New York City Tours by Urban Oyster

New York City Tours by Urban Oyster
Fun and unique walking tours of New York City!  Discover the people and places that make our neighborhoods vibrant, diverse, and sustainable.

Brewed in Brooklyn Tour
Explore Beer, Breweries, and the Story of a Great Brooklyn Industry

Toast your way through the past and present of beer brewing in Brooklyn! Once home to 48 breweries, this ancient and tasty trade disappeared from the borough in the 1970's, only to be reborn in recent years with craft breweries leading the way. On this tour, we'll take a behind-the-scenes look at how beer is made at one of Brooklyn's three present-day breweries, explore the pre-prohibition era as we check out 19th century brewery buildings and a church, and share stories of the German immigrants who worked and lived in the neighborhood in those days, and, of course, have plenty of craft beer and food along the way. Tickets: Must be 21 years of age or older to participate $60/person

Food Cart Walking Tour
Discover the culinary creations at some of New York's best food carts!

Experience New York City street food beyond hot dog carts and pretzel stands. Kati rolls, Jamaican jerk chicken, and scrumptious baked goods are just some of the tasty offerings on this strolling lunch through either Midtown or the Financial District. Observe the constructive genius that crams full kitchens into improbably small carts, and hear the stories of their proprietors – immigrants, entrepreneurs, and four-star gourmet chefs. You will never look at street carts the same way again once you see – and taste – the delectable dishes that are crafted in these curbside kitchens.  Midtown tours run every Friday afternoon.  Financial District tours run every Wednesday and Friday afternoon. Tickets: $45

Fermented NY - Craft Beer Crawl
The revolution will not be televised.  It will be poured into a pint glass and savored. 

With over 1,500 (and growing) breweries operating nationwide, choosing and appreciating beer has become an art form. Join Urban Oyster for a walk through either the East Village in Manhattan or Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where we’ll learn about the finer side of craft beer and bars, taste over a dozen beers, learn to pair food with beer, and discover the finest places to have a pint in New York. Think of it as a pub crawl with a purpose.  East Village Crawls run Thursday afternoons.  Williamsburg Crawls run Saturday afternoons. