Hear from an author and map designer who has been creating maps of the NYC subway, officially and unofficially, for over forty years!
A new street art hotspot has some unconventional holiday decorations!
From giant menorah lightings to New Year's Day hikes, check out our picks for how to spend the holidays in NYC!
We can’t wait to get out and explore New York City with you on our upcoming walking tours. In celebration of our returning in-person experiences, which include many new offerings, Untapped New York has dropped the cost for private tours by 50%! Now at just $175 per private tour, it is the best deal for a group of five guests. Private tours are exclusive to you and whoever you choose to invite. In addition to limiting your exposure to strangers, private tours will adhere to all of our new health and safety measures to ensure everyone has the most enjoyable and safe experience.
Untapped New York Insiders will save an additional 15% on our new reduced private tour price. Just email tours@untappedcities.com to book your experience. We are also offering Insiders 2 for 1 tickets for our public tours for a limited time (check your email for code). Check out a selection of our private tour offerings below and fill out your request form:
The North End of Central Park has a mystique all its own because it’s so far removed from the more heavily-visited southern sections of the park. Join us on a walk through woods reminiscent of the Adirondacks and discover how this landscape was shaped by the geology of the area. We will discuss events that occurred nearby spanning three centuries. Locate where encampments from two wars were situated and, during a third, the site of the former convent where injured soldiers were treated. We will learn about the surprising history of the Block House, a War of 1812 Fort predating the Park. Also discover a remnant from one of the grandest mansions to have ever existed in New York City which leads into the spectacular Conservatory Garden which we will explore as well.
Discover the spectacular mansions and history of this unique Brooklyn neighborhood. Flatbush is a neighborhood that best encapsulates the full history of Brooklyn — from its 17th-century Dutch colonial history to 19th-century residential growth to a population boom of working-class immigrant communities in the 20th century. Untapped New York tour guide Jeremy Wilcox will explore this progression and show you how centuries of history are preserved within a small area. You will also see part of Flatbush’s greatest treasure: its spectacular mansions (including the Japanese House) developed at the end of the 19th-century by developers looking to break away from the Brooklyn brownstone mold. Several small historic districts, mansions, and church grounds dating back to 1654 are some of the highlights you will see on this unique tour.
Explore the fascinating history of this island at the southern tip of Manhattan while uncovering many of its secrets! The history of Governors Island spans from the days of early European explorers, through Dutch colonial times and the twentieth century to the present day. The extensive military history of the site will be revealed while visiting the National Monument, Fort Jay, Nolan Park, and the former houses of commanding officers along with Castle Williams which was built as a fort for the war of 1812 and also served as a Confederate prison.
Take the flower-lined paths built by the Trust for Governors Island on your way to the Hills, passing by playgrounds and hammocks while in a lush natural setting right next to the greatest city in the world. The hills were created from the landfill of demolished military housing and offer some of the best views of Manhattan, of the Statue of Liberty, and are the perfect place to reflect on the past, present, and future of Governors Island.
Discover the surprising history of coffee in New York City while exploring Greenwich Village, its iconic birthplace. On this unique walking tour we will learn how New York and coffee go hand-in-hand both in cultural and economic development. We will hear the story of one of the most successful coffee entrepreneurs of the early 20th century, who’s first shop was in Grand Central and who was a woman!
In between sampling coffee at some of the retailers that popularized America’s favorite beverage, you’ll get a crash course in coffee history from its ancient discovery in Africa to its sustainable farming movements of the past few years. We will also highlight many of Greenwich Village’s hidden historical gems, like the Minetta Brook, and explain their connection to coffee. By the end of this experience you will have tasted: an espresso, a drip coffee, chocolate covered coffee beans and a cappuccino… so you will be caffeinated!
Didn’t make it to the 1939/40 or 1964/65 World’s Fairs? Well here’s your chance! Explore the many remnants of the World’s Fairs in today’s Flushing Meadows-Corona Park including time capsules, Andy Warhol mosaics and more! Flushing Meadows-Corona Park has lived many lives from marshy tidal wetlands to an early 20th Century ash dump, to the site of not one, but two World’s Fairs. This Flushing Meadows tour explores the past, present, and future of this 900-acre park which was an obsession of the late “Master Builder,” Robert Moses. Join Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer Justin Rivers as he leads you on a journey through Flushing Meadows’ many unnoticed treasures.
