Tenement Museum image

Tenement Museum

Tourist attraction Museum History museum

One of the Most Reviewed History museums in New York


Address

103 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

Website

www.tenement.org

Contact

(877) 975-3786

Rating on Google Maps

4.50 (4.6K reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Wednesday: 10 AM to 6 PM
  • Thursday: 10 AM to 6 PM
  • Friday: 10 AM to 6 PM
  • Saturday: 10 AM to 6 PM
  • Sunday: (Easter), 10 AM to 6 PM, Hours might differ
  • Monday: 10 AM to 6 PM
  • Tuesday: 10 AM to 6 PM

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: tour (119) history (43) tours (43) museum (36) guide (34) interesting (31) family (26) recommend (23) tenement (21) great (20)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Kate S. 2 years ago on Google
    Well worth doing along with visiting Ellis island for the immigrant history experience. I did the Hard Times 1880’s tour about two German families since my ancestors came from Germany in the 1800’s. The guide Kyle was excellent. Tour is about one hour and seating is provided during the times the guide gives his talks. You have to walk up and down narrow stairs if that matters. Bathrooms and a nice gift shop in the visitors center. I recommend buying tickets in advance as many time slots were fully booked when I checked in. Need to show ID and vaccination card (or photo of it) in order to go inside the museum at the moment.
    18 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Lyl R. 4 months ago on Google • 386 reviews
    A must do in the lower East side. I’ve been wanting to visit for a couple of years - always sold out! I can’t buy in advance but suggest you do so you aren’t turned away. Well today was my lucky day because I got a ticket for the Tenement Women 1902 tour. I’m sure they’re all outstanding. Our guide, Penny, was wonderful. It’s very cool to have a look back at the (not so distant) past. The tour included lots of extra details in the story of one real life family along with great pictures & artifacts. An hour well spent. I’d like to do them all. What a fantastic thing to keepsake such interesting history. Nice job!!
    7 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Doug Decker D. 1 year ago on Google
    Extremely interesting museum. Tour was fascinating and going through the old tenement building dynamite. Very good bookstore and the movie that runs on a loop was very interesting. Would’ve given five stars except the staff working there were kind of snippety and they didn’t allow any photographs in the tenement building tour. Why? I have no idea!
    10 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ingrid H. 3 months ago on Google • 233 reviews New
    This was our first, and hopefully not last, tour at the Tenement Museum. We chose the 'Under One Roof' tour and it was fascinating. It followed the stories of two families and their previous home. Very incredible to be faced with the harsher realities of days gone by. The tenement building is a fascinating glipse into history.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Meghana S. 2 years ago on Google
    I was left wanting for more. And sadly not in a good way. It's maybe the particular tour I took called Finding Home that is about two families that stayed in this one home. It felt not that detailed or impactful or comprehensive. I'm sure there's a lot more story to unearth but this one tour doesn't feel too researched. The tours about the earlier decades - 20s to 40s may have more information. And I get that bringing customers to buy multiple tour tickets is the point. However if you're visiting new York for a short trip and visiting the tenement museum, check out the tours that cover the earlier decades where they do show you around the neighborhood, the homes in detail, lives in the day of.. This one feels meh.
    9 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Danielle “MrsCardone” C. 1 year ago on Google
    Date of visit Dec 2022. Being fascinated with all things Victorian/old and the history of tenement life, this was a must-see for my 3rd trip back to NYC. The check-in point for all tours is a store, which has lots of items for sale and even a little cinema room (constantly showing info of all the buildings they operate and local history) which was handy to rest our tired legs while waiting for our tour to start. Our guide was fantastic. She was extremely knowledgeable and inclusive. I personally loved the old Tenement itself (we booked for the Jewish Taylor family), which is lovingly preseved. You get a real sense of what life was like in that period of time. There are a couple of flights of stairs to climb, but apart from that, it was an amazing experience. Highly recommend.
    8 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Misty D. 8 months ago on Google
    Learning how others (immigrants) lived in the city long ago and what their lives were like then is very educational! You are immersed in the apartments inside tenements, so you have a great idea of what the living conditions were like. It seems as though the tours are a little hurried as they renovate the other building. The first time we did a tour, about five years ago, much more time was spent telling the stories and was a lot more interactive with an interactive room at the end. Still, it's very eye opening and a very good place to visit and tour! Go!
    7 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Youngjin L. 1 year ago on Google
    They recreated the rooms with only few items that actually belonged to the family. And there are not much to be amazed by from the recreated rooms. The tour is mostly about the immigrant's life, how they struggled, which is nothing new. For a story about a random immigrant family that I dont know, 60-75 min is quite long and boring. The staff and the guide were nice though.
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Claire A. 2 years ago on Google
