MANHATTAN — Relatives of 9/11 victims, Lower Manhattan residents and first responders will get an early glimpse of the National September 11 Memorial Museum before it opens to the public in May, officials announced Monday.
The long-delayed underground museum at the World Trade Center site will open its doors 24 hours a day from May 15 to 20 for a "dedication period," offering those who were impacted by the attacks the first chance to see the exhibits, free of charge.
Organizers decided to keep the museum open around the clock for its first six days as a way of honoring the responders who worked tirelessly 24 hours a day after 9/11, officials with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum said.
The museum will then open to the general public May 21. Tickets will cost $24, with discounts for students, seniors, first responders and recovery workers.
Exhibits include “In Memoriam,” which pays tribute to the 2,983 victims of both the 9/11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The museum will also explore what prompted the terror strikes and how their aftermath unfolded across the globe.
“We are honored that the first people to experience this museum will be the men and women who came to our aid and protected us on 9/11, the families of the innocent victims killed that day, and the survivors who lived to tell the tale of an unimaginable horror so that we may learn so that we may learn from the past,” 9/11 Memorial Chairman and former mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.
“The museum is built upon their incredible stories.”
Victims' family members, first responders, recovery workers, 9/11 survivors and Lower Manhattan residents and business owners must register online for free passes to visit the museum during the dedication period.
Paid tickets to the museum will be available to the public at 911memorial.org beginning March 26.
