Ellis Island Tours with Tom Bernadin

Enjoy and learn on this walking tour retracing the steps of our immigrant ancestors at Ellis Island, the main immigration inspection station from 1892-1924.

For three years, Tom Bernardin worked as a National Park Service ranger at Ellis Island, interacting with immigrants and hearing their stories. His experience meeting these immigrants led him to create Ellis Island-The Golden Door, a slide lecture he still presents - and to compile his book, The Ellis Island Immigrant Cookbook. Tom is a licensed New York City tour guide, offering general New York City tours as well.

"There is no better guide that Mr. Ellis Island himself, Tom Bernardin. After 28 years working there, there is not a tile or a bench that he cannot tell a story about."

Sunday Express, March 25, 2007

"....says Tom Bernardin, the Ellis Island guide...who can give you a riviting private tour....Tom was inspirational, bringing the buildings to to life in a way no book could ever have done."

The Sun, June 16, 2007

Your host and guide is Tom Bernardin, whose association with Ellis Island began in 1978 as a National Park Service ranger, giving tours of pre-restoration Ellis Island. His slide-lecture presentation, Ellis Island-The Golden Door led to the publication of his book, The Ellis Island Immigrant Cookbook.

Tom is a licensed New York City tour guide and a thirty-seven year resident of Manhattan, originally hailing from Lawrence (Immigrant City), Massachusetts. His goal is to provide visitors to Ellis Island and New York with a memorable, interesting, fun, comfortable and informative time as we look back to our enlightening past.