    Fabulous museum. We went on 5 tours over 3 days, every member of staff (we did tours with Ruth, Louise,David, Grace and a lovely lady on the outside Black Spaces tour on 12/30 who's name I have enbrassingly forgotten ) was brilliant and a credit to the Museum providing interesting insight both into the building and wider society and the individual stories of the tenant families. Safety precautions were actively (and pleasantly!) encouraged(masks, social distancing where possible, building was ventilated/had purifier running). Would recommend to anyone with an interest in history or just looking for something different from the big tourist attractions elsewhere in NYC. We will definitely be back for the tours we couldn't fit in this trip.
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Wandering E. 1 year ago on Google
    1933 tour. Very knowledgeable guide but felt very disappointed in the temporary recreation of the tenement. A couple of Examples (relative to original photos) include Sink fixed on wall with no taps, screws visible, fixed too low; gas meter in wrong place, no pipes on wall, Bed not assembled. Following tour leader harassing to come in (despite fact we were late in). Appreciate the work they are doing but the recreation was very disappointing.
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Poonie T. 1 year ago on Google
    There are many tours offered. You just need to read the description. The tour guide is very informative. Only thing is I feel I wanted to see more in one hours. So far we could see only one room per tour I guess. A but of lecture style tour but very good if you are into history. If you are interested in the history of immigration this is a must.
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Donald M. 2 years ago on Google
    The museum is set up for guided tours only. Absolutely worth the visit. Tour includes some sites in the neighborhood. They have quite the museum shop. A unique way to get a view of immigrant history from the late 1800's to about 1940.
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ashlyn S. 1 year ago on Google
    I did the 100 Years Apart tour about Mrs. Wang from China and Natalie from Prussia. The tour guide was kind and knowledgeable and really brought the history to life; I think I could have listened to them for hours. The apartment, factory, and props/materials handed around were really neat. It was $30 and I was able to make a reservation the day of the tour, although I would recommend doing that earlier if you need more time options. There’s stairs and an elevator to access some, but not all, of their tours. There’s lockers and gendered restrooms with multiple stalls on the lower level. There’s a gift shop with excellent book, art, and gift options. I’m so excited to read the book that I got!
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Haziq F. 2 months ago on Google • 159 reviews New
    It's guided tour only, and almost always sold out, so get tickets in advance. Regardless, it's a great museum, the unique preservation of a tenement building and period-correct item really add the vibe to the tour. It also helps that the museum staff was super enthusiastic. NYC has always been immigrant entrance point and the museum really shows their struggle to be "American".
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 sara l. 4 months ago on Google • 12 reviews
    Great concept, great location and huge gift shop with NYC focused souvenirs. I did the 100 years apart tour which was fascinating. A weird curatorial decision was made to turn the 1986 living quarters into a factory though. I would have preferred to see the apartment as it was in 1986 as that was the basis of the tour. There was an emotional quotient to this tour that was unexpected and the group rallied to share their own experiences of migration and living in foreign lands.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Hanan B. 10 months ago on Google
    Very recommended for history stories lovers. There are a few kinds of tours. In the one I chose, the museum describes in an interesting way the story of two immigrant families who came to New York from Germany and China.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Natalia S. 2 years ago on Google
    Hidden treasure!!! HIDDEN GEM!!! Don’t miss this opportunity!! MUST DO if you are in the area! Tours are given by professionals actively researching the topics! You are walking into a time capsule! They also have virtual tours and programs! If you can get a membership!!!! You will learn so much!!! I have done multiple tours and I keep going back!! (Addicting) Now I am even doing their virtual tours!!!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Nathanael S. 2 years ago on Google
    We had an amazing experience - this is so much more than a museum, it's an immersion into a different world and place. Our educator Zina brought the 1880s to life for us, with a natural flair for storytelling and endless patience for my questions. They were a delight from start to finish, and I was moved by the way they made it about more than just history, but about how we shape our communities today. This museum feels like something rare and unique and I'd recommend it to everyone.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Mingxuan S. 1 year ago on Google
    Such an interesting museum with multiple tours to know more about the past residency of this city. Definitely recommend!!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Omar A. 1 year ago on Google
    Amazing place to visit, the did a great job, a lot story of History. I highly recommend if you interested about the immigrants history, especially Italian Immigrants.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Lauren 2 years ago on Google
