The virtual experience of being exposed to the history of Ellis Island and learning more about the history that surrounds it was incredibly intriguing. Throughout this experience, I was able to go on a virtual journey where that explores interactive exhibits. The exhibits tell stories of the women, men, and children who once had been to Ellis Island. This virtual experience allowed me to see photographs, documents, and audio hearings that provided a more in depth experience.

This tour allows you to experience the beginning-to-end process of being at Ellis Island. There are so many interesting parts of this tour, but too much to detail and discuss every part of it. I will be discussing and highlighting some of my personal favorite aspects of this tour.

Starting with the 2nd stop, The Arrival, I found this to be one of my favorites! My main reason for taking such a liking to this part of the tour is because of the Statue of Liberty. Though it is just a small detail in this tour, I think it is such an interesting element to include. The tour explains that after having to sail across the Atlantic Ocean while enduring rough conditions, the Statue of Liberty was one of the first things people got to see once they reached the New York Harbor. Not only is the Statue of Liberty a beautiful piece of art that stands out, the symbolism of people immigrating into the U.S and seeing something that embodies freedom is astounding.

Moving on to another part of the tour that stuck out to me, the Registration Room. Also known as the Great Hall, the Registration Room was a huge room where immigrants had to go through medical and legal inspections. During this part of the process, officials would declare who would be able to enter the country right away and who would need to wait for further review. Doctors also examined immigrants for a contagious eye disease called trachoma. I find this part of the tour so interesting because it is such a significant part of the Ellis Island experience.

The last section of the tour I want to discuss is the Stairs of Separation. Learning about the Stairs of Separation was interesting because I never knew about it until now. After going through legal and health inspections, immigrants were brought to these staircases divided into three sections. Immigrants being detained were brought down the center of the staircase, immigrants traveling west or south were brought down the right side of the staircase, and immigrants going to New York City or to the north were brought down the left side of the staircase. A detail that I find interesting about this was that at the end of the staircase there was a ticketing office for railways and social workers. There was also an office to exchange money for U.S currency.

This virtual field trip was such an interesting experience that really highlights different aspects about Ellis Island I never knew about before. I think being able to go back on a part of history like this is so important and informative for people who may not know the extent of information in this tour.