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The crown of the Statue of Liberty will open again on July Fourth
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The Statue of Liberty in New York City /NPS Photo
The National Park Service will open the crown of the Statue of Liberty again beginning on July 4, 2009. The crown has been closed since the tragedy of September 11, 2001.
The statue by artist Artist Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi called Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift from the people of France. It was designated a National Monument in 1924, and a United Nations World Heritage Site in 1984.
The newly restored Statue opened to the public on July 5, 1986 during Liberty Weekend, which celebrated her centennial.
New Yorkers and visitors have been waiting for this date, when the crown will once again be open for the excitement of seeing the city from Lady Liberty’s viewpoint.
The National Park Service has issued the following guidelines for getting access to the crown.
Crown reservations must be made up to a year in advance through the Statue Cruises Website at www.statuecruises.com or by phone at 877- LADY-TIX (877-523-9849).
Each customer may make only one reservation for four tickets in a six month period. All names must be provided, and photo ID will be required. Minors are not required to show ID, but must be at least 4 feet tall. Tickets must be picked up at the ticket office Will Call window (at either Liberty State Park embarkation site or Castle Clinton in Manhattan) by the ticket purchaser. In order to pick up the tickets the purchaser must show photo ID and the same credit card used to reserve the tickets. Crown tickets are for a specific date and time. The ticket will have the time to enter the embarkation site security facility printed on the face.
Crown Tickets cost $3 each in addition to the reserved ferry tickets, which are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for children. Groups of no more than 10 people will visit the crown at a time. About 3 groups will ascend to the crown per hour. The crown will normally be open each day the statue is open, but the National Park Service may cancel reservations at any time for weather, safety, hazardous conditions or any other reason. If the Statue is closed, you may request a refund for your crown passes. However, the ferry ticket price is not refundable once the ticket has been used.
The National Park Service warns that the climb to the crown is a strenuous journey that encompasses 354 steps in a cramped enclosed area with high temperatures. The steps within the Statue are 19” wide, are shallow and taper at one end. Head clearance is 6 feet 2 inches. All crown visitors must be able to climb up and down the 354 steps unassisted. There are no rest rooms inside the statue itself.
The climb is strenuous and not without risk, and the National Park Service recommends that crown visitors have no significant physical or mental conditions that would impair their ability to complete it, including, but not limited to: heart and respiratory conditions, mobility impairments, claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces), acrophobia (fear of heights) or vertigo (dizziness).
The view from Lady Liberty /NPS Photo
Despite the process for getting tickets, and the cautions about the difficulty of crown access, for those who have been waiting for the opportunity to see the world from the crown of the Statue of Liberty, this will be a wonderful Independence Day.
For more information:
The National Park Service site.
Frequently asked questions about visiting the crown.
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