The Art of the Condolence Letter
Green-Wood Cemetery 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY, United StatesWe all struggle to find the right words. We want to convey sympathy, admiration, and support. And we want to express ourselves as well as possible. Why not take inspiration from another time? Condolence letters of the nineteenth century, when death was ever present, were mainstays of life—missives of comfort written straight from the heart. Death educator Amy Cunningham will lead a practical guide to crafting messages that heal and knowing what’s best left unsaid. Along the way, she’ll share condolences written by luminaries including Thomas Jefferson, Emily Dickinson, Queen Victoria, Marcel Proust, and Ernest Hemingway.
Historic Trolley Tours
Green-Wood Cemetery 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY, United StatesExperience the most magnificent and historic 478 acres in New York City. Join our expert tour guides to hear fascinating stories of Green-Wood’s permanent residents, see breathtaking views of Manhattan, tread where George Washington and his troops fought the Battle of Brooklyn, and much more.
Historic Trolley Tours
Green-Wood Cemetery 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY, United StatesExperience the most magnificent and historic 478 acres in New York City. Join our expert tour guides to hear fascinating stories of Green-Wood’s permanent residents, see breathtaking views of Manhattan, tread where George Washington and his troops fought the Battle of Brooklyn, and much more.
Maria Sabina: Shaman, Curandera, and Visionary Poet
In this illustrated talk, poet, novelist, and diplomat Homero Aridjis will share his first-hand accounts of meeting Maria Sabina, whom he sees not only as a cultural icon, but also as arguably the greatest visionary poet in twentieth-century Latin America. Aridjis’s 2013 novel Carne de Dios, centers on Sabina’s life in Huautla and her involvement with Westerners who flocked to her home to experience the hallucinogenic effects of the “magic mushrooms”.
Secrets in Stone
There is a secret language at Green-Wood that is etched in its centuries-old monuments. Inverted torches, bales of wheat, and hourglasses with wings are but a few of the curious depictions that you will encounter. This eye-opening walking tour will showcase the meaning of these eternal, though sometimes cryptic, symbols.
Birding in Peace
Before our gates open to the general public, birding expert Rob Jett leads these peaceful Sunday morning walking tours to discover the many birds that call Green-Wood home. Green-Wood’s official birding checklist is available to pick up from the security guard at the main entrance on 25th Street or to print here. Comfortable footwear is recommended.
Alive at Green-Wood: Exploring an Urban Oasis
There’s much more to a cemetery than death. There’s life—a lot of it. In fact, since its founding in the nineteenth century as part of the Rural Cemetery Movement, before there was a Central Park, Green-Wood has been a place to engage with the natural world in an urban environment. Whether walking through the cherry tree allée, encountering the green monk parakeets that live in the Arch, or standing beneath a towering dawn redwood, you’ll learn about the environmental diversity that makes this Cemetery one of the city’s great natural resources.
Historic Trolley Tours
Green-Wood Cemetery 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY, United StatesExperience the most magnificent and historic 478 acres in New York City. Join our expert tour guides to hear fascinating stories of Green-Wood’s permanent residents, see breathtaking views of Manhattan, tread where George Washington and his troops fought the Battle of Brooklyn, and much more.
Historic Trolley Tours
Green-Wood Cemetery 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY, United StatesExperience the most magnificent and historic 478 acres in New York City. Join our expert tour guides to hear fascinating stories of Green-Wood’s permanent residents, see breathtaking views of Manhattan, tread where George Washington and his troops fought the Battle of Brooklyn, and much more.
Designs to Die For: Nineteenth-Century Trends and Fads
This trolley tour explores the design trends of Green-Wood’s distinctive architecture, including styles ranging from Neo-Classical to Egyptian Revival and from Art Deco to Art Nouveau. Learn how, through thoughtful conservation, these designs will endure through generations. This tour will be led by tour guide LJ Lindhurst and Green-Wood’s Manager of Restoration and Preservation, Neela Wickremesinghe.
Dead Distillers Trolley Tour
Green-Wood is teaming up with our friends at Kings County Distillery to delve into the storied past of distilling in Brooklyn. The afternoon kicks off with a trolley tour of the cemetery’s “permanent residents” with whiskey connections, including the one and only casualty of the Brooklyn Whiskey Wars of the late 1860s and early 1870s. Afterward, the trolley will head to Kings County Distillery in the Brooklyn Navy Yard where visitors will see first-hand how whiskey is made and enjoy a tasting of four delectable varieties.
Green-Wood’s public programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, as well as the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
