The National September 11 Memorial & Museum opened to the public in 2011 on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, built on the footprints of the original Twin Towers at the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. The outdoor memorial features twin reflecting pools, each nearly an acre in size, with the names of nearly 3,000 victims from the 2001 and 1993 attacks inscribed around their edges.
Below ground, the museum’s historical exhibition traces the events of September 11 in three chapters — before, during, and after — using recovered artifacts, recordings, and personal testimonies, while a separate In Memoriam exhibition honors each individual life lost. The museum sits within a pavilion designed by Snøhetta, adjacent to the original Vesey Street stairs known as the “Survivors’ Stairs.”
The memorial plaza is free and open daily; the museum charges admission and is best visited with a few hours set aside to see the historical and memorial exhibitions without rushing.