Explore the park’s highlights, learn about its design, hear stories of intriguing happenings in the park, and uncover its secrets.
ProspectPark, the pastoral oasis in the heart of Brooklyn, has been called a “masterpiece.” Created by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux (designers of Central Park), it is a sprawling haven of meadows, woods, and water. On this Prospect Park walking tour, we’ll explore the park’s highlights, learn about its design, hear stories of intriguing happenings in the park, and uncover its secrets.
Join Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer, Justin Rivers, on a tour that moves through the past, present, and future of “America’s Playground”. See firsthand why Coney Island was the birthplace of American amusement culture by hosting America’s first amusement park, roller coaster, and hot dog. Experience what Coney Island was like at the height of its mid-century popularity by examining the footprints of the famed Elephant Hotel, Luna Park, Dreamland, and Steeplechase Park. Learn the secrets of iconic rides like the Cyclone, the Wonder Wheel and the famed B&B Carousel. The tour ends at Nathan’s Famous!
Acre for acre there is more history in FiDi than anywhere else in the country and most of is buried under strata of infrastructure or hidden in plain sight. From the spot where American government and capitalism once lived across the street from each other, to some of the buried secrets of NYC’s past and present, this Wall Street tour goes digging through the layers of history that helped to define not only New York City, but the entire country.
On this tour you will discover Wall Street’s turbulent history still visible today, trace the nearly hidden footprint of an old Dutch wall, see exactly where Washington stood when he was inaugurated, decode the most cryptic gravestone in Trinity Churchyard, pay a visit to Alexander Hamilton and his wife, touch one of the oldest standing structures in lower Manhattan, unearth a chunk of the old 18th century Battery wall buried in the subway system, step into a 19th century candy store hidden in the basement of an office building, and discover the site of NYC’s long-standing slave market.
Discover why lower Manhattan is often considered like one of the world’s largest open-air Art gallery. On this unique walking tour you will admire artworks from renowned artists from the 19th and 20th centuries including: Keith Haring, Jean Dubuffet, Isamu Noguchi, Daniel Chester French and many more. You will discover the surprising and sometimes controversial stories behind over a dozen statues, sculptures, paintings… and even a garden.
Walk down Broadway and then meander through Battery Park as you discover tens of art installations along the way. Deconstruct the image of each piece of art, discuss what is known about it and share your reactions. Sample art not only from different eras but also art that has different purposes: propaganda, place-making, reflection, honoring an ideal or group, whimsy, and more.
Discover the many hidden Dutch relics south of Wall Street, as you trace the streets of Manhattan in 1667. where New York began and see what is left of Dutch New Amsterdam in today’s lower Manhattan! In this small group walking tour, you’ll hear about New York’s founding myths and facts while standing in the very spots where they all happened. With New York City’s first map in hand you will trace the streets of Manhattan in 1667 while discovering the many hidden Dutch relics south of Wall Street.
Physically touch history as you spend time finding out how Bowling Green got its name and why it’s been so important in our city’s history! Among the many relics you will experience on this tour are the foundations of New York City’s first City Hall (which was also a tavern!), the long forgotten oyster pasty cannon, the original battery wall and so much more! This New Amsterdam tour is led by an expert guide from the Untapped New York team.
Did you know there is a hidden tennis court inside Grand Central Terminal? Or that its ceiling is backwards? Discover the many secrets of this New York City icon! Close to a million people pass through Grand Central Terminal every day, yet very few know the many stories and secrets which you will learn on this tour. On this unique walking tour you will discover the origins and history of the Beaux Arts train station, from its glittering glory days to disrepair and modern quests to save it.
Our top rated tour guides will make you experience what most miss: its hidden features, design quirks, and much more. Whether you pass through it every day on your morning commute or stroll through the Grand Central for the first time, you are sure to leave having learned, seen, and experienced something new and extraordinary. This tour of Grand Central Terminal is great for history or architecture buffs alike.
See all our private tour offerings here! Fill out the form below to request your own private tour.
We’ll be adding more experiences, so stay tuned on our tours page for updates!
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