Attractions: History

• 9/11 Memorial & Museum

  “The National September 11 Memorial is a tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center site, near Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993. “The Memorial’s twin reflecting pools are ...

• American Folk Art Museum

      The distinction “American” in the museum’s name refers more to where the museum is located rather than the focus of its content. The museum collection includes both American folk art and the works of international self-taught artists. To help visitors attain a better understanding of American folk art, the museum’s collection includes contributions of the many diverse groups who contributed to American culture. The collection ...

• Apollo Theater

  Perhaps no other single venue in New York City is more responsible for introducing the artistry and culture of African-American and Latino musicians and performers than the Apollo Theater. A tour of the Apollo offers insights into individual artists and a greater understanding of the cultural diversity the site has engendered. Visitors are sure to come away with an appreciation of the contribution this ...

• Battery Park

  Located on the southern tip of Manhattan, historic Battery Park, with its lovely flower gardens and  waterfront, is a wonderful area to visit. Originally, it was the world’s first official immigration center, welcoming millions of people from Europe and other continents who had come to this land to start a new life. Today, Battery Park hosts summertime concerts and serves as the dock ...

• Broadway Up Close Tour

  Broadway Up Close tour is a personal intimate behind-the-scenes look at Broadway. Their tour guides are all part of the “show business,” experience and will give you insider info to make you see Broadway like never before! Over the years, theatre-goers have been flocking to The Great White Way for one reason: to hear a story. For an hour-and-a-half, ...

• Brooklyn Bridge Walking Tours

  You may have crossed it or someone may have tried to sell it to you, but have you ever taken a tour of the Brooklyn Bridge? This fascinating piece of architecture, which inspired the renowned Ken Burns’ documentary film, is accessible through Brooklyn Bridge Walking Tours. Two different tours are available both guided by licensed tour guide Alfred Pommer, who ...

• Brooklyn Museum

    Housing extensive collections and numerous long-term and limited-time exhibits, the Brooklyn Museum offers visitors a cornucopia of expertly designed and carefully chosen displays. You’ll discover art and artifacts from Africa, Europe, Ancient Egypt, Asia, and the World of Islam, as well as from many other places and periods. Re-imagine your environment, connect with the culture of America’s Great Plains, or ...

• Brooklyn Navy Yard

  Building 92 houses the exhibition The Brooklyn Navy Yard: Past, Present, and Future. The 300-square acre Brooklyn Navy Yard is the third-oldest dry dock in the US and still is being actively used. Founded in 1801, the Yard was once America’s premier ship building facility. Today, while it is in the ship repair business, it also hosts a wide range of businesses. ...

• Carnegie Hall Tours

  A time-honored joke asks: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? The answer…practice, practice, practice. Indeed, the luminaries who have graced Carnegie’s stage have ascribed to such advice. However, if you want to get to Carnegie Hall without engaging in any practice at all, then Carnegie Hall Tours may be your ticket to get on and behind one of the world’s most famous ...

• Castle Clinton National Monument

  Located in Battery Park, the Castle Clinton National Monument was constructed as a fort to guard New York Harbor just before the War of 1812 . Over the course of 200 years, Castle Clinton has gone through several transformations. Once new defenses were built further out in the harbor, the fort was turned over to the City of New York. ...

• Ellis Island

  More than 12 million immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island, the nation’s chief gateway during the years 1892 to 1924. Today, over 100 million Americans can trace their ancestry to the immigrants who crossed this island before dispersing to points all over the country. Following restoration in the 1980s, this building reopened as the Ellis Island ...

• Empire State Building

  Part of the majestic Manhattan skyline for 80 years, the 102-story Empire State Building stands over 1,200 feet and is the second tallest building in Manhattan. Visitors may enjoy spectacular views from both the 86th floor and 102nd floor observatories. Be sure to include the exhibit on the 80th floor that celebrates the engineering and construction feats of the Empire State Building’s architects, ...

• Flushing Meadows Corona Park

  For those who want to get away from it all and at the same time have a lot to do, Flushing Meadows Corona Park is the solution. The site of two 20th century World’s Fairs, it is the largest park in Queens. The park includes a zoo, an art museum, a botanical garden, a science museum, and a baseball stadium. The park offers ...

