3. Museums

Weeksville Heritage Center

The Weeksville Heritage Center is another must-visit in Crown Heights, further off the main drags. Weeksville is one of the country’s first free black communities formed before the Civil War and is said to have been an important stop on the Underground Railroad. The center has historic homes and a cultural buildings, and has an ongoing diverse events series that includes performances, talks, youth volunteer initiatives, and gardening. Every second Saturday, visits to Weeksville are free which includes screenings of a documentary about Weeksville and tours inside the historic Hunterfly Road Houses.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum

There’s an urban surprise tucked away on the second floor of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum in Crown Heights, as interesting for adults like us as it is for piquing the curiosity of our city’s children. Alphabet City, an installation of black vinyl by Elizabeth Hamby on the walls of this level of the museum, shows the footprints of 61 NYCHA public housing developments in New York City. By placing them all together in this way and in the abstract, the viewer truly gets the sense of how affordable housing architecture has permeated our collective understanding of urban design.

The museum, designed by architect Rafael Viñoly (more famous today for the 57th Street skyscraper 432 Park, is a modern spot in an otherwise historical section of Crown Heights.