Castle Clinton National Monument

Most people know Castle Clinton merely as the place where they go to buy tickets to the Statue
of Liberty and Ellis Island; indeed, it is the main visitor centerforall of the national parksin New
York City, and contains an excellent array of free brochures and maps, as well as a public
restroom. But the structure itself—a round fort with 8ft-thick walls pierced with gun ports—has a long and interesting history. As noted above, it was built between 1808 and 1811 on what was then an island 300ft offshore. Known as West Battery, it was designed to protect New York during the War of 1812, but was never fired upon. In 1824, the structure was remodeled
into an entertainment venue called Castle Garden. Initially the site of hot-air balloon
launchings and fireworks, it hosted, after a roof was added in the 1840s, operas and
performances by such superstars as Jenny Lind, "the Swedish nightingale," brought
to the US by none other than circus impresario P.T. Barnum. Between 1855 and 1892, prior to the opening of Ellis Island, the structure served as an immigrant landing depot; then, from 1898 to 1942, it was home to the New York Aquarium. Today, unfortunately, not much of this history can be seen with the naked eye; the structure has been completely gutted. But if you're like most visitors, you'll have plenty of time waiting in line for Statue of Liberty tickets to close your eyes and imagine.

Visit
Open year-round daily 9am-5pm. Closed Dec 25.
www.mps.gov/cacl