how much to visit world trade center

Guide to Visiting One World Trade Center

In this article, we look at all you need to know about visiting the World Trade Center.

When planning your visit to New York City, One World Trade Center – also known as Freedom Tower – must be on the bucket list. Located in the city’s bustling financial district in Downtown Manhattan it offers some of the most breath-taking views across the city up the One World Observatory and it is home to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum . It’s also one of the most unique places to enjoy sunset cocktails and fine dining – so any experience of this modern landmark will offer something to remember.

Everyone remembers where they were when they found out about 9/11 so what better way to honour this day than to pay homage to the victims at the Memorial & Museum. Situated on the site of the original World Trade Centre, the 9/11 Museum uncovers the story of this ill-fated day with over 10,000 artefacts on display, as well as interviews of 2,000 first-hand accounts, photographs and family testimonies.

The One World Trade Center ’s Museum also features a Permanent Collection with exhibitions of items donated as well as the incredible account from John Stiastny, one of the only survivors of the national disaster. The Foundation Hall contains a segment of the surviving wall of the original structure of the World Trade Centre and visitors can still see inscriptions, memorials, and missing posters from the aftermath in 2001. Outside visitors can also see the two memorial pools on the North and South end, the 80-foot Tridents columns as well as International flags which were suspended in the lobby of the original Twin Towers prior to the devastating incident.

You can easily spend half a day at the site if you then head up the 102 stories to the One World Observatory . The elevator takes just 47 seconds and, on the way, up you can enjoy a dynamic display learning of the transformation of New York City from its original settlement and bedrock to the concrete jungle of today. At the top, the Forever Theatre audio-visual exhibition thrusts you into the vibrant city life and the interactive displays and presentations will help you get to know Gotham’s rich culture and unique history. Don’t miss the Sky Portal, a glass floor that looks down onto the streets beneath you 100 stories below... Be warned: if you have vertigo this will be a challenge!

Indulge in an evening to remember at ONE Dine, One World Trade Centre New York ’s ultimate dining and drinking experience. The New York themed menu is a fun way to celebrate something special and guests are welcome for a cocktail, bar snack or a gourmet experience. Tip: you will need an Observatory ticket to enter and make a dinner reservation.

Of course, you won’t want to forget your camera for shots of the iconic skyline which, by day or night, is one of the most breath-taking vistas in all of New York. You can also make the most of a professional photographer for a take-home souvenir and visit the souvenir shop full of One World Trade Center-themed gifts.

A trip to the Big Apple in the holiday season is one of the best times of years to experience the iconic city in all its cheer and One World Trade Center’s Winter Onederland promises a giant snow globe, Santa Visits, family-friendly Christmas displays, as well as Christmas themed drinks and dining - fun for everyone!

One World Trade Center Opening Hours

If you plan on visiting the One World Trade Center’s 9/11 Memorial & Museum you can visit during their opening hours between 9am-8pm daily. To visit the One World Observatory, it is open 9am-9pm 7 days a week with last admission 8.15pm (check website for amended holiday hours over Christmas & New Year and during the summer months). ONE Dine is open for meals from 12pm-9pm daily with last reservations at 6.45pm.

Following your One World Trade Center tour, nearby you can also visit the iconic Statue of Liberty and historic Ellis Island Immigration Museum to make the most of your New York experience. If you plan on arriving by Subway the stop is Fulton Street/Park Place or enjoy a Hop on Hop off Bus Tour experience and jump off at stop 11, 12, or 13 on the Downtown route. Alternatively, the address is 180 Greenwich St. World Trade Center should you be arriving by Taxi or car. For more inspiration on nearby tours take a look at our other things to do near the World Trade Center .

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VISIT TODAY

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is an educational and historical institution honoring the victims and examining 9/11 and its continued global significance.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is a nonprofit institution that relies primarily on ticket sales to help fund its operational costs. Your purchase helps keep the Memorial free and the Museum operational for all who wish to visit.

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The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is a nonprofit institution that relies primarily on ticket sales to help fund its operational costs. Your purchase helps keep the Memorial free and the Museum operational for all who wish to visit.

Visit 110,000 square feet of space beneath the Memorial and learn what happened on 9/11, what led to the attacks, and how the day continues to shape our world while honoring the victims and how they lived.

GUIDED TOURS

The best way to experience the 9/11 Memorial & Museum is through an expert-led tour. These provide a deeper understanding of the events and the victims through compelling stories, anecdotes, and historical facts.