• George Washington’s New York Walking Tour

  This self-guided walking tour of New York follows George Washington’s footsteps in what had been our nation’s center of government. Follow the development of our country from its colonial days through the revolution to the beginnings of our new nation. The tour starts at Battery Park in Castle Clinton and ends at Wall Street at Federal Hall, the site of Washington’s inauguration and ...

• Governors Island

  Although small in size, the location of this island has assigned it a prominent place in the area’s history. In turn, it was occupied by Native American tribes, the Dutch, the British, and the Americans. The name Governors Island evolved from the British declaration that the island would be for the “benefit of His Majesty’s Governors.” However, it wasn’t until 1784 that the ...

• Grand Central Terminal

  Grand Central Terminal (often mistakenly referred to as Grand Central Station) is both a major transportation hub and a destination for those interested in the architecture of this massive and beautiful Beaux-arts building. Opened in 1913, the terminal has undergone periodic renovation to accommodate technological advances. Most recently, a major renovation restored the building to its former glory. A self-guided walking tour will introduce visitors ...

• Guggenheim Museum

  Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the current Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opened in 1959. The building’s distinctive design was Wright’s last major work and, at first, was not received by universal acclaim. Today, however, the museum is considered among the most important pieces of architectural design of the twentieth century and is registered as a National Historic Landmark. The Guggenheim houses a vast permanent ...

• Harlem Heritage Tours

  Harlem’s history is intimately connected to important issues and artistic movements in New York and the nation. Harlem Heritage Tours offers a full range of experiences, including Multimedia Tours, Hip Hop Tours and Gospel Tours. There are many walking tours with specific themes such as the Sunday Pre Dinner Harlem Renaissance Walking Tour. What makes these tours unique is that every tour guide was ...

• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

    The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex offers visitors exciting experiences in science, technology and history. With the aircraft carrier Intrepid as its primary base, the museum utilizes all levels of this great, restored vessel. Commissioned in 1943, the Intrepid helped defeat Japan in World War II and was later involved in picking up astronauts after they splashed down. Today you can ...

• Madame Tussauds New York

  If you want to feel as if you’re surrounded by greatness, then a visit to Madame Tussauds New York should be on your to-do list. In the heart of Times Square the world-famous wax museum presents historical figures, political and world leaders, pop stars, cultural icons, record-breaking athletes, and Hollywood and TV stars in life-size replicas. There are daily sightings ...

• Madison Square Garden All-Access Tour

  With an amazingly dynamic history, Madison Square Garden serves as one of the world’s largest and most prestigious venues for entertainment and sporting events. And now you can go behind the scenes via their All-Access Tour. You’ll visit team locker rooms, learn how a basket floor is transformed into a sheet of sheer ice and tour the grand theatre. With a history that ...

• Merchant’s House Museum

  The Seabury Tredwell House was built in 1832 and occupied by the Tredwells, a merchant family from 1835 to 1933. Today, it is designated as a National Historic Landmark and is the only home in New York City to have survived intact, both inside and out, from the 19th century. The Greek Revival period rooms of the Merchant’s House show ...

• Metropolitan Opera

  The Metropolitan Opera has a history that reaches back almost 130 years. This impressive cultural resource attracts some of the finest singers, directors and designers from around the globe. The Met, which offers world-class productions of new and classic operas, calls Lincoln Center its home. Although included in the Lincoln Center Tours, the Metropolitan Opera also provides daily tours during its performance season. Tours ...

• Morris-Jumel Mansion

  Yes, it’s true! George Washington did sleep here. The Morris-Jumel Mansion bears the distinction of having served, in turn, as the temporary headquarters to General George Washington and the British Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton during Revolutionary War. Over the years, the house was to serve as a private residence, a military headquarters, an inn, and, briefly, the home of the former Vice President ...

• Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden

  Go back to a time when 61st Street was the country and the Mount Vernon Hotel was a sanctuary for those who wanted to get away from it all. Built in 1799, it first served as a carriage house and was then transformed into a hotel in 1826. Now the structure stands in the middle of the hubbub of Manhattan as one of ...

