Hard Hat Ellis Island Hospital Guided Tour
Explore Ellis Island’s abandoned hospital on a guided hard-hat tour
Duration
4 hours
Includes
Round-trip ferry, hard hat tour
Highlights
Step inside Ellis Island’s abandoned contagious disease hospital and learn how nurses cared for arriving immigrants. Explore restricted areas with a guide and see parts of JR’s “Unframed” exhibition along the way.
- Explore contagious disease wards, autopsy rooms, laundry buildings, and staff quarters
- Learn how nurses supported immigrants through illness and quarantine
- Discover how Florence Nightingale influenced the hospital’s design
- See life-sized historic photos from JR’s “Unframed” exhibition
- Visit the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration on a self-guided tour
What's Included
- Round-trip ferry tickets to and from Ellis Island
- Exclusive hard-hat guided tour inside the abandoned hospital
- Access to the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration and self-guided tour
Things to know
Closed-toe shoes are required, and you must stay with the guide. Not accessible for wheelchairs or powered scooters; minimum age is 10. All participants sign a waiver and wear a hard hat.
Cancellation Policy
100% refund for cancellations made 7 days or more prior to the start of your tour. Tickets are not refundable or exchangeable starting a week prior to the date of the tour.
FAQs
Wear closed-toe shoes; they are mandatory.
No. The tour is not accessible for people using wheelchairs or powered scooters, and walkers are not allowed.
Yes. Kids must be 10+ years old to join.
Meeting details
Information desk located on the ground floor of the Ellis Island Museum
Related locations
Ellis Island Hospital
Admission includedStep onto the south side of Ellis Island and the familiar registry hall fades behind you. Ellis Island Hospital spreads across a series of interconnected brick buildings that once treated hundreds of thousands of immigrants before they were permitted to enter the country. Peeling paint, rusted bed frames, and crumbling plaster tell a quiet story of lives held in suspension. Walking these wards, you feel the weight of that uncertainty in every room.
