9/11 Memorial Museum Tickets and How Long to Budget

Two different things, one site

The memorial is the outdoor plaza: the two square reflecting pools set in the footprints of the towers, the names cut into the bronze parapets, the Survivor Tree, the oak grove. Free, no ticket, open every day 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can walk in off Greenwich or Liberty Street and stay as long as you want.

The museum is underground, below the plaza, and it's a separate ticketed visit. Entrance at 180 Greenwich Street. Open Wednesday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., plus select Tuesday and holiday hours. Buy timed-entry tickets at 911memorial.org before you go, because walk-up slots run out on weekends and through the summer. The site also lists discounts and a New York First Sundays program, so it's worth checking the tickets page rather than assuming.

How long it actually takes

About two hours is the honest number for most people. Three if you're a reader and you stop at everything. The historical exhibition, which runs through the timeline of the day itself, is the part that takes the longest and the part that hits hardest. If you're short on time, do that one and skip nothing else at your peril.

Go at 9 a.m. It's calmer, and you'll be out by 11 with the rest of the day intact. Late afternoon on a weekend is the crowded end.

Bringing kids

The plaza is fine for any age. The museum is not, really, for younger kids: the museum's own guidance is that some of the material is intense, and there's an alcove of graphic content you can walk past. We usually suggest families do the plaza together, and split up for the museum if there's an adult happy to sit outside with a coffee.

Getting there from John Street

Ten minutes on foot. Head west on Fulton and keep going until you hit the Oculus, then out the west side to the plaza. It's a flat, easy walk, and it's the same route you'd take for One World Observatory, which sits at the north end of the site if you want to combine them in a morning.