New York Like a Native
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Cobble Hill & Carroll Gardens tour (+ Gowanus)


Shopping, food, row-house streets, historic architecture, Italian flavor, a new restaurant row, and charm in the shadow of Downtown Brooklyn.

Brooklyn tour: houses in Carroll Gardens have deep front gardensCarroll Gardens, Brooklyn
Two row-house neighborhoods below Brooklyn Heights deserve attention in the same tour.  After all, they were both once part of the vast undifferentiated mass once known as South Brooklyn. Indeed, if you look closely at the bank that has now become Trader Joe's, you'll see signage indicating South Brooklyn Savings Bank.

We walk down the major shopping streets (Smith Street, the new Brooklyn's first restaurant row, and Court Street), a look at the gardens that gave Carroll Gardens its name, and the opportunity to stop in some unusual shops and traditional bakeries, signs of the extant Italian-American influence.


The neighborhoods include some classic churches, a church turned synagogue and a multiple churches converted into housing, two historic districts, some progressively innovative housing for the working class, and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE), which cut a huge gash in the district.

We can dip into the small, mostly residential Boerum Hill and see one of Brooklyn's most delightful art projects.

​We can extend the route into the historically industrial area of Gowanus, which is going through significant change, with new housing, restaurants, and night life, all in the orbit--amazingly--of a Superfund site!


This walk includes many options for snacking and/or lunch, including coffee, baked goods, pizza, tacos, and more. There's also great dessert, including multiple ice cream options.

Beyond the new cafes and restaurants, there are some classic outlets reflecting the longstanding Italian-American community. Also, rents have risen so much that some in the first wave of gentrifying businesses in Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens are gone.

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 Distance from Midtown Manhattan: 20-30 minutes by subway

​Basic tour length: 2.5 hours (see fees)

Starting place: Varies, but typically near Bergen Street/Smith Street or Carroll Street/Smith Street (F/G train)

Ending place: Varies!

Highlights: History, architecture, shopping, neighborhood charm

Before tour: Visit Brooklyn Heights or Transit Museum

During/after tour: numerous options to snack


Potential tour extensions with me: Brooklyn Heights & Bridge, Brooklyn 101, DUMBO, Atlantic Avenue & Downtown Brooklyn, Red Hook
​

Why I like leading this tour: A junior cousin to Brooklyn Heights, it has more variety: some spectacular blocks, intriguing shopping, and a surprising number of churches turned into apartments
New York Like A Native: Energetic, eclectic tours of Brooklyn & beyond. Experienced guide. Personal service.
  • Home
    • Brooklyn 101 tour >
      • Brooklyn 202 tour
  • Brooklyn tours
    • North & west of Prospect Park >
      • Fort Greene & Clinton Hill tour
      • DUMBO, Fulton Ferry, Brooklyn Heights tour
      • Park Slope tour
      • Brooklyn Bridge (and more) tour
      • Atlantic Avenue & Downtown Brooklyn
      • Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens tour
      • Red Hook tour
    • Williamsburg & north Brooklyn >
      • Williamsburg tour
      • Greenpoint tour
      • Bushwick and East Williamsburg tour
    • Central Brooklyn >
      • Bedford-Stuyvesant tour
      • Crown Heights tour
      • (Not Just) Victorian Flatbush tour
      • Green-Wood Cemetery tour
    • Coney Island and southern Brooklyn >
      • Coney Island Webinar, Virtual Tour, & Resources
      • Coney Island (& Brighton Beach) tour
      • Sunset Park tour
      • Bensonhurst tour
      • Bay Ridge tour
    • Jewish, food, and Xmas lights tours >
      • Jewish Neighborhood Tours
      • Food, dessert, ice cream tours
      • Dyker Heights Christmas Lights tour
    • Moving to Brooklyn/layover tours >
      • Moving to/Studying in/Retiring in Brooklyn
      • Airport/Cruise/Layover tours in Brooklyn
    • Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park/Barclays Center
  • Beyond Brooklyn
    • Jackson Heights tour
    • Lower East Side tour
    • Long Island City tour
    • Ridgewood tour
    • Sunnyside & LIC East
  • About your guide
  • Fees/Schedule/FAQ
    • Fees for private tours
    • Schedule
    • FAQ
    • Vehicle and custom tours
    • Tours for classes
    • Resources on Brooklyn
    • How to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
  • Contact me/Book
  • Blog