If you want to get a ground-level, first-person experience of Brooklyn, you can’t beat a walking tour. Whether you’re keen to check out the widows’ walks and historic churches of Brooklyn Heights or get the grisly Halloween lowdown on Green-Wood Cemetery, you should definitely put on your walking shoes and try some of these tours.
Made in Brooklyn (Williamsburg) schedules tours in Bensonhurst, Dumbo, Red Hook, and Williamsburg. You can also request a tour for a specific date and time using their online customer portal. Reviewers say Made in Brooklyn owner and guide Dom Gervasi “gave them a better understanding of the neighborhood, local artisans and a new appreciation of ‘hipsterville.’”
Photo of Made in Brooklyn courtesy of Dom G. via Yelp.
Classic Fort Greene | Big Onion Walking Tours via Facebook
Big Onion Walking Tours (Park Slope)
Although Big Onion schedules tours throughout NYC, its Brooklyn Bridge and Heights tour wins high praise from patrons. The tour crosses the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan, recounting the dramatic story of how it was built. It then traverses the tree-lined streets of the Heights, exploring that district’s rich architectural, social and literary history.
Brooklyn Unplugged Tours (Greenpoint)
Brooklyn Unplugged is a boutique sightseeing tour service that offers the sights, culture, and neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Tours include the Best of Brooklyn Tour and the Graffiti and Street Art Tour. They also put together custom personalized excursions for customers.
Green-Wood Cemetery monument | Andrea J. via Yelp
Boroughs of the Dead Walking Tours (Sunset Park)
This company specializes in macabre walking tours of New York City and offers them in all five boroughs. In Brooklyn, the tours include Brooklyn Heights, which includes H.P. Lovecraft’s former home, the site of a “ghost-haunted” fort, the “Gate to Hell,” and more. They also offer a separate tour through Sunset Park’s Green-Wood, showcasing the hidden secrets of New York’s foremost Victorian cemetery.
Free Tours by Foot via Facebook
Free Tours by Foot (DUMBO)
The Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO tour offered by Free Tours by Foot is three hours long and begins with a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. It then moves on to Brooklyn Heights, explores DUMBO, and ends at the Fulton Ferry landing. The company’s Williamsburg tour explores one of New York’s hottest neighborhoods in flux, introducing guests to the art, the restaurants, the watering holes, and most importantly, the people of Williamsburg.