    We visited this museum based off of a recommendation from one of my colleagues. She mentioned that there are so many interesting tours and that the museum gift shop was one of the best she’s ever visited. We felt the same way after visiting. We selected the tour about Tenement Women in 1902, and it was so interesting to walk through the building from their perspective. Grounding the tour from two specific families was so interesting and made it quite memorable. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and passionate, and we were able to ask several questions (which actually led to a slightly longer tour!). I cannot wait to visit again! This museum was one of the view places we visited in NYC that confirmed full vaccination status and enforced the mask policy, which made us feel much more comfortable. Thank you!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Margaux K. 1 year ago on Google
    Wonderful experience! We chose the “Finding Home” tour and we were lucky enough to be only my family and I with the guide (amazing by the way, shout-out to you Stefania!) The experience is super interesting and well thought out: by listening to the character’s story each tour is about, we travel in time and learn about an entire community’s evolution = NYC immigration history. I highly recommend visiting the Tenement Museum! The bookshop is amazing too :)
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 A.E. S. 10 months ago on Google
    Super interesting and informative museum for anyone interested in housing and/or the lower east side of NYC. We did both the city walk and the tenement apartment tour. Our tour guide Lucy really knows a lot about the neighborhood and it’s history and she took all the time to answer any questions we had. The museum also has a great shop with tons of interesting books to purchase (as well as very cool souvenirs) on a variety of topics relating to housing. Highly recommend visiting this museum
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 MJG 1 year ago on Google
    We came here in July 2022 for a tour, and it was amazing. Our tour guide was great, forget her name, but she's originally from Texas. She was very informative and engaging with everyone in the tour. I expected the building to be hot, but to our surprise, they retrofitted it with air conditioning so it was very comfortable. We did the "Finding Home" tour which was like 1940's into the 60's apartment tour and history of the families that lived in it. Learned a lot that day. Highly recommend doing a tour or two while in NYC. They also have a fantastic gift shop at the Tenement Museum. Attached a photo of a cool old school map of NYC that I was searching for and found a beauty one there. Can't wait to get that framed up. Highhly recommend visiting here when in NYC. 5/5 Follow me for more reviews and travel tips.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Sonja R. 1 year ago on Google
    I cannot say enough good things about this place! The reconstructed spaces and knowledgeable and passionate staff really brought history to life in a unique and tangible way. I loved it so much that I returned for the second tour. I hope other places in the world use this as a model. What a treasure!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Ryan H. 1 year ago on Google
    We visited the tenement museum on a Sunday afternoon and it had been recommended by friends. I have to say I was expecting a bit more. We did the 100 years apart tour and whilst the tour guide/educator was excellent and knowledgeable. The actual tenement was underwhelming. We visited 2 tenements, the first tenement was a recreation of another a few buildings down which was a little disappointing. I thought the whole point of it was that it was the exact same tenement. The background of the Prussian family from the educator was interesting. The second tenement was one of which a chinese family had lived in the 70’s. Less interesting for me but perhaps I’m more interested in the early NYC immigrants. Maybe it was the tour or perhaps the lack of rooms we saw but it didn’t really live up to the recommendation.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Nancy W. 1 year ago on Google
    There are several tours offered and we selected the 100 Years Apart which followed two families 100 years apart. It was fascinating and very informative. Our guide was enthusiastic which made the tour even more fantastic. The interactive sewing room exhibit in the Wong part of the tour was one of the best I have ever experienced. Only wished we had more time to do all the stations. This was the 2nd tour for most of our group having done the Italian family one last summer. Highly recommend and can't wait to go back and do another.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Steve K. 1 year ago on Google
    We went on one of the six or so tours offered by the Tenement Museum. After about 5 minutes of the tour, I was ready to leave. Soooooo boring. The guide was not all that engaging but she was dealing with boring content. I am not sure Chris Rock could have made the tour interesting. Do not waste your money on tours at this museum. They should just convert the old tenements to renovated apartments that could be rented out. Huge waste of time and money. Maybe the other tours are more interesting…. We will never know.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ana K. 7 months ago on Google
    This museum was a lot of fun. It was nice to see life for those who came to New York way way before and how life looked like for them. They have a lot of renovations right now so some of the floors were closed. My only complaint is that some of the tour guys spoke as if we were a group of school children. Still i really really enjoyed the history and education.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 beth jackson m. 1 month ago on Google • 79 reviews New
    Very interesting tour- we did the Family Owned Tour. I learned so much. Our guide Victor was very informative and friendly. We will be back to do a different tour soon!

