What to see at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum: 11 key places
Quick answer
The essentials at the 9/11 Museum are the Memorial pools and names, the Survivor Tree, the slurry wall, the Last Column, the Survivors' Stairs, the three-part Historical Exhibition and the In Memoriam gallery. Plan 45-90 minutes for the museum alone.
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The 11 key places
- 1
Outdoor plaza
The Memorial pools (Reflecting Absence)
Two pools set in the footprints of the towers, designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker. Water falls into a central void that stands for absence.
- 2
Outdoor plaza
The names on the parapets
The names of the victims of 2001 and 1993 are inscribed in bronze around the pools.
- 3
Outdoor plaza
The Survivor Tree
A pear tree recovered from the rubble and replanted on the plaza, a symbol of recovery.
- 4
Museum pavilion
The descent into the museum
Going down about 70 feet underground sets the tone before the exhibitions.
- 5
Foundation Hall
The slurry wall
A surviving piece of the retaining wall that protected the World Trade Center foundations from the Hudson.
- 6
Foundation Hall
The Last Column
A 36-foot steel beam, the last removed from Ground Zero in May 2002, covered in signatures, photos and messages.
- 7
Near the ramp
The Survivors' Stairs
People escaped by these stairs on 9/11. They were due for demolition and were preserved.
- 8
Historical Exhibition
Events of the Day
Artefacts, video, testimony and real-time audio. This is the hardest part; the museum says it may not be suitable for under-10s.
- 9
Historical Exhibition
Before 9/11
Archival footage and primary sources that explain the context of the 1993 and 2001 attacks.
- 10
Historical Exhibition
After 9/11
The search for the missing, recovery, rebuilding and global responses.
- 11
In Memoriam
Portraits of the victims
Walls with a photograph of every person lost, touchscreen tables with personal objects and recorded voices of relatives.
How to see them
The natural order is the museum's own: begin outside, descend, see Foundation Hall, continue through the Historical Exhibition and end at In Memoriam. Our 2-hour route follows this order. With the AnyArt app you can point at an object or monument to hear its story in your language.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important thing to see at the 9/11 Museum?
The Memorial pools, the Last Column, the Survivors' Stairs and the In Memoriam gallery.
Where is the Last Column?
In Foundation Hall, the museum's largest space, next to the surviving slurry wall.
What is in the Historical Exhibition?
Three sections: Events of the Day, Before 9/11 and After 9/11.
Can I visit only the Memorial?
Yes. The outdoor Memorial is free and open daily from 8am to 8pm.