HOURS AND GETTING HERE

Welcome to the World Trade Center

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Learn the history of 9/11 where it happened.

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Come visit one of New York City's newest architectural gems.    

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One World Observatory NYC

Tallest building in the western hemisphere, visiting one world observatory nyc, one world observatory – nyc insider tips.

• There is no access to the 100-102nd floors of the World Trade Center without a ticket purchase.
• All major NYC Attractions Passes include One World Observatory
• You can reserve your timed tickets at Skip the Line: One World Observatory Tickets or One World Observatory Tickets or oneworldobservatory.com
• Consider a guided Downtown & One World Observatory Tour (below), if you are interested in a personal escort and stories or want to combine a visit with other downtown sightseeing options, such as Wall Street, the Statue of Liberty, 9-11 Museum and more.
• Tickets begin at $49, Senior $32, Youth (6-12) $28, 5 and Under Free.
• For a short time, until 2009, this building was called "Freedom Tower," but since then has officially been known as 1 World Trade Center.

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About one world observatory, one world observatory – the experience.

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One World Observatory NYC More Info

• Address: One World Trade Center, 285 Fulton Street New York, New York, 10007, Entrance on West Street at the corner of Vesey Street
• Website: oneworldobservatory.com
• Hours: Open 7 days per week, 10:00am – 7:00pm (last ticket sold earlier than closing). Their hours change seasonally, so please check in advance.
• Regular Guest Admission tickets will be valid for a specific date and time and you must have an Observatory ticket in order to access all amenities and dining
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• Empire State Building - (86 and 102 floors) Best for patient movie and history buffs who need to check it off their bucket list. Recently redone indoor 102nd Floor Observatory
• Top of the Rock - (67-70 floors) Best for sweeping 360° vista views, including of the Empire State Building and Central Park. Shorter lines and cheaper than the ESB.
• One World Observatory - (100-102 floors) Best for homage to the Twin Towers. Modern and high tech, with phenomenal views
• Edge - (100-101 floors) Highest outdoor observation deck, glass bottom floor, deck extends 80 feet away from building (photo)
• Summit One Vanderbilt - (91-93 floors) Opens Oct 2021, all glass elevator, indoor and outdoor decks and glass terraces off the side of the building

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Here's what a trip to the World Trade Center will cost you

At the tallest café in the Western Hemisphere, prices are skyscraper high.

That's because you have to pay up just to get in the door. The elevator ride alone will cost you $32, which is the price to get in to the One World Observatory.

The 360-degree viewing platform and eatery located near the top of the newly-rebuilt One World Trade Center, opens Friday to the general public.

Tickets are $32 for adults, though seniors pay $30 and children aged 6 to 15 pay $26. Kids 5 and under are free.

There are higher priced tickets for those who don't want to wait in line, considering that queues can be notoriously long at New York's most popular landmarks. The viewing prices are comparable to the observation deck at the Empire State Building, but if you want the whole One World experience, you'll have to pay up.

That's because ticket prices are just the beginning. If you want to get a bite at the cafe , it's going to cost you:

• $24 for fish and chips
• $32 for steak frites
• $20 for a burger

The restaurant on the 101st floor is a bit fancier, with a menu to match :

• $40 for chicken
• $48 for a steak with foie gras
• $34 for salmon
• $75 for three-course dinner
• $55 for wine pairing with each course

Related video: Check out the view from One World Observatory

Don't even think about bringing your own food and drinks. That's on the list of things you're not allowed to bring, along with:

• No licensed firearms
• No pets that are not service animals.
• And no, you cannot visit the restaurant without buying a ticket to the observatory. Nice try, though.

If you want to pick up some souvenirs on your way out the door, that'll cost you, too. Here's what you'll find at the gift shop:

• T-shirts for $29.95
• "Metallic" tote bags for $29.95
• Coffee cups for $14.95
• Necklace with Swarovski crystals for $79.95
• Tapestry blanket for $79.95

The observatory, on floors 100 through 102, is operated by Legends Hospitality, a concessionaire that also provides services (like hot dogs and beer) at Yankee Stadium and Cowboys Stadium. Legends is owned by the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys, as well as Checketts Partners Investment Fund.

One World Trade Center is 104 floors and 1,776 feet tall. It opened to tenants , including Conde Nast, in November, 2014.

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9/11 MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM

A tribute of remembrance and honor. Occupying eight of the 16 acres at the World Trade Center, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum are tributes to the past and a place of hope for the future.