  • 5/5 Juanita M. 3 months ago on Google • 17 reviews New
    I would have loved to join multiple tours all in one day! Our guide Kojo was excellent at sharing the historical, social/political and economic history that formed the backdrop to the ‘After the Famine’ tour I was on. The inside of the tenement buildings has been well taken care of and the ‘raw state’ room before the renovations of the 1990s was eye-opening! I’d love to see a discount option for booking multiple tours on the same day.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Tom H. 1 month ago on Google • 16 reviews New
    Not so much a single museum as a series of specialized tours, each with a different focus. We found it really interesting and educational. I would highly recommend.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Fran G. 1 year ago on Google
    So many tours available you may need a second trip to see them all. Very interesting, especially if you have family that lived in this area like I did. I was fascinated actually that a family of 7 could live like that.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Mike O. 11 months ago on Google
    If your a NYC history buff this is the place to be. You have to wear a mask and can buy tickets there or online.There are many different tours to choose from. You explore the life of a few different people/families and see a simulated Tenement of where they lived. I wish the tour explored the buildings and Tenement life a bit more, it was more the family history and what they experienced. The gift shop is really cool and staff were amazing.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 kathy 11 months ago on Google
    very interesting! had a fabulous tour guide, He was very extravagant and really led us through the door in an interesting way and kept the hour seem more fun for such a gruesome topic. definitely a must!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Elizabeth M. 2 years ago on Google
    I absolutely loved the Tenement Museum. It’s one of my favorite things I did in NYC. They have multiple different tours, each follow the story of one or two families that lived in the Tenements. I did the Building Home tour. I will definitely go back to take another tour.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Robert C. 2 years ago on Google
    We did the walking tour. It was good - tour guide was great. Just wish it was a little longer and more in depth …
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Patricia J. 2 years ago on Google
    Fantastic experience! I'd recommend to all, but if you have family history that goes through the Lower East Side this is a 100% must see attraction. The staff was superb and our guide, David, could answer any and every question, and his regular spiel was wonderful. The gift shop has a lot of wonderful things, including many amazing books. I did the 1911 A Day In The Life. In almost two hours David took us through one family's journey to through Ellis Island, into and then out of the Lower East Side for 50 years of immigrant history. You get to see and hear what life was like. The harships, the work, the assimilation, the centrality of family ties.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Jennifer W. 2 years ago on Google
    I went on the Day in the Life tour with my school age daughter. She is learning about immigration in school and I thought this would be a great supplement. Unfortunately we both were bored. The 75 minute tour lasted almost 90 minutes and there was very little to see. It was mostly a lecture. We saw one floor of the apartment.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Raquel 2 years ago on Google
    Nice experience, great books for sale. The walking tour was excellent, with a kind tour guide that shared history and knowledge.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ed P. 2 years ago on Google
    A really great, unique experience. Only offers admission via guided tours, which give you the history of actual families who lived in this building at various points in history. Different apartments have been restored to faithfully demonstrate how the families lived. Really amazing link to the past, great for fans of history, architecture, or the American immigrant experience. Takes about an hour.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ivan W. 1 year ago on Google
    The Tenement Museum is a must-do for you and your family! Learning about this immigrant history of NYC will add so to your visit to the city. There is no A/C in the Tenements, so just be aware. They have fans to keep you comfortable during the summer months.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jennie B. 3 months ago on Google • 9 reviews New
    I went to the museum with my friend who lived in NY. Neither of us had been before, we bought the tickets in the shop and picked the Finding Home tour after the staff member explained a few options, as we had 20min before our tour, we looked around the gift shop and watched some of the stories shown in the theatre. Our tour was led by Amy and it was accessible, though we were the youngest people on the tour, we had done so much walking already, we used the lift, we were taken up by another staff member and met the rest of our group at the apartment entrance. Amy was a great tour guide, engaging, very easy to understand and answered any questions we had. The stories were interesting and lovely to see original items as well as authentic replicas used in the space. Would definitely recommend the Tenement Museum and hope to go back and do a different tour on another visit!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Ben S. 1 year ago on Google
    Connecting to the past--New York City's and our (maybe your) family history. I did the Day in the Life 1911; viewed a restored tenement and an informative walking tour of the LES. Highly recommend this. Enjoyed the experience so I came back and did Finding Home which was also terrific. The tour guides are very good and well-informed. If you're to really get the most from your visit, I suggest making an effort to immerse in the storytelling and to engage with the tour--ask questions, share about yourself & your family history and where they're from. Allow yourself to be part of the story of these families by looking for points of connection. Discover how community and culture tethers migrants and immigrants to something enduring. Getting to know others on your tour may add to the experience, the sense of community in particular.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Shuan 7 months ago on Google
    Our tour guide Isaiah is such a good story teller. Even though English is not my first language, I had no problem understanding the content and context due to Isaiah’s clear explanation. I truly enjoy the one hour tour and I highly recommend it.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Michael A. 1 year ago on Google
    We took the Hard Times 1880 Tenement Tour which was about 1.5 hrs. long. I ended up mixing up our reservations and switching our times twice on the phone but they were very tolerant and helpful, and the staff at the location were great as well. Everything was well organized. The building and tour is just as billed: you get to walk through and see tenement rooms just as they were in the past on a guided tour. The guide was very knowledgeable and interactive. She took the approach of following the lives of 2 residents through their lives as we moved through the rooms of the building. Toward the end I was a little tired of hearing about them but that approach did provide a good way to organize the tour and provide a lot of information. All in all a good opportunity to be entertained with facts and stories about life in New York from the1860s on to modern times.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Joshua P. 3 months ago on Google • 38 reviews New
    Really cool venue and informative tour. The unique preservation of a tenement building with the re-creation of living spaces of real families is a novel way to share the story of the United States and NYC. Only downside… The tour I joined was sold out and uncomfortably crowded in the tiny spaces. I recommend decreasing the capacity for tours by at least two.

