How to visit the 9/11 Memorial
and National September 11 Museum
at the World Trade Center
The National September 11 Museum at the World Trade Center opened to the public on May 21, 2014.
There is a $26 admission fee, with discounts for seniors, students, military and veterans, and members of the NYPD, NYFD and PAPD.
Admission is always free for 9/11 family members and 9/11 rescue and recovery workers who are registered with the Museum.
The admission fee is for the Museum only, not for the 9/11 Memorial site, which remains FREE to visit.
Admission to the Observatory in One World Trade is separate from the Museum.
Click here for discount admission to the 9/11 Museum
Click here for skip-the-line discount admission to Observatory
Take a virtual tour of the 9/11 Museum with the architecture critic of New York Magazine:
Admission is timed entry. You will be admitted to the museum at the time printed on your pass, and there is no limit on how long you may stay. Most visitors spend between two and four hours.
Be prepared for a gut-wrenching experience.
- While this is an excellent museum for visitors of all ages, some exhibits are not suitable for young children, such as the graphic videos in one exhibit
- Docents and guards are trained to watch for visible signs of distress among museum-goers, and are ready with tissues and calming words.
Be prepared for extensive security screening, similar to airport security screening, to enter the museum, so be sure to get there at least 15 minutes before the time printed on your reservation confirmation.
The National September 11 Museum is FREE on Tuesdays from 5 to 8pm.
NOTE that you also will need a reservation for the FREE admission on Tuesday evenings.
The 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center opened to the public the day after the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11, on September 12, 2011.
The original footprints of the Twin Towers are ringed with the names of each victim. Docents will help you find a name, hometown or unit of First Responders.
The empty space signifies the hole in our hearts that will never heal. The continuous waterfall signifies our endless tears.
Please purchase any World Trade Center and 9/11 souvenirs, along with NYPD and NYFD logo merchandise at the museum.
Everything sold in the Museum Store is licensed and legal, and proceeds support the museum and memorial.
Please do not purchase souvenir items from street vendors.
When you purchase from a street vendor, the vendor keeps the money, and the items are counterfeit.
NYCOTC has not asked each non-official vendor, but we truly doubt any of them share proceeds with the 9/11 Memorial or 9/11 Museum.
World Trade Center, not Ground Zero
And as I’ve written before, I’m one of many native New Yorkers who have never ever called it Ground Zero and never will.
It was the World Trade Center before 9/11, and as new skyscrapers are being completed and the 9/11 Memorial and National September 11 Museum open to visitors, it is the new World Trade Center, or World Trade Center site.
