Historic Downtown Walking Tour

A New York City walking tour that compactly retraces a city’s evolution, Lower Manhattan is a treasured destination that provides a concentrated timeline along historical roads less traveled. Discover the key role of New York Harbor, where Lenape Villages converged with a fledgling Dutch colonials outpost. Retrace the strategic maneuverings of a conquering British Empire alongside the covert activities of the Revolutionary War. Relive the endeavors at governance of a new nation. And imagine a fledgling municipality’s grand visions of foundational urban planning, engineering innovations and financial restructurings,, as waves of new immigrants would expand cultural boundaries and heritage landscapes.

Lower Manhattan teems with perspectives brought to life by its many characters and lives revealed as you meander through ancient paths that acknowledge their presence. For discerning travelers on the hunt for long sought insights on the forces driving the evolution of this metropolis, the tour is an essential item on the list of things to do in NYC. No other historical neighborhood can lay claim to so much impact or influence in the world over a relatively brief time-period in global events. You come away with the past present in ways that enchant, intrigue, enlighten, magnetize. Through the myths and legends of the city’s origins, the secrets of the United States’ foundational directions, the hidden legends behind street names and places, the forgotten stories buried with unearthed archeological sites, and — in true NYC evolutionary fashion — the phenomenon of how the Charging Bull has become the most iconic structure redefining the neighborhood’s prestige.

See where it all began on this fascinating tour that takes you past some of New York’s most important business and government institutions. This area is the birthplace of NYC, and your guide will share their immense knowledge of how it emerged from a Dutch fur-trading outpost and colonial stronghold, to a land of towering skyscrapers and glittering lights. We’ll show you the last remaining gas lamp lights and explore how stocks were originally traded. You will amble down Wall Street, explore the Stone Street Historic District (New York City’s oldest neighborhood), see the famed Trinity Church, Federal Hall, visit Hamilton’s gravesite and experience how 9-11 transformed these sacred grounds. Every step of this walking tour is like turning the page of an American history textbook. Let the next chapter be one YOU write!

This tour makes a great Half Day Double Combo with our Greenwich Village Food Tour(opens in a new tab), or an awesome Full Day Triple Combo with the Greenwich Village Food Tour and High Line Walking Tour(opens in a new tab)