  • 5/5 Billy F. 2 months ago on Google • 16 reviews New
    This was a wonderful experience. I had a few hours to kill before catching the train out of town, but didn't want another art museum or something super "touristy." This place did not disappoint. I really enjoy american history and enjoy learning about my own family history as well, so this museum really hit a sweet spot for me. I especially enjoyed how we learned about the stories of real people, and got a chance to imagine the history of American immigrants through their stories. It really brought history to life for me. Extremely enjoyable. (side note: It's not great for kids that can't sit still and listen, but if your kids are thoughtful, attentive, and can sit still, I think it would be a great way to expose them to what life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was like for early immigrants.)

  • 5/5 Celia J. 3 weeks ago on Google • 12 reviews New
    We did two 60-min tours today: Outside the Home Walking Tour with Meredith and After the Famine 1869 with Ashley. Both tour guides were excellent! So knowledgeable, kind, and well spoken. We can’t wait to go back and do more tours. We learned so much!

  • 5/5 Cathy P. 4 months ago on Google
    We enjoyed learning about the history here. Meredith, our educator, was terrific on our tour about women who lived here. Super interesting. Would recommend.

  • 5/5 Susan R. 2 years ago on Google
    I loved attending this museum. You select various building or walking tours ahead of time and gain a hour history lesson of the life of immigrants in NYC. The tour group was small, not sure if this is due to covid distancing but I appreciated the intimate setting and conversation. I look forward to going back and attending different tours. Best $30 spent!

  • 4/5 debbi 2 years ago on Google
    Even for a 25 year seasoned New Yorker, it was cool to visit. I live in a tenement building so I get it. The tour was very informative. They offer many different tours. We did the tenement tour on orchard street. My friend (tourist) bought a bunch of things in the book shop. Very friendly guides

  • 4/5 Sid C. 2 years ago on Google
    This national park service unit is a building with a bookstore / visitor center on the first floor, which also has a place to show videos of the place. The upper floors are the original tenements at a couple of eras. They are accessible only with a tour, which can be (and should be) booked ahead of time. It's an interesting place to experience what it was like in the earlier days of Lower East Side, how people lived, and the artifacts.

