Make Reservations for the Statue of Liberty Crown
Monday, June 15th, 2009
People looking for the best view of New York Harbor can finally begin making reservations for that view. The National State Park Service will begin taking reservations for the Statue of Liberty's crown on Saturday, June 13, 2009. The crown has been closed to visitors since the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.Tickets to visit the crown will cost $3. Visitors will also have to purchase tickets to visit Liberty Island and Ellis Islands (a cost of $12 for adults). The National Park Service expects a large influx of reservations. There is a limit of only four tickets that customers can reserve and reservations can only be made once very six months.
The base of the Statue of Liberty reopened in 2004. Safety concerns have kept the crown closed. The narrow steps leading to the crown have not been updated and will undergo renovations in the next couple of years (meaning the crown will once again be closed to visitors).
The National Park Service will limit the number of visitors to the crown to only 30 people per hour. Those visitors interested in making reservations can call 877-523-9849 starting on Saturday, June 13th, after 10 am EDT. Visitors can also use the website www.statuecruises.com. Reservations will be on a first come, first serve basis.
The Statue of Liberty was given to the United States by France as a symbol of freedom and democracy. It was dedicated in 1886 and sits on the 12 acre island. The designer (Frederic Auguste Bartholdi) did not design the statue for visitors to be able to ascend to the crown. The torch has remained closed since it was damaged by a bomb back in 1916.
The crown will remain open for two years before the new renovations begin. The rest of the museum and statue will remain open during the upgrades.
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