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One World Trade Center Questions & Answers

We went at dusk and stayed to see the night lights. Probably 2.5 hrs. Gorgeous view!

Hi, I would allow 2 hours and 3 hours if you plan to eat in the restaurant - which has a great view.

Hi Traveler

                                  I would plan atleast a 2hr stay if you only want to take in the view, longer if you plan to dine.

Definately 2-3 hours don’t be in a rush....

A good 2 to 3 hours

WE stayed about three hours ,time just seem to pass by and you don't realise you've been in there that long. I would give yourself 3 hours minimum if you want to really take everything in.

About two hours. Just book before you go

2 to 3 hours

Two hours would be plenty.

I was just there and spent about an hour. I did not eat there. You want to walk 360° to get a view of the whole city. I went to the top of all 3 tall buildings, Empire State & Rockefeller and this one was my favorite because you are at the tip looking back at the whole city.

3 hours minimum. There’s so much to enjoy

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World Trade Center 9/11 museum to charge $20-$25 admission fee

NEW YORK -- Faced with hefty operating costs, the foundation building the 9/11 museum at the World Trade Center has decided to charge an admission fee of $20 to $25 when the site opens next year.

The exact cost of the mandatory fee has not yet been decided.

Entry to the memorial plaza with its twin reflecting pools will still be free.

The decision to charge for the underground museum housing relics of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks has been greeted with dismay by some relatives of 9/11 victims.

"People are coming to pay their respects and for different reasons," said Janice Testa of Valley Stream, whose firefighter brother Henry Miller Jr. died at the twin towers. "It shouldn't be a place where you go and see works of art. It should more be like a memorial place like a church that there's no entry fee."

Testa was visiting the memorial Saturday with relatives from Florida.

The memorial plaza opened in 2011 on the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks, but disputes over funding have pushed the museum's opening back to spring 2014.

With the cost of operating the memorial and museum projected to be $60 million a year, the memorial foundation voted at its board meeting last week to charge a mandatory admission fee for the museum.

"This is something that is going to be important and is going to be worth the expenditure," Joseph Daniels, president of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, said Saturday.

Daniels said the museum will be free during certain hours every week and will offer student and senior discounts.

Foundation officials had considered an optional donation but rejected the idea.

"We decided that it's more fiscally prudent to have a straight ticket charge," Daniels said.

Debra Burlingame, a foundation board member whose brother was the pilot of one of the hijacked planes, said the trade center site is expensive to build on and to protect.

"The World Trade Center site remains a target of interest among terrorists, so the security has to be robust and relentless," Burlingame said in a phone interview. "There's a big price tag on that.

"Would we like to be able to say this is free? Absolutely," Burlingame added. But she called it "irresponsible to hope that year after year we have donations that will cover an expense like security."

Some visitors to the memorial were divided about charging admission to the museum.

Retired school psychologist Valerie Cericola of Lavalette, N.J., said the entry fee sounded fair.

"You need to keep it open, you need to keep it running," she said. "It's an expense."

But Jennifer Reyes, a friend of Cericola's daughter who was born on Sept. 11, 2001, said the museum should ask for an optional donation.

"I think a donation like $10 would be good," Jennifer said.

AP radio correspondent Julie Walker contributed to this report.  

Related: Images of the World Trade Center site from PhotoBlog

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The World Trade Center, by the Numbers

By: Iván Román

Updated: July 17, 2023 | Original: September 2, 2021

When the World Trade Center ’s Twin Towers opened to the public in 1973, they were the tallest buildings in the world. Even before they became iconic features of the New York City skyline, they reflected America’s soaring ambition, innovation and technological prowess.

The towers' eye-popping statistics amply illustrate that ambition: They rose a quarter-mile in the sky. They contained 15 miles of elevator shafts and nearly 44,000 windows—which took 20 days to wash. From the South Tower observation deck on a clear day, visitors could see 45 miles. The Trade Center complex was so big, it had its own zip code.

But some of the same impressive architectural elements may have also helped worsen the tragedy on the fateful morning of September 11, 2001 . Calling the project “the architecture of power,” Ada Louise Huxtable, an architecture critic for The New York Times offered a prescient warning when the towers were going up in 1966: “The trade-center towers could be the start of a new skyscraper age or the biggest tombstones in the world,” she wrote.

These facts and figures offer some perspective on the engineering and architectural feats that made the Twin Towers possible.

