You'll need a boat to get to three of North America's top attractions, Alcatraz Island in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area of San Francisco; The Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island in New York Harbor; and Niagara Falls, straddling the US-Canadian border in upstate New York.
Hornblower, the parent company operating services to all these attractions, has put out an autumn advisory regarding ticket availability to help visitors avoid disappointment. Advance purchase is recommended once your travel dates are in place. These national landmarks are experiencing continually rising demand and capacity on the boats to reach them is limited.
Alcatraz Cruises, San Francisco: The place that nobody ever wanted to be sent is now the place everyone wants to get to. There's only one way to get to The Rock located about a mile-and-a-half into San Francisco Bay -- besides swimming, that is. Alcatraz was named the number one visitor attraction in America by millions of contributors to TripAdvisor, who also ranked it as number eight in the world.
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Alcatraz Cruises, official government concessioner for Alcatraz tours, sells daytime and evening tickets to the former penitentiary operated year-round by the National Park Service, up to 90 days in advance. On the island, park service rangers conduct free walking tours. An award-winning cellhouse audio tour with commentary by actual prisoners and wardens is available in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. The audio is included in the price of transportation.
Statue Cruises, New York/New Jersey: Coming up to 230 years of age, Lady Liberty is more popular than ever. Access to the grounds of Liberty Island and Ellis Island are available year-round. To climb into her crown or obtain access inside the pedestal, visitors should reserve in advance at a small additional fee.
Statue Cruises is the authorized concessioner for the National Park Service, which operates the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, where the Museum of Immigration is located. Statue Cruises is the only company authorized by the National Park Service to provide ferry service to Ellis Island. Boats depart from Battery Park in New York and Liberty State Park in New Jersey. An audio tour to both sites is included and available in Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish.
Niagara Cruises, Ontario: Right through the Thanksgiving holidays, you can still visit Niagara Falls. Hornblower Niagara Cruises, located on the Canadian side of the falls, has extended its boat tours through the end of November. This boat trip that takes you "as close as possible to the breathtaking flow of water, power and mist that is the magnificent Niagara Falls," says Hornblower.
You'll pass beside the three falls that make up the landmark: American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls, to experience the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world, with a vertical drop of more than 165 feet. It's a very impressive show from Mother Nature herself.