The Statue of Liberty: surprising facts and how to plan pedestal and crown access

Surprising facts about Lady Liberty

Her real name is longer

The statue's official title is Liberty Enlightening the World. She was a gift from the people of France, proposed by the French political thinker Édouard de Laboulaye as a celebration of liberty and of the friendship between the two nations, and designed by sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi.

Gustave Eiffel built her skeleton

Years before his famous tower, engineer Gustave Eiffel designed the statue's internal structure: a central iron pylon with a flexible framework that lets the thin copper skin move independently as it expands and contracts with the weather. That flexibility means the statue can sway slightly in strong winds.

She wasn't always green

When the statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886, she was the color of a new penny. Over the following decades, the copper oxidized into the pale green patina we know today. That layer actually protects the metal beneath, which is why it has never been removed.

She arrived in pieces

The statue was assembled in Paris, then taken apart and shipped to New York in 1885, packed in more than 200 crates holding some 350 individual pieces. Reassembling her on the pedestal took months.

Look down: the broken chains

At the statue's feet lie a broken shackle and chains, and her right heel is raised as if she's striding forward, away from oppression. From the ground they're almost impossible to see, which is why so many visitors never notice them. Look for them in photos taken from above, or in the exhibits in the Statue of Liberty Museum.

She was once a lighthouse

For her first 16 years, the statue was officially a working lighthouse, operated by the U.S. Lighthouse Board. Her torch proved too dim to be much use to ships, and the role ended in 1902.

The torch has been closed for more than a century

In 1916, saboteurs set off a huge explosion at the Black Tom munitions depot in New Jersey, across the harbor, damaging the statue's arm. The torch balcony has been closed to the public ever since. During the statue's restoration for its centennial in 1986, the original torch was replaced with a new copper flame covered in gold leaf.

A famous poem came later

Emma Lazarus wrote her sonnet "The New Colossus" in 1883 to help raise money for the pedestal. It wasn't until 1903 that a plaque bearing the poem, with its welcome to the world's "huddled masses," was placed inside the pedestal, and its words gradually changed how Americans saw the statue: as a symbol of welcome to immigrants.

How to plan your visit: the three levels of access

Every visitor to Liberty Island arrives on the same ferry, run by the National Park Service's official ferry operator from Battery Park in Manhattan or Liberty State Park in New Jersey. The ferry also stops at Ellis Island. What you can do once you arrive depends on the ticket you book.

• Grounds access. The standard ticket lets you walk around Liberty Island, visit the Statue of Liberty Museum, which opened in 2019, and continue to Ellis Island. For many visitors, especially with young children, this is plenty.
• Pedestal access. A pedestal reservation takes you inside the statue's base, with exhibits on its construction, views up into Eiffel's framework and an outdoor observation level with sweeping views of the harbor and the Lower Manhattan skyline. Numbers are limited, so book ahead.
• Crown access. The ultimate experience, and the hardest to get. Only a small number of visitors can climb into the crown each day, and tickets often sell out well in advance, especially in spring, summer and holiday periods.

Tips for a better day

• Take an early ferry. Security lines at the ferry terminal grow through the morning. The first departures are usually calmer.
• Allow enough time. Plan on at least two to three hours for Liberty Island, and a full day if you're continuing to Ellis Island.
• Head for the upper deck. On the ferry, the open upper deck gives you the best views and photos as you approach the statue.
• Walk the island's promenade. The path around the island gives you views of the statue from every side, plus the Manhattan skyline across the water.
• Check before you go. Ferry schedules, opening hours and access to the pedestal and crown can change for weather, maintenance or security reasons, so confirm the latest information before your visit.