Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before
Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away
TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted
LanguagesEnglish
Private tourOnly your group will participate
Overview
Is Brooklyn Heights the most charming neighborhood in New York City? A remarkable number of celebrity residents seem to think so.
No wonder this elegant brownstone wonderland was the first district in the city to be awarded historic landmark status. The leafy enclave where Gilded Age bankers and merchants built handsome townhouses has also been called ”America’s First Suburb”.
On this self-guided walking tour, you’ll hear about the poets, preachers, abolitionists, suffragists and free love advocates who made the Heights a hotbed of progressive thought. The tour starts outside Plymouth Church, the “Grand Central Depot of the Underground Railroad”. From there, you’ll hear about Reverend Henry Ward Beecher – “the most famous man in America” – and how he profoundly transformed religion, helped Abe Lincoln win the Civil War, did a little gun running, and slept with the wives of his best friends.
What's included
Lifetime access to this tour in English before your booking date and after it
Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
App for Android and iOS
Flexibility to explore at your own pace with a self-guided GPS tour
Directions to the starting point so that when you’re in the right place, the tour will start
Smartphone and headphones
Personal expenses for attractions not included during the tour
What to expect
Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Pass by
There is no better view of Manhattan than from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. But while other just look, you hear it's story brought to life, and stand in the spot where Washington Roebling supervised construction of the Brooklyn Bridge by telescope from his bed after becoming paralyzed on the job.
Plymouth Church
Pass by
Known as "The Grand Central Depot of the Underground Railroad." It was in here that Reverend Henry Ward Beecher -- "The Most Famous Man in America" -- held a live slave auction, raising money set a young woman free. This tour follows Beecher's story including his trial for adultery that gripped America.
Brooklyn Cat Cafe
Pass by
All-volunteer woman-run nonprofit that helps homeless cats find furr-ever friends cats. For a small admission fee you can hang out with the feline residents
St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Pass by
Designed by Minard Leferve, this gothic masterpiece contains stained glass windows so extraordinary that one is now displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You'll hear the church's dramatic backstory, from abandoned wreck in the 70's to incubator of a leading arts program and New York's finest prep school.
Montague Street
Pass by
Brooklyn Height's main shopping street, home to the original Haagen Dazs, the Cat Cafe and the historic Heights Casino, with America's first indoor tennis courts.
Pass by
This charming street of elegant brownstones will take us by the homes of Henry Ward Beecher, Truman Capote and Arthur Miller, plus the finest examples of the Queen Anne Style in NYC.
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic
Pass by
The first Romanesque church in America with bronze doors salvaged from the SS Normandie which sank dramatically in New York Harbor.
Pass by
The first Haagen Dazs ice cream shop, opened by the immigrant family that invented the first super-premium ice cream.
Brooklyn Historical Society
Pass by
Now called the Center for Brooklyn History, this handsome Romanesque revival library was designed by George Post, "Father of the Tall Building."
Meeting and pickup
Meeting point
This tour starts at Plymouth Church, 57 Orange Street. Before arrival, please install the mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.
End point
Additional information
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
The total tour time includes walking the route and passing by the attractions
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