Time to build: 14 years (from formal proposal to finish)

David Rockefeller, grandson of the first billionaire in the U.S., had the idea to build a World Trade Center in the port district in Lower Manhattan in the 1950s. By 1960, city, state and business leaders came on board.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey presented a formal proposal to the two states’ governors in 1961, then hired an architect and cleared 14 blocks of the city’s historic grid. They broke ground in 1966.

Two or three stories went up weekly. The towers used 200,000 tons of steel and, according to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, enough concrete to run a sidewalk between New York City and Washington, D.C.

The ambitious project overcame community opposition, design and construction setbacks, attempted sabotage by New York real estate rivals and major engineering challenges to open its doors in April 1973 while still under construction. The towers were completed in 1975.

Number of architectural design drafts: 105

After creating more than 100 design ideas with various combinations of buildings, architect Minoru Yamasaki’s team settled on a seven-building complex with a centerpiece of two identical 110-story towers. The towers' design featured a distinctive steel-cage exterior consisting of 59 precise, narrowly spaced slender steel columns per side.

Cost to build: more than $1 billion

According to The New York Times , the cost of building the towers ballooned to more than $1 billion, far beyond its original budget of $280 million. Project managers faced cost overruns as safety, wind and fire tests were conducted. And engineers embraced or created innovative construction techniques and new technologies to make the towers lighter and taller.

Rentable floor space: about one acre per floor

The Twin Towers’ innovative design, which placed structural load on the outside columns rather than inside pillars, facilitated the owners’ desire for a maximum amount of rentable space. With 10 million square feet of office space—more than Houston, Detroit or downtown Los Angeles had at the time, according to The New York Times —the World Trade Center came to be dubbed “a city within a city.”

Depth of the Twin Towers’ foundation: 70 feet

To build such tall towers on landfill that had piled up onto Lower Manhattan for centuries, the towers needed exceedingly strong foundations. So engineers dug a huge rectangular hole seven stories down into the soft soil to reach bedrock.

Using a technique developed by Italian builders in the 1940s, the towers’ builders used slurry, a mud-type material lighter than soil, to dig a 70-foot-deep trench and keep the surrounding soil from collapsing as they poured in concrete to form three-foot-thick walls, like a waterproof “bathtub.”

But it worked like a bathtub in reverse. It didn’t keep water in, but rather kept water from the Hudson River out—and away from the Trade Center complex. On 9/11, the crashing debris damaged the walls, but they mostly held up. If they hadn’t, engineers fear the Hudson River would have flooded the city’s subway system and drowned thousands of commuters.

Extra land created by building the WTC: 23 acres

The 1.2 million cubic yards of soil dug up to build the “bathtub” were used to add 23 acres to Lower Manhattan—about a quarter of the area of a planned community of parks, apartment buildings, stores and restaurants nearby called Battery Park City that lines the Hudson River.

Twin Towers' elevator speed: 1,600 feet per minute

The Twin Towers had 198 elevators operating inside 15 miles of elevator shafts, and when they were installed, their motors were the largest in the world. The towers’ innovative elevator design mimicked the New York City subway, with express and local conveyances. That innovation lessened the amount of space the elevators took, leaving more rentable floor space. On 9/11, the tower’s elevator shafts became an efficient conduit for airplane fuel—and deadly fire.

Windspeed the towers could sustain: 80 m.p.h.

Engineers concluded in wind tunnel tests in 1964 that the towers could sustain a thrashing of 80-m.p.h. winds, the equivalent of a category 1-force hurricane. With this study, one of the first of its kind for a skyscraper, engineers tested how the towers’ innovative tubular structural design, lighter than the traditional masonry construction, would handle strong winds.

But they also realized that in the winds coming off the harbor, the towers could sway as much as 10 feet, making office space potentially tough to rent.

So the chief engineers developed viscoelastic dampers as part of the towers’ structural design. Some 11,000 of these shock absorbers were installed in each tower, diminishing the sway to about 12 inches side to side on windy days, according to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

Number of sprinklers in the towers:  3,700

Two months after the release of the blockbuster movie The Towering Inferno , a three-alarm blaze in the North Tower in 1975 raised concerns that the Twin Towers had no sprinklers.

That was common for skyscrapers at the time, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owned the buildings, was exempt from the city’s fire safety codes. But facing pressure from state lawmakers and employees in the Center, Port Authority officials spent $45 million to install some 3,700 sprinklers in the two buildings during the 1980s.

