loved every minute! Brilliant! leann1012/03/2019Simply one of the best tours we have ever done! The tour was absolutely fascinating amd engaging from beginning to end. You can really feel the history and the guide's stories really bring the place to life. Worth every cent and highly recommend BrightonBoxer11/11/2019
- We had an amazing guide who guided us through en old hospital building on Ellis island. A thrilling, mesmerizing and educational tour. During almost two hours our guide entertained us with his stories about the abandoned hospital... 712kimv11/10/2019Most in-depth & entertaining tour I've had in NYC! It is apparent that our guide enjoys researching history & sharing his knowledge with others. FLGirl475111/10/2019
- I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. So much interesting history on Ellis Island. Our tour guide Brett was so knowledgeable and fun. Thank you Untapped Cities for a beautiful day. I took their advice to arrive early to clear security at the ferry, definitely good advice since the line grows quickly. Smooth sailing over to Ellis Island and had time to tour the main building as well. Cyncity311/05/2019
About This Tour:
Join us for a special 90-minute guided tour to commemorate the 10th anniversary of JR’s unforgettable “Unframed—Ellis Island” exhibit. This unique installation brought the abandoned Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital back to life with larger-than-life archival photographs.
Imagine the hopes and anxieties of immigrants as they faced medical examinations. See the dedicated doctors and nurses who provided care. Witness the resilience of patients battling illness, and the somber realities of the immigration process.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see a fading masterpiece!
JR’s wheat-pasted photographs were not meant to be permanent. Due to the ever-changing environment of the abandoned hospital, not all these captivating works remain. We are fortunate to have access to over a dozen images. Don’t miss this opportunity to view them firsthand on this limited-run tour.
Save Ellis Island is a non-profit organization whose mission is to raise the funds needed to rehabilitate and repurpose the twenty-nine historic buildings on the south side of Ellis Island for a new and exciting purpose. Your tickets directly contribute to the restorations efforts, so thank you!
How to Get There?
Know before you go
Cancellation Policy
Meeting Location
FAQ
How to Get There?
You get to Ellis Island by ferry from either Castle Clinton, Manhattan or Liberty State Park, NJ. Your ferry tickets to and from Ellis Island are included in the price of this tour, and you will receive them by email a day before the tour. Please print them or show them on your phone to board the ferry.
Departure from Castle Clinton, Manhattan:
If your tour starts at 10am on Ellis Island please arrive at Castle Clinton, Manhattan no later than 8:30am in order to get in line, go through the airport style security, and board the Statue Cruises ferry to Ellis Island. The boat ride itself takes 40 minutes. The boat will first stop on Liberty Island, stay on the boat and wait until its second stop which will be Ellis Island.
Departure from Liberty State Park, NJ:
If your tour starts at 10am on Ellis Island you will need to arrive at Liberty State Park, NJ no later than 8:30am in order to get in line, go through the airport style security, and board the Statue Cruises ferry to Ellis Island. The boat ride itself takes 15 minutes. Ellis Island will be the first stop.
Know before you go
All participants must sign a waiver upon arrival. No children under 10 years old. No scooters, wheel chairs or walkers.
All participants must wear closed toe and closed heel shoes. All participants must wear a face mask (until further notice). All guests must remain with the guide at all times. Everyone must wear a hard hat for the duration of the tour. Hard Hats provided at the beginning of the tour. Guests may take photographs, but tripods, monopods or filming are not allowed. While there are a lot of opportunities to take photos on this tour, this is not a photo tour and guests are expected to stay together as a group.
Cancellation Policy
100% refund up to a week prior to the start of your tour.
Tickets are not refundable or exchangeable starting a week prior to the date of the tour.
Meeting Location
The tour meets at the information desk located on the ground floor of the Ellis Island Museum adjacent to the National Park Service information desk. When you get to the meeting location, we will need your first and last name to check you in.
FAQ
How long is the tour?
This tour is 1.5 hours long
How strenuous is this tour?
This tour is easy and most people can participate.
Is this tour ADA accessible?
Unfortunately this tour is not ADA accessible.
Is this tour mostly indoors or outdoors?
This tour is mostly indoors.
Who will be our guide?
This tour will be led by a Save Ellis Island docent.
Are pets allowed on the ferry or in the park?
No. Pets are prohibited from using the ferry system and being on Liberty and Ellis Islands. However, documented service/assist animals are exempt from this policy. Please contact Statue City Cruises
Any Questions? We're here to help!
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