• Museum at Eldridge Street

  When it opened its doors in September of 1887, the Eldridge Street Synagogue became the first synagogue to be built by East European immigrants in America, many of whom initially settled on the Lower East Side. The religious sanctuary was a testament to the fact that Jewish immigrants now could worship openly and freely. Today, this National Historic Landmark offers visitors a view ...

• Museum of Modern Art

  If you’re interested in groundbreaking, innovative work, then New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is a must-see. Extensive exhibits and an impressive film series are offered throughout the year. MoMA includes works by modern masters such as Warhol, de Kooning, Haring, Calder, Kadinsky, Pollack, Matisse and Picasso. Exhibits include works of art and architecture, paintings, sculpture, prints, modern furniture design, illustrated books, film, and ...

• Museum of the International Center of Photography

  Located in midtown Manhattan, the Museum of the International Center of Photography chronicles the photographic medium through its exhibitions of historic and contemporary work. The collection of over 100,000 photographs contains daguerrotypes, gelatin silver, and digital chromogenic prints. The museum houses an outstanding collection of American and European documentary photography from the 1930s through the 1960s. Tours conducted by ICP staff and self-guided gallery tours ...

• Museum of the Moving Image

  Family friendly, educational and just plain fascinating, the Museum of the Moving Image offers exhibitions, films and special collections. Both film and television are highlighted in this interactive facility devoted to the millions of moving images that have captured our imaginations, invigorated our emotions and inspired our lives. Located in Astoria Queens, the museum provides various public educational programs.     shortcodeid=”TO_BE_GENERATED” width=”100%” height=”350″ zoom=”12″ maptype=”roadmap” ...

• New York City Fire Museum

    The FDNY’s original museum opened as the Fire College Museum in Long Island City in 1934. In 1959 the collection was moved to the spare bay of a working firehouse at 100 Duane Street in Manhattan, where it remained until the Home Insurance Company presented its own extensive collection of fire memorabilia to the city in 1981, making a move ...

• New York Historical Society Museum & Library

  At the New York Historical Society Museum and Library, visitors can learn about American culture through the nearly 40,000 works of art and artifacts that span four centuries. The permanent collection encompasses decorative arts, drawings, historical artifacts, paintings, and sculpture. The Underground Railroad Collection, landscape paintings from the Hudson River School, the folk art of Elie Nademan, and American Board and Table Games are ...

• New York Transit Museum

    Imagine New York without its extensive public transportation system. Impossible. At The New York Transit Museum, enjoy exhibits such as the Steel Stone & Backbone: Building New York’s Subways 1900-1925 and On the Streets: New York’s Trolleys and Buses. Learn about construction methods and the people who built New York’s first subway line. Explore the last 175 years of transportation ...

• One World Observatory

  One World Observatory sits atop what is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, One World Trade Center. The skyscraper rises 1,776-feet above Manhattan. One World Observatory, which includes a 360-degree walkway and three-story observatory, is perched at 1,250-feet.   The views are magnificent and overpowering, as visitors can see landmarks, waterways, and the majestic and always promising skyline. Look towards the ...

• Rise NY

  RiseNY pairs museum-style galleries with an amusement park-quality ride. Discover how NYC’s pop culture evolution helped shape Music, Fashion, TV, Theater, and more in each dedicated gallery. Then, board an extraordinary elevator experience that transports you to a spectacular virtual soaring ride! Feel the rush of wind in your hair as you “fly” over the world’s most stunning skyline. Swing ...

• St Paul’s Chapel

  On September 11, 2001 the World Trade Center buildings collapsed killing 2,983 people. Just across the street, St. Paul’s Chapel was to escape destruction. Although covered with debris and dust, there was no physical damage to the building. From that day through May of 2002, St. Paul’s provided meals, beds, counseling, and prayer to the firefighters, police officers, construction workers, ...

• St. Johns Cathedral

  The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine is the seat of the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. The cathedral was designed in 1888 and construction began in 1892. It is still unfinished.  Magnificent architecture and beautiful stained glass windows define this Gothic Revival cathedral, the nave of which exceeds the length of two football fields. The 162-foot dome ...