But the sprinklers failed when they were needed the most. On 9/11, the attacking planes snapped the water intake system upon impact, so they didn’t work.

Height of the tightrope walk between the towers: 1,350 feet

On the morning of August 7, 1974, French acrobat Philippe Petit walked the more than 130 feet between the Twin Towers on a high wire approximately one-quarter mile up in the air. Thousands of commuters stared up, gasping in amazement.

Exuding confidence in his 45-minute show, the tightrope artist laid down on the wire, knelt down on one knee, talked to seagulls and teased police officers waiting to arrest him. Using his 50-pound, 26-foot-long balancing pole, he crossed between the tallest buildings in the world eight times before stopping when it started to rain.

Initially critiqued as a “white elephant,” the new towers had difficulty attracting tenants in the early years. Petit’s show, followed by a skydiver jumping off the North Tower and a toymaker climbing up the wall of the South Tower, began to turn that around, making the towers seem more human in scale and more accessible to New Yorkers and tourists.

Force of tremor when the towers fell: akin to 2.1 and 2.3 earthquakes

On September 11, 2001, seismologists in 13 stations in five states—including the furthest in Lisbon, New Hampshire 266 miles away—found that the collapse of the South Tower at 9:59 a.m. generated a tremor comparable to that of a small earthquake registering 2.1 on the Richter scale. Measurements for the North Tower collapse half an hour later: 2.5 on the Richter scale.

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9 places to nosh on bagels in southern Maine

From old-school spots to foodie favorites, there's a 'hole' lot to try.

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Bread and bagels at The Works Cafe in downtown Portland. Photo by Aimsel Ponti

From New York-style boiled bagels to Montreal-inspired wood-fired ones, there’s lots of great bagels in southern Maine and several shops have the accolades to back that up.

In 2023, Bon Appetit named bagels from Rose Foods and Rover Bagel among the best in the country.

Two years before that,  Food & Wine Magazine put Rover, Forage and Scratch Baking Co. on its list of best bagels in the U.S.

Whether you like yours toasted with cream cheese or as the bread for your breakfast sandwich, you can find plenty of styles and flavors from Biddeford to Brunswick.

BEACH BAGELS

The offerings at Beach Bagels include a French toast and marble bagel, and the cream cheese menu comprises spreads like strawberry, olive and honey walnut. Along with breakfast sandwiches, Beach Bagels has hearty breakfast options like omelets and pancakes. Best of all, you’re steps away from a beach stroll. Just don’t let the seagulls steal your bagel. Advertisement

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily WHERE: 34 Old Orchard St., Old Orchard Beach. beachbagels.yolasite.com ______________

Dutchman’s opened in 2022 as a pop-up housed at Nomad pizza in Brunswick’s Fort Andross building. It’s since become a permanent fixture there and uses the pizzeria’s wood-fired ovens to bake its bagels. The hand-shaped, honey-boiled bagels come in plain, roasted garlic, poppy and a bagel-of-the-day flavor.

WHEN: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday to Sunday WHERE: Fort Andross, 14 Maine St., Brunswick. dutchmans.me ______________

FORAGE MARKET

Making bagels at Forage Market involves a two-day aging process. The bagels are naturally leavened with wild yeast starter and baked next to a hardwood fire. There are usually five flavors available, including sesame and garlic. Breakfast sandwiches (including vegan options) are available. Forage also has a location in Lewiston. Advertisement

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday WHERE: 123 Washington Ave., Portland. foragemarket.com _____________

MISTER BAGEL

There are 10 or so Mister Bagel locations in Maine, including South Portland and Falmouth. It all began with the Portland location, which was the first bagel shop to open in Maine. The late Rick Hartglass started Mister Bagel in 1977, and it is still a family business. Music fans will appreciate the breakfast sandwich menu, which includes The David Bowie (bacon, egg and American cheese), the Jimmy Buffett (egg with roast beef and cheddar) and The Lady Gaga (avocado, salt and pepper, with or without egg).

