Nearby Attractions

The Statue of Liberty is not the only National Park Service site in the New York/New Jersey area. If you are planning to visit this region, there are a number of National Park locations that are interesting, beautiful, and significant. These sites commemorate some of America’s most important moments and stories. Want to learn about the nation’s earliest military fortifications or its first steps as a democracy? Do you know where the country’s first planned industrial city is located? Interested in seeing where immigrants lived and worked after they were processed on Ellis Island? Whether you have a car or plan to use public transit, these narratives and so many more are minutes away. The following is just a short list of some of the amazing National Parks near Liberty Island.

 

A Sacred Space in Manhattan

African Burial Ground NM

 

The outdoor memorial at the African Burial Ground.

NPS

From about the 1690s until 1794, both free and enslaved Africans were interred in this Lower Manhattan site. Lost to history due to landfill and development, the grounds were rediscovered in 1991 during excavations for a new federal office building. Today, the memorial honors the estimated 15,000 humans who were not allowed to be buried within the original boundaries of the city.

 

Stands where New York City began...

Castle Clinton National Monument

 

The front entrance to Castle Clinton in Battery Park.

NPS

Originally built in 1811 as part of the new nation's harbor defense system, Castle Clinton was adapted for use as a cultural and entertainment facility, an immigrant processing station (before Ellis Island), an aquarium, and finally as a reconstructed fort. Its various uses reflect the changing needs of a growing and diversified population.

 

Birthplace of American Government

Federal Hall National Memorial

 

George Washington statue on the steps of Federal Hall.

NPS

At this site, George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States. For over a year, the Congress, Supreme Court, and Executive Branch had offices in the original building on this site. The current structure, originally built for use as a Customs House, now serves as a museum and memorial to the beginnings of the US government.

 

Many Places, One Park

Gateway National Recreation Area

 

The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, first lit in 1764.

NPS

Gateway National Recreation Area is made up of three park units: Jamaica Bay (NY), Staten Island (NY), and Sandy Hook (NJ). Each unit reflects the history of the nation, New York City, and especially New York Harbor. Historic forts, former airports, recreation areas, and America's oldest operating lighthouse tell fascinating stories of defense, aviation firsts, and navigational safety.

 

"Let Us Have Peace"

General Grant National Memorial

 

The inscription is over the front entrance of the General Grant National Memorial.

NPS

The final resting place of President Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, Julia, is the largest mausoleum in North America. It testifies to a people’s gratitude for the man who ended the bloodiest conflict in American history as Commanding General of the Union Army and then, as President of the United States, strove to heal a nation after a civil war and make rights for all citizens a reality.

 

Go explore their forts!

Governors Island National Monument

 

Fort Jay is an historic military fort on Governors Island.

NPS

Governors Island encompasses two exceptional examples of early American defensive fortifications -- Castle Williams and Fort Jay. The island was continuously occupied and utilized by the United States Army and the United States Coast Guard for nearly two centuries and represents an outstanding display of the nation's military heritage. Prehistoric archaeological evidence of indigenous peoples has also been discovered on the island.

 

Get to know Alexander Hamilton

Hamilton Grange National Memorial

 

Alexander Hamilton (c.1755-1804)

National Portrait Gallery

Merchant’s clerk, Revolutionary War soldier, first Secretary Treasury of the United States: Alexander Hamilton’s life is memorialized at The Grange, the home he built on a country estate in uptown Manhattan. A faithful testament to early American architecture, it stands today as a tribute to its first owner’s many accomplishments.

 

National Historic Site

Lower East Side Tenement Museum

 

The exterior of the Tenement Museum at night.

The Lower East Side Tenement Museum

The Lower East Side Tenement Museum, founded in 1988, is located in a landmarked tenement building at 97 Orchard Street. The building was home to more than 7,000 immigrants from more than 20 nations between 1863 and 1935. Anchored in a neighborhood that has long been home to thousands of poor and working class people, the Tenement Museum is dedicated to using the history of its site as a tool for addressing issues that are still relevant today, including immigration.

 

Where America Survived

Morristown National Historical Park

 

A demonstration of cooking techniques from the 1700's.

NPS

This park commemorates the sites of the Continental Army’s winter encampment of December 1779 to June 1780, where it survived what would be the coldest winter on record. Under General George Washington's leadership, the Army emerged as a cohesive and disciplined fighting force. The Morristown story is essential to American history and remains a source of fascination for military historians around the world.

 

A Revolutionary Idea

Paterson Great Falls NHP

 

Paterson Great Falls, one of America's largest waterfalls.

NPS

In 1791, America’s first planned industrial city was established in Paterson, New Jersey. Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s Founding Fathers, designed the city as a response to the European Industrial Revolution. Harnessing the power of one of America’s largest waterfalls, manufacturers in Paterson produced a wide variety of items, ranging from cotton fabrics to railroad locomotives.

 

A Movement Takes Shape

Stonewall National Monument

 

Stonewall Celebrations, 1969.

Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as an LGB person was illegal. The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969, was a milestone in the quest for LGB civil rights and provided momentum for a movement.

 

Childhood of a Renowned President

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace NHS

 

Re-enactors perform at a special event.

NPS

The only president born in Manhattan, Thedore Roosevelt was raised in a townhouse on East 20th Street. He would grow up to become the 26th President and be immortalized on Mount Rushmore. However, he started life as a sickly yet bright boy who exercised to improve his health and began a lifelong passion for the "strenuous life."

 

Where Modern America Was Invented

Thomas Edison NHP

 

The Heavy Machine Shop at Edison NHS

NPS

Thomas Edison’s home and laboratory preserve the work and character of America's foremost inventor, his family and friends, and business associates who played a key role in his success. Edison, although best known for creating the light bulb, never stopped inventing -- he eventually held over one thousand patents. Discover where America’s greatest inventor changed our world forever.