  • 5/5 Jason G. 2 years ago on Google
    Fantastic experience! I'd recommend to all, but if you have family history that goes through the Lower East Side this is a 100% must see attraction. The staff was superb and our guide, David, could answer any and every question, and his regular spiel was wonderful. The gift shop has a lot of wonderful things, including many amazing books. I did the 1911 A Day In The Life. In almost two hours David took us through one family's journey to through Ellis Island, into and then out of the Lower East Side for 50 years of immigrant history. You get to see and hear what life was like. The harships, the work, the assimilation, the centrality of family ties. I would encourage TM visitors to go to Ellis Island first. You will get some overlap at both places that produces an excitement of feeling like your a research historian filling in the gaps. And if both visits describe your family history it really compounds one's ability to identify with and emotionally engage with what you'll learn. You can go to the top of the Empire State Building for $45 and get beautiful views that you have already seen in a million photos, or you can come to the Tenement Museum for $25 and really connect with NYC and some of it's most titillating history... possibly your own!

  • 4/5 Mark P. 2 years ago on Google
    Lots of different tours available in both the apartments and the neighborhood. Professionally produced and very educational. The only downside is they don't allow photography.

  • 5/5 Roxy B. 2 years ago on Google
    The walking tour I went on (Outside the Home) was fabulous. David the guide was so personable and knowledgeable and even was willing to talk about other people's histories, and give us recommendations for lunch! I learned quite a bit, and I'm excited to come back!

  • 5/5 Josh B. 2 years ago on Google
    The docents are incredible with the amount of information they have. I really enjoyed the tour we took. Definitely worthwhile and worth your time and money. That's tour we took was about women living in the tenements in the early 1900's.

  • 5/5 Alex B. 1 year ago on Google
    This is a fascinating look at how people lived, where they lived, and who they were in NYC during various periods including the sixties and seventies. The museum chronicles the social history of the neighbourhood and what forces shaped the lives of the people living there. It looks at successive waves of immigration and of most interest, the difficulties each wave faced and the amazing people that met the challenges head on and contributed so much to this great city and to the United States. Not to repeat what you can see on their website, but the various apartments and workspaces on display appear to be untouched from the times when people lived in them. The displays are explained by the very knowledgeable staff who conduct the tours. These tours, about half an hour long, are well worth it.

  • 5/5 Tighe F. 1 year ago on Google
    So interesting! Everything is so well done. A special shout out to Daniella who was welcoming and gracious even though we showed up late. Daniella took us through the lives of the 1880s family which was the subject of our tour in a very organic and natural way, and so informative, good, good, good!

  • 5/5 David S. 1 year ago on Google
    The guide was great and the restored interiors will make you think, ALOT. HIGHLY ENCOURAGE TO DO A TOUR!

  • 5/5 Carlos V. 4 months ago on Google
    Firstly, everything was so well organized and staff greeted us immediately and offered assistance. I selected the Finding Home tour with David as our guide. He delivered the stories within those walls as if we were all there in real time. The tour evoked a lot of my own experiences growing up. Seeing the apartments set up to support the history and stories within really made me glad I chose to visit. I will definitely return to check out the other tours available. Well worth the time for such a unique experience.

  • 5/5 Charmaine W. 11 months ago on Google
    Fantastic experience. I was back two days in a row, first for 100 Years Apart building tour (led by Sophie) and then the Buildings on the Lower East Side tour (led by SJ). The educators/guides are very knowledgeable and well prepared to answer your questions, they encourage participation and involve you the exploration of spaces. Earpieces are also provided for outdoor walking tour so you can walk at your own pace and still hear the educator well. Duration of yours were just right.

  • 5/5 Annie R. 1 year ago on Google
    Great experience visiting this place. Took my class in a trip and they were very engaged with the tour guide. Asked questions and I like how the place was persevered. Looking forward to going again to see a different floor and story.

  • 5/5 Troy S. 1 year ago on Google
    At first, I was a bit concerned that you could only pick "one apartment" to tour. I thought, "How is that going to be even one hour worth of information?" But almost two hours after beginning the tour, I felt very well-informed about tenement living in 1933 (the tour we chose) but also many decades earlier. I loved how they chose one family's life to focus on. This was so unlike any museum I have toured before. I highly recommend it!

