NYC Mafia & Ghost Tour: Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island & Battery Park

Ghosts and Mobsters: What Ellis Island's Abandoned Wards Still Hold

You board a ferry at Battery Park and spend the day moving between three haunted sites (the Statue of Liberty's Fort Wood, Ellis Island's abandoned hospital and morgue, and the water views of Lower Manhattan) with a guide who weaves together immigrant history, organized crime, and the paranormal incidents people have reported in those spaces. The ferry, all entry fees, and the expert storytelling are included. You bring comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothes, and you return to Battery Park by late afternoon.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Castle Clinton National Monumentpass by
2. Statue of Liberty1h · entry included
3. Ellis Islandpass by
4. Roosevelt Islandpass by

NYC waterfront, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island

• Explore Battery Park waterfront
• Pass by Castle Clinton National Monument
• Ferry to Statue of Liberty
• Visit Fort Wood at statue base
• Hear ghost stories at Statue of Liberty
• Ferry to Ellis Island
• Tour Immigrant Processing Center and Great Hall
• Explore abandoned hospital and wards
• Visit morgue and children’s wards
• Listen to ghost and mafia stories
• View Lower Manhattan skyline and harbor
• Enjoy sunset views of Statue of Liberty

The experience

Battery Park spreads out in front of you: the water, the skyline, the ferry terminal where thousands of people move through every day without knowing what happened in the buildings you're about to visit. This tour starts there, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, and pulls you into two centuries of New York's hardest stories: the immigrants who arrived with nothing, the ones who turned to organized crime, and the spirits that guides say never left Ellis Island's hospital, morgue, and psychiatric wards. You board the ferry with a guide who knows the real names, the real crimes, the real deaths, not the sanitized version.

The ferry ride itself becomes part of the narrative. As you cross the harbor, the guide walks you through the early 20th-century families who built the mafia from the ground up, many of them people who'd stepped off a boat at Ellis Island decades before. You pass Roosevelt Island, see the Manhattan skyline shift, and by the time you reach Liberty Island, you're not just looking at a monument. You're standing at Fort Wood, the historic fort buried beneath Lady Liberty's pedestal, where the guide tells you about the workers and prisoners whose ghosts are said to linger there. The stories don't feel invented. They're grounded in names, dates, court records, and the physical spaces where things actually happened.

Ellis Island is where the tour settles into something harder to shake. The abandoned hospital wards (the contagious disease section, the children's ward, the morgue) are still there, still empty, still cold. A guide leads you through the Great Hall where millions of immigrants were processed, then into the spaces where the sick and the dying were separated from everyone else. You hear about the footsteps people report hearing in the laundry rooms, the whispers in the wards, the way the air changes in certain corridors. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the weight of what happened in those rooms is real. Thousands of people died here. Thousands more were turned away. The stories are documented, the spaces are authentic, and the guide doesn't oversell the paranormal. They just tell you what people have experienced and let you walk through it yourself.

The round-trip ferry is included, which means you're not juggling tickets or timing your own return. Security screening happens before you board (no open containers, weapons, or large bags), so come light. Wear shoes that work for walking on uneven floors and stairs, bring a jacket because the harbor wind is real, and if you're traveling with kids under 17, an adult 25 or older needs to be with them. The tour runs in all weather, so there's no cancellation waiting game. You either go or you don't, and most people who go say the same thing: they didn't expect the stories to stay with them the way they do.

What’s included

• Guided tour with expert storytelling on mafia history and paranormal accounts.
• round-trip ferry admission and transportation from Battery Park.
• access to Castle Clinton, the Statue of Liberty, Fort Wood, and Ellis Island's historic buildings including the abandoned hospital, morgue, and wards.
• photo opportunities at all major landmarks and harbor views.
• historical and paranormal insights throughout the day.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 11:30

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3)

GroupUp to 25

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Attractions4us LLC

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the real stories behind New York's immigrant and organized crime history without arranging your own ferry tickets and timing. The guide handles the narrative and the logistics, leaving you to absorb the weight of the places themselves.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3).

What exactly is included in the tour?

Round-trip ferry admission, guided storytelling at Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, Fort Wood, and Ellis Island, access to the abandoned hospital and morgue areas, and views from the water. Ferry transportation and all landmark access are covered.

What are the security restrictions for the ferry?

No open containers, alcohol, weapons, large bags, luggage, or scooters are allowed. A mandatory airport-grade security screening happens before boarding.

Does the tour run if the weather is bad?

Yes, the tour operates in all weather conditions. Dress accordingly and bring weather-appropriate clothing.

How long does the tour take?

The itinerary spans the full day, with ferry travel between Battery Park, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island, plus time to explore the historic sites and listen to the guided storytelling.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the tour is wheelchair accessible, and transportation options are wheelchair accessible. However, some areas of the abandoned hospital wards may have uneven floors and stairs.

What should I wear?

Comfortable walking shoes are essential. Bring weather-appropriate clothing, as you'll be on the water and walking through indoor spaces that can be cold.

Can I take photos?

Yes, photo opportunities are included at the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Manhattan skyline from the water.