• Tenement Museum

  It is an unusual idea making a tenement into a museum. But that’s what the aptly-named Tenement Museum is. The museum, which may only be seen by guided tour, offers various programs regarding the roles of immigrants in the US. There are seven different tours with four lasting one hour and two others 90 minutes. The seventh tour is an in-depth experience lasting ...

• The Frick Collection

  The Frick Collection is housed in the New York mansion built by industrialist and art collector Henry Clay Frick (1849–1919). Upon his death, the art collection, the mansion, and all its furnishings were bequeathed to the public. Since then, both the collection and the building have been expanded. Touring the Frick, one sees major works of sculpture, a superb collection of small bronzes, ...

• The Jewish Museum

  Artists, entertainers, historical and religious documents and artifacts are all celebrated at The Jewish Museum. Lectures, concerts and other special events are a part of the experience and the Kid Zone offers events and displays for families with young children.  With over 2,300 objects in the museum’s collections and over 4,000 years of history contained within its walls, The Jewish Museum offers a ...

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art

  The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers exhibits of artwork from across the centuries. Works from the Post Modern era, Ancient Roman period, Impressionist movement and many other historical epochs and cultures are at the museum. Special educational programs, performances and exhibits are available. On any given day, the Metropolitan Museum of Art offers close to 30 exhibits, 14 guided tours, ...

• The Morgan Library & Museum

  Once the private library of financier and avid collector Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913), the library and its holdings were gifted to the public in 1924 by Morgan’s son J.P. Morgan, Jr. The original collection included illuminated, literary, and historic manuscripts, early printed books, and old master drawings and prints. Over the years, the scope of the library’s collection has grown to include important music manuscripts, ...

• The Museum of the City of New York

  If it pertains to New York art, culture or life, then there’s a good chance you’ll find it here at the Museum of the City of New York. There are over 50,000 photographic images and numerous exhibits related to important venues, premium artists and performers, great moments, and the lives of everyday citizens and neighbors. This museum offers a portrait of the city ...

• The Skyscraper Museum

  If there was ever going to be a city that had a museum dedicated to skyscrapers, it’s certainly the tall-building capital of the world—New York City. The Skyscraper Museum celebrates the amazing architectural history and heritage that defines Manhattan and the individuals who have been influential in the development of these major vertical structures. There are numerous permanent displays, including an examination of ...

• The Statue of Liberty

  The Statue of Liberty, designed by the French artist Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. Finished in 1884 and dedicated in 1886, Lady Liberty was designated as a National Monument in 1924.  Those traveling on the waterways that surround the city can see the Statue of Liberty from various  vantage points. ...

• The Van Cortlandt House Museum

  Frederick Van Cortlandt built the Van Cortlandt House for his family in 1748 and subsequently developed the property into a successful wheat plantation with a milling operation. Strategic in its location, during the Revolutionary War, the house was occupied in turn by the Colonial and the British armies. In 1886, the descendants of the Van Cortlandt family sold the property to the City ...

• Union Square Park

  Originally a town square, Union Square Park serves as the setting for numerous community events and various festivals. It has a long and interesting history starting from when it opened in 1839 to its redesign in 1872 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux to accommodate mass congregations of New Yorkers. In 1882, it hosted the country’s first Labor Day parade and in ...

• United Nations

  The United Nations has served as a beacon of hope and peace for over 60 years. Every year over 1 million people come to the United Nations’ visitor center. The UN offers various exhibits and displays and visitors have many opportunities to tour the facility and learn more about the organization. Both audio tours and guided tours are available. Groups are welcome to ...

• Whitney Museum

    The Whitney Museum is a leading collector, curator, and exhibitor of 20th and 21st-century art by American artists. The collection contains over 18,000 pieces and works of more than 2,600 artists and includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, films, videos, and new media. With an eclectic vision and a singular dedication to preserving diverse artistic sensibilities, the Whitney Museum continues ...

• Yankee Stadium Tours

  Yankee Stadium, the House that Ruth built, is as rich in sports history as any ballpark can be. The site of more MLB World Championships than any other venue, the stadium defines winning and greatness. Yankee Stadium Tours provide fans and aficionados various tour packages. Everything starts with the Classic Tour that includes Monument Park, New York Yankees Museum, the Clubhouse and access to ...