Liberty State Park

For a century this waterfront was the working edge of the harbor, a dense complex of railroad tracks, ferry slips, and freight yards where goods and people moved between the trains of the interior and the ships and ferries of New York. Its centerpiece was the Central Railroad of New Jersey terminal, a grand station where immigrants who had passed through Ellis Island boarded trains fanning out across the country.

As rail and ferry traffic collapsed in the twentieth century, the waterfront fell into ruin, a wasteland of rusting tracks and crumbling piers. In the 1970s New Jersey undertook the enormous task of clearing and reclaiming the land, and Liberty State Park opened to the public in 1976. The old terminal was preserved and restored as the park's historic heart, a monument to the millions who once passed through its doors.

The park's greatest gift is its outlook. From the promenade and lawns you gaze straight across the harbor at the Statue of Liberty, close enough to take in every detail, with the towers of Lower Manhattan rising behind her. It is one of the best open vantage points anywhere for the statue and the skyline, a favorite of photographers at every hour, and especially at sunset when the city lights come on.

Ferries to Liberty Island and Ellis Island depart from within the park, making it a natural launching point for visits to both. Many people come simply to walk the waterfront, watch the boats and the light on the water, and take in the sweep of harbor, statue, and city all at once, a panorama that captures the meaning of the place.

Liberty State Park is more than a viewpoint. Its broad lawns and picnic grounds give city residents a rare expanse of open green, and its promenade draws walkers, runners, and cyclists along the water's edge. A restored natural area of marsh and meadow, once buried under industry, now shelters birds and native plants, a small return of wildness to the harbor.

The park also holds solemn memorials, including Empty Sky, New Jersey's memorial to the residents lost on September 11, a pair of tall steel walls that frame the Manhattan skyline where the towers once stood. Together the memorials, the historic terminal, and the open shore give the park a depth of meaning beyond its beauty.

Spring brings the lawns to life and mild days for walking the promenade, with migrating birds passing through the marsh and the harbor sparkling under longer light.

Summer is the busy season, when the park fills with picnickers, walkers, and visitors bound for the ferries, and warm evenings draw crowds to watch the sun set behind the statue. Autumn offers crisp air and exceptionally clear views across the water, one of the best times for photographs. Winter empties the park to a stark, windswept quiet, the skyline sharp against cold blue skies and the promenade nearly your own.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.