Green-Wood Cemetery tour
Brooklyn's verdant, peaceful, history-drenched pastoral cemetery is well worth a visit.
 Entrance to Green-Wood
Before Central Park and Prospect Park, there was Green-Wood Cemetery, aka Greenwood Cemetery. (Precursurs to Green-Wood, modeled on English pastoral cemeteries, were Mt. Auburn in Cambridge, Mass. and Laurel Hill in Phildelphia. But Green-Wood is nearly twice as large, in area, as the two combined.) Please note that this walk includes hills and steps, which can be taxing. We can rest, but please recognize it's not a stroll! Beyond the roadways, it also requires walking up some grassy slopes and traversing some gravel paths. So that requires some level of surefootedness. Even light rain would leave grasses slick, so I recommend a dry day. Green-Wood is a glorious, 478-acre parcel of green in the center of Brooklyn, a huge 19th-century tourist attraction: a non-denominational cemetery that served as place to gather and now holds 600,000-plus souls. As Green-Wood historian Jeff Richman likes to say, "Come visit while you still can leave." Here's a great video, from BRIC TV, about Green-Wood, explaining how Green-Wood combines park, botanic garden, and museum, while continuing to bury the dead and serve to honor our forebears. The setting is spectacular, with both great views and marvelous vistas. We could spend the entire day walking around. We could easily walk 2-2.5+ hours, if you're up for it. Also, we could add 1 hour (or 1.5 hours) of highlights, to another tour. We also could use a vehicle (mini-bus or smaller) to cut down on walking. (With a group, that requires permission from the cemetery.) Why tour with me? Green-Wood--and I'm a proud member--offers its own walking and trolley tours, among other programs, and they are well worth it. But I can lead a visit to the cemetery on a more flexible schedule. Of course, you can also go on your own--they give out free maps--and have a lovely time on a nice day. But a tour can deliver far more concentrated insight, especially since some of the more arresting tombs and statuary are not necessarily home to the most famous people. (Also, the most famous people are scattered far afield, so not simple to see on a single walking tour.) Also, because Green-Wood is near the 25th Street stop on the R train, as well as the Sunset Park neighborhood to the south, we can connect to several other neighborhoods in a relatively short time. I've visited Green-Wood periodically over many years, but not until the pandemic, when the cemetery managers thoughtfully opened all gates every day, was I able to explore on a regular basis. Since then, I've gradually built up more knowledge and understanding, and am very enthusiastic to walk around with you. There are monuments to important pieces of Brooklyn (and national) history, such as the Battle of Brooklyn, the first battle of the American Revolutionary War. Green-Wood also is the resting place for notable New Yorkers from DeWitt Clinton (key to the cemetery's success) to Peter Cooper to Leonard Bernstein. See some of the photos below. The statuary and architectural styles send messages from previous generations about mourning and death. The inventive designs and heartfelt statements are accentuated by the clean air, relative quiet (though summer grass-cutting can get loud), and Green-Wood's topography, with the highest point in Brooklyn. |
Distance from Midtown Manhattan: 30+ minutes by subway
Cost: see fees here Basic tour length: 1-2.5+ hours, potentially combined with other neighborhoods (see fees) Starting place: Typically near R train at 25th Street or just inside the cemetery gate (or we travel together). However, we can enter at another gate. Ending place: We probably leave together, either back through the main entrance or out through another exit Highlights: History, nature/trees, views, statuary/architecture Before tour: Another neighborhood. Then we take a subway or taxi to Green-Wood. Or start in nearby Sunset Park. After tour: Extend easily to nearby Sunset Park. Or take public transit or taxi another neighborhood. Potential tour extensions with me: Brooklyn 101, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens. DUMBO/Brooklyn Heights Why I like leading this tour: It's one of the best places in Brooklyn. Unlike parks, the cemetery has no picnicking, dogs, sports, kids playing, music, or bicycles. The air is clean. The birds chirp. The atmosphere is peaceful and contemplative. |