WHEN: 6:30 a.m. to noon Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday WHERE: 599 Forest Ave., Portland. misterbagelforestave.com ______________

At Rose Foods, the menu varies depending on the day, but there are usually six to eight flavors available. For example, should you pop in on a Friday, you’ll find a poppy and onion bialy (a cousin of the bagel that is not boiled). Rose Foods also makes a number of bagel sandwiches, including the Classic Nova with Nova lox and the Classic Whitefish. Advertisement

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily WHERE: 428 Forest Ave., Portland. rosefoods.me

______________

ROVER BAGEL

At Rover Bagel, you’ll find wood-fired plain, poppy, sea salt, sesame and everything bagels available most of the time, and the spread game here is strong with cream cheese options like lemon-thyme-honey cream and chili-garlic.

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon Sunday WHERE: 10 West Point Lane Suite 10-204, Biddeford (Pepperell Mill). roverbagel.com

______________ Advertisement

SCRATCH BAKING CO.

You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the line of devoted fans waiting for Scratch Baking Co. to open, especially on weekend mornings. Along with the popular Maine sea salt, plain and other everyday flavors, Scratch has a daily special bagel. There’s honeyed rosemary on Wednesday and jalapeno cheddar on Thursday. Scratch is also famous, at least to locals, for its P-Cheese spread. It’s a pimento cheese recipe made with cheddar, mayo, roasted red peppers and seasoning and was passed down to co-owner and head baker Allison Reid by her grandmother, Mern.

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to noon Sunday WHERE: 416 Preble St., South Portland. scratchbakingco.com ___________

THE MAINE BAGEL

The Maine Bagel is a drive-thru with several breakfast and other kinds of sandwiches available. With a bagel list that features egg and bialy among the standards, the family-owned spot is the perfect place to stop on your way to Pine Point Beach. The Maine Bagel really shines with a dozen kinds of cream cheese spreads, including raisin-walnut, lox, strawberry, cranberry-nut and bacon-chive.

WHEN: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. WHERE: 117 Route 1, Scarborough. themainebagel.com Advertisement

THE WORKS CAFE

The Works Cafe is an institution on the edge of the Portland’s Old Port. It opened in 1990 as Bagel Works before it changed its name in 2002. The original shop in this regional chain opened in Manchester, Vermont, in 1988, and there are 11 locations around New England, though just the one in Maine. Gone are the ’90s-era banana-walnut bagels and cold pizza cream cheese, but The Works Cafe is still a reliable place to grab a salt, multigrain or cinnamon raisin bagel, among others. The menu also has bowls, sandwiches and smoothies.

WHEN: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily WHERE: 15 Temple St., Portland. workscafe.com

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What is the cheapest trip to Disney World? How to save without sacrificing the magic

• There are accommodations for every budget within minutes of Walt Disney World, but staying on property can make the most of a trip.
• Unlike other theme parks, Disney World welcomes guests to bring in their own food and alcoholic drinks, which can save a lot of money.
• Discount vacation packages and theme park tickets may be available from employers or places guests have a membership to like AAA and Costco.

It's easy to spend a lot of money at Walt Disney World.

Tickets alone to  Disney Very Merriest After Hours  can cost a family of four roughly $1,000. Add a sit-down dinner, some souvenirs and a hotel for the night and the budget balloons. Multiday vacations cost even more. 

There are, however, lots of easy  ways to save without skimping on the experience, which for some families may only come once in a lifetime.

From choosing where to stay to what to skip, here is how to get the most bang for limited bucks on a trip to Disney World.

►What can I get for free at Disney World?: 10 freebies for your next trip

►Tried and true tips: How to get the most out of Disney World in a day

Where to stay at Disney World

From motels to Airbnbs, timeshares to five-star resorts, there are accommodations for every budget minutes away from Disney World, but to maximize time and benefits, one of the best options is to stay on property.

That's because Disney resort guests get early theme park entry , which can be key for beating long lines for rides later in the day, especially for folks who don't want to spend extra money on Disney's new Genie+ or Lightning Lane  add-ons.

Disney transportation is free for everybody, but resort guests have the added convenience of regular service to the parks and Disney Springs from their hotels. Guests who bring their own cars have to pay for parking at the resorts, but they don't have to pay additional parking fees at the parks.

►Is it worth upgrading to Genie+?: Testing out Disney Genie at Disney World

By far, the cheapest option for staying on property is a campsite at Disney's  Fort Wilderness Resort . Campsites for traditional tents, pop-up campers and camper vans start at $66 per night in the off-season. Peak dates and larger campsites for RVs cost more. Perks of staying at Fort Wilderness include free evening sing-alongs with Chip 'n' Dale, lakeside views of the nightly fireworks at Magic Kingdom, and all the bells and whistles of staying at an official Disney resort.