  • 5/5 Carrie L. 5 months ago on Google
    This place was amazing! Each tour does a deep dive into a family that lived in this area. Different tours cover different periods of time. We did one that covered an Irish family in the 1860's. You get to walk through an apartment that's made up as it might have been for that family during that time and learn about the situation they lived in, what struggles they faced - some idea of what their lives would have been like. We really enjoyed it and can highly recommend you check out their tours.

  • 5/5 Ewan M. 5 months ago on Google
    Incredibly passionate storytellers bring history to life and explain the consequences, opportunities and hard work involved by those emigrating to America. A stunning insight to the walls we walk past every day.

  • 5/5 Malcolm S. 7 months ago on Google
    We had an amazing tour. Our Interpreter Emma opened our eyes to the experiences of two families arriving in New York 100 years apart. The amount of research that went into the presentation was astonishing, and really the stories told became more important than the faithful recreation of their tenements. $30 per person is not a small ask for museum admission, but I feel a s though we got more than our money's worth. Great bookshop / giftshop as well!

  • 5/5 Caryn R. 1 year ago on Google
    Very interesting and informative tour. I did the 1911 tour which was great. It was so interesting to see an apartment that was left as it was found in the 1980s and then the apartment set up to look as it did in 1911. I wish you could do more than one tour at a time. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely worth seeing!

  • 3/5 Holly W. 1 year ago on Google
    I've done this tour two times (once was when I was a kid as a school trip) and now as an adult. As a kid I remember the tour being more extensive, that could be because it was a school trip. I went again this summer (2022) with my mom and it was 'okay'. Our tour guide was nice, but the tour itself was not as informative as I would have liked. It was about an Italian family and their experience on the Lower East Side and I felt nothing shared was anything that made that family unique. The information was anything that could learned from a quick Google search. If I was to advise them I would say they should combine tours. For people to go all the way into the city from wherever they're are coming from and then spend $30.00 for a pretty general tour is not really worth it.

  • 5/5 Olga Fernandes de Moura L. 1 year ago on Google
    It's a story telling museum. There are many different tours options and even walking tours. It lasts for an hour. Don't expect to see much of the building. We only got to see one apartment and the story of 2 families. It was very interesting and the guide was great. The museum store had a lot of interesting things too.

  • 2/5 Mariellen E. 1 year ago on Google
    My husband and I just visited this museum last weekend. We took part of the apartment tour which showcased two separate families that lived in this apartment building. I want to say we enjoyed this, but actually felt it was underwhelming and not as interesting as we initially thought it would be. When we arrived at the museum for the tour we were immediately met at the door with a lady saying we must wear face masks. We don’t have a problem with following rules, but she came across off putting and not friendly or inviting. The lady checking us in was not friendly and acted snippety. The tour guide we had made sure she told us (multiple times) not to dare touch any items on the tour. The tour consisted of walking into one of the apartments that had a few mementos left to them by the two families, but the rest appeared to be staged ‘set’ type furniture and items found at thrift stores, etc. made to look vintage. Our tour consisted of a total of three rooms! For the money we paid for this tour, we also incurred expense to get from our hotel to this tour ($45 one way)! We felt this was not good and would not recommend it to others. We have been to so many interesting, well done, fun, and educational tours throughout NYC and felt each were well worth the time, effort and money involved to see/do them. I feel with some improvement on their part this too could have been better and more worth it. Being greeted by friendly staff and having an upbeat and well educated tour guide would be top on the list!!

  • 4/5 Devon L. 1 year ago on Google
    We really enjoyed our tour of the tenement museum. Our tour guide was personable and informative. The setup also included an immersive portion that seamlessly blended new technology with the environment.

  • 5/5 Andrew 11 months ago on Google
    It was an extremely cool museum because of its recreated tenemants and how you could actually go inside. I had a wonderful educator who clearly knew the topic and answered questions. However, it is quite pricey but considering how it was among my favorite museums in NYC, I will definitely be coming again!


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Amenities


  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Assistive hearing loop
    • ✓️ Assisted listening devices
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible entrance
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible restroom
    • ✗ Wheelchair accessible parking lot

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