Statue of Liberty sits atop a 90 foot tall pedestal

Holders of a Pedestal ticket for Statue of Liberty National Monument are allowed access to the balcony at the top of the statue’s pedestal. There is nothing much to see inside the pedestal, so the views are the main draw. Pedestal tickets are much easier to get than Crown Tickets, and you’re high enough up that I can’t image the crown views being any better (I never could get a Crown ticket). Of course getting into the crown comes with bragging rights, but a trip to the top of the pedestal is also one that most people will never make.

Visitor takes a selfie from the balcony at the top of the Statue of Liberty pedestal

Despite the fact that you went through airport-type security to board the ferry to Liberty Island, you must pass through another security check-point in order to get into the pedestal (or the crown). If you managed to sneak your bomb through at the ferry dock, you might not be so lucky this time around. The security screening building is located at the base of Fort Wood, the star-shaped fort the Statue of Liberty sits on.

Security screening building at Liberty Island (photo by National Park Service)

You are only allowed to take a camera and small handbag with you inside the Statue of Liberty. Backpacks, strollers, large umbrellas, and food and drink—including water—are not allowed. I got inside with my sling pack (satchel / man-purse), but when the guard saw I had a bottle of water, I was not allowed to proceed farther. I had to exit the building and store my bottle inside a locker. These are available for rent (25¢) and are located across the walkway from the security screening building. There is a change machine that accepts $1 and $5 bills. Locker size is 12″ x 12″ x 18″.

Lockers outside the Statue of Liberty security check point

When you first walk indoors you will be inside Fort Wood, a coastal defense fort that was built between 1809 and 1811. This star-shaped fort was decommissioned in 1884 when the Statue of Liberty was erected in the center. Fort Wood continued as a military base, occupying the rest of the island until 1937.

Liberty Island

Before beginning your trip to the top of the pedestal, you’ll have a chance to detour to the original museum on Liberty Island, the Liberty Island Museum. This was replaced in 2019 with the new Statue of Liberty Museum, which is located outside of Fort Wood in its own building. The problem with the Liberty Island Museum was that only Pedestal and Crown ticket holders could see it; everyone is welcome inside the new museum. In truth, there’s really no point in spending time at the old museum. Most of the actual artifacts have been moved to the new location, and all that is left is the information panels and a few artifacts that weren’t needed. I stopped in out of curiosity, and most of the people wandering around were there because they didn’t know the new museum existed. Funny enough, the National Park Service actually replaced some of the original artifacts with photographs mounted on cardboard cutouts. I saw one lady taking photos of these, so I told her she could see the real thing at the new museum.

Old Liberty Island Museum at Statue of Liberty National Monument

View of the new Statue of Liberty Museum from the statue’s pedestal balcony

To get to the top of the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal, you have the choice of taking the stairs or an elevator. I chose to walk to the top because there was a 10-minute wait for the elevator. I’m not sure how many steps there are due to conflicting statistics. A sign at the elevator level states there are 128 steps, while the National Park Service website for Statue of Liberty National Monument says 215, which probably counts the stairs you must take upon entering Fort Wood to reach the elevator. Statue Cruises, the concessionaire that runs the ferry to the island, claims there are 162. Regardless, it takes about five minutes to get to the top of the pedestal.

As mentioned earlier, the main purpose of a visit to the pedestal is to access a very narrow outdoor balcony. You can walk around the entire pedestal, so you have a 360° viewing area. Other than the old museum, there is nothing to see within the pedestal itself.

Balcony at the top of the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal

View of Ellis Island and the New Jersey waterfront from the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal balcony

View of the top of Fort Wood and the grounds of Liberty Island

You also get unique views of the bottom of the Statue of Liberty.

View of the Statue of Liberty from the pedestal balcony

View of the Statue of Liberty from the pedestal balcony

Once done with my photos from the balcony, I decided to take the elevator down because there was no wait at all. From the waiting area you can look up into the Statue of Liberty and see its copper shell and the metal skeleton that holds it up. While it appears to be a solid sculpture from the outside, the statue is made of thin sheets of cooper that are only two pennies thick.

Waiting for the elevator at the top of the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal

View into the interior structure of the Statue of Liberty

A National Park Service staff member operates the elevator and will ask if anyone wants to stop on the way down to exit onto a lower balcony at the base of the pedestal (you can also exit onto this balcony if you take the stairs). Once you exit you cannot go back inside, so you must walk down to ground level from here. I think it’s definitely worth the exercise just to see the other areas of the statue. However, don’t exit for the views because they are the same as from the top of the pedestal, just at a much lower elevation.

Balcony at the base of the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal

Stairs down to the plaza at the top of Fort Wood

I spent one hour for my visit to the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal. This included the wait in line at security and exiting the pedestal at the base and walking down.

Back to the Top