Guests who prefer traditional rooms can choose from four Disney value resorts: three All-Star properties with average nightly rates listed at $126 in the off-season and  Pop Century  which averages $168 nightly off-peak. Standard rooms at both resorts sleep up to four adults. The All-Star resorts have been recently renovated and have similar layouts to Pop Century. One big difference is Pop Century has direct access to Disney's Skyliner , which connects the resort to EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and several other Disney resorts.

There are a number of non-Disney hotels near Disney Springs that also offer early park entry and accept rewards points for booking, like Holiday Inn Orlando and  DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando . Some even pop up in Express Deals on Priceline.

Another option for redeeming rewards points is staying at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin , which are operated by Marriott and within walking distance to EPCOT. In addition to early admission at the parks, Swan and Dolphin guests are eligible for extended evening theme park hours , which are otherwise only open to guests at deluxe Disney resorts and villas and Shades of Green.

►Disney World prices keep climbing: Here's why die-hard fans keep going back

Shades of Green  is an Armed Forces Recreation Center on Disney property that is not open to the general public. Eligible guests  include military service members, Armed Forces retirees, disabled veterans and their families. While Shades of Green is not a Disney resort, guests can enjoy both early admission and extended evening hours as well as discounted rates on stays and park tickets .

One more option is booking a Disney Vacation Club stay through a rental company like David's Vacation Club Rentals  or  DVC Rental Store . These companies serve as a middleman between guests and Disney timeshare owners renting out stays at official Disney resorts. Cancellations may not be as flexible as booking directly through Disney. And while guests are able to score significant savings on deluxe Disney resorts, these rentals aren't cheap.

Discount Disney tickets

Costco members can buy discounted vacation packages for Disney World, which include park tickets and hotel stays. AAA also offers deals , but starting prices for tickets on their website may match  Disney's prices online  depending on the desired date. Some employers may also offer discounted park tickets through corporate benefits programs, though restrictions vary.

Thrifty travelers may be tempted to purchase discounted park tickets through third-party timeshare sellers promising steep savings in exchange for sitting through a sales pitch, but those can take precious hours away from vacations. Disney's official timeshare program, Disney Vacation Club, does not offer discounted tickets for listening to presentations.

How to save on food

Unlike other theme parks, Disney World welcomes guests to bring in their own food and non-alcoholic drinks.

Guests who drive to Disney can pop into numerous grocery stores off property.  Amazon Fresh and Instacart also deliver groceries.

To save money, guests can eat breakfast in their hotel rooms then pack simple lunches and snacks for the park.

Water bottles can be filled at fountains or wherever fountain drinks are sold. 

At the parks, quick service restaurants have the most budget-friendly meal choices. Guests can plan ahead and budget accordingly by checking out menus online .

While some adults may be inclined to order off kids' menus to save money, those portions are notably smaller and offerings are generally more basic. Instead guests may want to consider buying and sharing multiple snacks throughout the day so they can try different things without spending too much.

Skimp on souvenirs

The dazzling array of souvenirs at Disney World can break the bank. Fortunately  Shop Disney  runs various sales year-round, and retailers from Walmart to Gap sell licensed Disney merchandise, which also goes on sale.

Guests can keep an eye out for deals before their trips to avoid going hog wild when they arrive at Disney World.

►Disney World 4 Parks in 1 Day challenge: '19,338 steps later, my husband and I agreed we'd do it again'

More ways to save

Disney Visa Card from Chase customers can save 10% on select merchandise, dining and experiences. They can also earn rewards dollars throughout the year that can be redeemed across Disney World.

Another way to save is through Disney gift cards, which are as good as cash at the parks.  Target RedCard members  can save 5% on gift Disney cards. Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale members can also pay a little less than face value. Gift cards purchased for full price at Kroger  can rack up fuel points for savings on gas.

One tactic that won't cost a thing is asking for Disney gift cards for holidays or birthdays. Those can be saved up to help pay for trips.

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World Trade Center Facts and Figures

Two Towers (August 2001). Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum. Gift of Fernando Zaccaria.

When construction on the World Trade Center began in 1966, it was one of the most ambitious projects in size and scale ever conceived. Learn more about the complexity of the World Trade Center’s construction, operations, and management through these facts and figures.

Map of the plaza level of the World Trade Center in 2001. Courtesy of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The original World Trade Center was a 16-acre complex that housed seven buildings and the five-acre Austin J. Tobin Plaza.

