Thursday, October 1, 2026
The memories are vivid and emotions are still raw as visitors from all over the world get a firsthand, human connection to history at the World Trade Center Tribute Center.
Across the street from the now-bustling World Trade Center site, in a storefront at 120 Liberty Street, the center is a small museum that provides educational programming for visitors. It is also a place where those whose lives were forever changed by the first World Trade Center attack in 1993 and the subsequent events at the same towers, the Pentagon and on United Flight 93, can gather for peer support and healing.
Local, national and international guests meet survivors, family members who lost loved ones, lower Manhattan residents and office employees, rescue workers, civilian searchers and police and firefighters who volunteer as lead or support walking-tour docents, gallery guides or administrative aids at the center. Each of the volunteers is prepared to tell their story and accurately recount the fateful timeline of the day. All of the 446 who have trained, and the 250 currently active, work to convey an understanding of the humanity and community that was both lost and found as a result of the terrorist attacks.
A common theme is to “never forget” about all those — from 92 nations — who perished, and the enormous outpouring of compassion and fellowship in response to the hate-inspired terrorism. In the absence of facts, incorrect versions of the events can gain acceptance. The goal of the volunteers is to present what happened accurately and passionately, with the hope of preventing a similar tragedy from ever happening again. Another goal is to get the public to focus on the rebuilding and rebirth that is the signature of a strong, resilient — and united — community.
The result is an experience that is as moving as it is engaging — by sharing the authentic stories of those most affected, the exhibits and tours convey the courage, loss, heroism and grief of those involved in the tragedies. The personal experiences put a human face on the overwhelming events that shocked the nation and the world.
