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. Copies of our new Bird Checklist will be available to all tour participants. Comfortable footwear is recommended.
(Sold Out) 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.
Death and Dying in the LGBTQ Community
Green-Wood Cemetery 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY, United StatesJoin death educator Amy Cunningham, trust and estate attorney Michael Bond, Esq., funeral celebrant Donna Henes, and Teresa Theophano, Assistant Director of Care Management Services at SAGE, the advocacy group for LGBTQ elders, in a conversation about death, dying, and funeral rituals in the LGBTQ community. Panelists will explore a range of topics, including historic precedents (among them the discovery of a same sex couple's tomb in ancient Egypt), the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the rise of alternative bereavement, and the creation of non-traditional families when many churches and families of LGBTQ people turned their backs on - or failed to recognize - their LGBTQ members. Attendees will also learn about vital end-of-life related planning materials.
Jazz at Twilight
Celebrate summer at Green-Wood! Arrive just before the sun begins to dip below the horizon to enjoy sweeping views of the cemetery, New York Harbor, and downtown Manhattan awash in dazzling golden light. Then sit back and enjoy tunes from some of the best jazz bands in New York City as they play you into the night. Bring a blanket, pack a picnic, and take in the ambience of Green-Wood’s magnificent landscape at sunset.
Morbid Anatomy Summer Garden Party
As summer comes into full swing, it is time to bid adieu to Morbid Anatomy's exhibition The Power of Images: Life, Death, and Rebirth. Join us to celebrate the successful run of this exhibition with a festive garden party that includes an opportunity to meet Morbid Anatomy's creators Joanna Ebenstein and Laetitia Barbier, as well as artists and collectors who contributed to the show. Enjoy great conversation, music, complimentary refreshments, and, if you would like to join, a short walking tour of Green-Wood.
Twilight Tour
There are few places more atmospheric than a cemetery at dusk - and Green-Wood is top notch when it comes to beauty and atmosphere. As the sun sets on 478 spectacular acres, you'll weave through stunning landscapes and visit the graves of fascinating figures in New York and American history. This not-to-be-missed walking tour ends with a visit to the Catacombs, which are normally closed to the public.
Moonlight Tours
Join other fearless trekkers to explore Green-Wood’s intriguing tombstones and unforgettable catacombs under the glow of the full moon. Historian Jeff Richman leads these immensely popular walking tours, which begin at sunset and are accompanied by the ethereal and atmospheric sounds of live accordion music. Buy your tickets soon; these tours always sell out.
Architecture at Green-Wood
Green-Wood is home to a spectacular collection of nineteenth-century architectural gems by some of the most renowned architects in American history: James Renwick (St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Smithsonian Institution Building), Jacob Wrey Mould (Belvedere Castle in Central Park), Gamaliel King (Brooklyn Borough Hall). This trolley tour will explore a remarkable array of monuments and mausoleums by Green-Wood’s “architects in permanent residence” who have transformed the landscape of Green-Wood and New York City.
Secrets in Stone
There is a secret language at Green-Wood that’s etched upon the monuments: cemetery symbology. Learn the meaning of the inverted torch, bales of wheat, and an hourglass with wins, along with those that are a bit more difficult to decipher. This eye-opening walking tour will showcase the meaning of these eternal, but sometimes cryptic, images.
Twilight Tour
There are few places more atmospheric than a cemetery at dusk - and Green-Wood is top notch when it comes to beauty and atmosphere. As the sun sets on 478 spectacular acres, you'll weave through stunning landscapes and visit the graves of fascinating figures in New York and American history. This not-to-be-missed walking tour ends with a visit to the Catacombs, which are normally closed to the public.
Twilight Tour
There are few places more atmospheric than a cemetery at dusk - and Green-Wood is top notch when it comes to beauty and atmosphere. As the sun sets on 478 spectacular acres, you'll weave through stunning landscapes and visit the graves of fascinating figures in New York and American history. This not-to-be-missed walking tour ends with a visit to the Catacombs, which are normally closed to the public.
Twilight Tour Part Two
Have you been on Green-Wood's popular Twilight Tour and want to explore more? Or have you just always been curious to experience the Cemetery after the gates close to the public? Here's your big chance! As the sun fades over the horizon, go beyond Battle Hill and the Catacombs to discover the other side of Green-Wood. Stroll alongside our two biggest glacial ponds. See the monuments to Indian Princess Do Hum Me and Charles Calverley's bas-relief portrait of four year-old George Cuyler ("Precious Georgie"). Learn about Emma Cunningham's sensational trial for the murder of Harvey Burdell in 1857 and the 1854 sinking of the S.S. Arctic, among other fascinating tales.
Film Screening: New York Non-Fiction (Short Films)
Green-Wood Cemetery 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY, United StatesIn 1886, The New York Times reported that "It is the ambition of the New Yorker to live upon Fifth Avenue, to take his airings in the Park, and to sleep with his fathers in Green-Wood." On this night, among the fathers and mothers resting in Green-Wood, we celebrate New Yorkers, all New Yorkers. From the neighborhood veterans, creepy craigslist roommates, and preachers on the corner, to the weirdos wantonly disrupting traffic, the activists fighting gentrification, and the people who just gentrified your neighborhood, this is a night of stories about you and the other 8.5 million people who live in this city. Whether they are liberated by their creativity or imprisoned by government contractors, the protagonists of these short films are real and they are your neighbors. Come, grab a slice, and hang out with your city.
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.