The World Trade Center contained almost 10 million square feet of rentable office space. This size equaled nearly three Disneyland Parks.

In 2001, the World Trade Center housed more than 430 businesses from 28 different countries .

The World Trade Center had its own zip code: 10048 . New York State government offices at the World Trade Center used the zip code 10047.

Welcome to the world image

Front cover of a booklet produced by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey with information about visiting the World Trade Center and the many attractions and amenities offered, circa 1994. Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Gift of Rae Ann Hoffmann.

The North Tower stood over a quarter-mile tall at 1,368 feet . Its transmission tower with broadcast antennas added about 360 feet more.

The South Tower stood over a quarter-mile tall at 1,362 feet .

Each of the Twin Towers had 110 floors .

Each tower’s footprint and floors were approximately an acre in size.

On windy days, each tower could sway up to almost 12 inches side to side.

There were 43,600 windows in the Twin Towers, equating to more than 600,000 square feet of glass. It took 20 days to wash them all.

There were 198 elevators in the Twin Towers and 15 miles of elevator shafts.

The Twin Towers were among the first skyscrapers to utilize a system of local and express elevators.

Each express elevator in the Twin Towers could hold up to 55 adults. When they were installed, their motors were the largest in the world.

Twin Towers in construction image

The Twin Towers under construction, circa 1970. Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Gift of Elizabeth Giannini in memory of William Borland.

Construction on the World Trade Center began on August 5, 1966 ,   but most of the work in the first two years was below street level. The Twin Towers began their vertical climb in 1968 . The North Tower was completed first in December 1970 , followed by the South Tower in July 1971 .

More than 425,000 cubic yards of concrete were required to construct the World Trade Center, enough to pave a sidewalk from New York City to Washington, D.C.

At least seven foundries supplied more than 200,000 tons of structural steel for the construction of the World Trade Center—more steel than was used to build the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the United States, that connects Staten Island to Brooklyn, New York.

The World Trade Center was built entirely on landfill. As a result, the site’s foundations, including those of the Twin Towers, had to extend down to bedrock about 70 feet below street level.

During construction, workers removed more than one million cubic yards of soil and rock from the site. New York City used this landfill to help build Battery Park City, a neighborhood directly west of the World Trade Center.

Visitors at the South Tower’s 107th floor observatory, December 1975. Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Gift of William Raff, survivor, South Tower, 82nd floor.

The South Tower Observation Deck was composed of an indoor observatory on the 107th floor of the South Tower and an outdoor viewing platform atop the tower’s roof.  At 1,377 feet above street level, the outdoor viewing platform was the highest in the world when it opened in December 1975.

On average, the South Tower Observation Deck attracted 1.8 million visitors per year.

From the opening day of the South Tower Observation Deck in December 1975 through close of business on the night of September 10, 2001, more than 46.3 million visitors experienced the views from the tower’s summit.

On a clear day, one could see for about 45 miles in each direction from the South Tower Observation Deck.

The Vista International Hotel at 3 World Trade Center, which later became the New York Marriott World Trade Center hotel, opened in 1981. It was the first hotel to be built below Canal Street in 145 years .

The Vista International Hotel was badly damaged in the February 26, 1993 terrorist bombing, necessitating major repairs. It reopened on November 1, 1994. The building was later destroyed in the collapse of the Twin Towers.

The World Trade Center complex had more than 20 different food and drink vendors , capable of feeding a population of 150,000 each day. Many corporate tenants also had their own full-service kitchens to cater to employees and clients.

In 2001, the restaurant Windows on the World, which also operated two subsidiary restaurants—Wild Blue and the Greatest Bar on Earth—employed around 450 people who spoke more than 60 different languages . These dining places were located at the top of the North Tower.

High-wire walker Philippe Petit walking between the Twin Towers, August 7, 1974. Photograph by Alan Welner, AP Photo.

High-wire walker Philippe Petit amazed New Yorkers by traversing a 131-foot-long cable between the Twin Towers, 1,350 feet above the Plaza. Going back and forth several times, he performed the act without a net on August 7, 1974.

On July 22, 1975, Owen Quinn performed the first parachute jump at the World Trade Center from the top of the North Tower. Quinn’s jump was unauthorized. At least four other people parachuted off the Twin Towers between 1980 and 1999.

On May 26, 1977, toymaker and mountain climber George Willig scaled the entirety of the South Tower’s facade. Through this act, Willig earned the nickname: the human fly.  

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