Ellis Island was the gateway for oversea émigrés to get into the United Sates. Over 40 percent of all Americans have ancestors who traveled through Ellis Island before being permitted to enter the United States. Hordes of foreigners were processed through the island from 1892 until 1954. Today the island contains two modern theaters and 30 galleries of artifacts, photos, multimedia presentations, and temporary exhibits that relate to the island's intriguing history. Visitors can either walk through the three floors of the Immigration Museum on a self-guided tour or take a 45-minute guided tour led by a park ranger. Either way, the tours are personalized with anecdotal information that brings the story of Ellis Island to life. Learn about the immigration experience through "Ellis Island Stories," as professional actors portray numerous tales collected from the Ellis Island History Archive presented spring-fall). There is an additional fee for this 30-minute play, but it's well worth it. Other highlights include the Baggage Room, the Registry Room, and the Peopling of America exhibit. The Registry Room is where "six-second physicalsz" took place and immigrants were processed for medical and legal matters. The Peopling of America exhibit is housed in what was once the Railroad Ticket Office, where immigrants could make travel arrangements to their final destinations. Today it contains exhibits spanning more than 400 years of immigration history. The American Immigrant Wall of Honor is particularly moving. It's inscribed with the names of more than 500,000 immigrants, including John Washington (George Washington's great-grandfather), and the ancestors of Irving Berlin, Harry Houdini, and Barbara Streisand. To reach Ellis Island, one must take the ferry from Battery Park. It leaves daily every 30 to 45 minutes from 9am to about 4:30pm. You can purchase tickets (covering both transportation and admission to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty) in Battery Park's Castle Clinton.
From
patriotic themed accommodations to European styled hotels, Washington D.C.
offers a host of lodging options. For instance, the Crowne Plaza is a four-star, deluxe hotel
located in Franklin Square, just a few blocks from the White House. Downtown Washington D.C. offers a wide
range of hotels to choose from. ....more
Most families travel to Orlando to visit the numerous theme parks and
attractions that abound in the area. After a long day of walking and
standing in lines at a busy theme park, coming back for to the hotel pool
can be a fantastic way to unwind, relax and cool off.
