Visitors to the 9/11 Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center site descend 70 feet below ground, arriving at the foundation level of the original Twin Towers.
Nearly seven stories deep underground, visitors encounter an immersive experience of sight and sound as they tour exhibits that trace the construction of the original World Trade Center, display artifacts from the Sept. 11 attacks and listen to recordings of eyewitness accounts.
The museum also includes an In Memoriam exhibition honoring the nearly 3,000 victims, with photographs and audio recordings of loved ones sharing memories of their lives.
Words of remembrance
A central feature of the museum is Foundation Hall, home to a large segment of the original Slurry Wall. Built as a retaining wall around the foundation,
the wall held back the waters of the Hudson River from the World Trade Center complex and remained intact during the Sept. 11 attacks. Foundation Hall also houses an artifact known as “The Last Column,” a 36-foot-tall steel column that was the final large piece of steel removed from the site during the recovery and cleanup.
Before it was taken away, first responders, family members and construction workers covered the column with messages, photographs and tributes. Today, visitors to the museum can stand before it and read those words of remembrance.
The museum opened in 2014 and was dedicated by then-President Barack Obama.
It is open to the public Wednesday through Monday, with select Tuesday openings. Advance tickets are available for purchase at the 9/11 Memorial website.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: 9/11 Memorial Museum sits deep underground, offering immersive tribute
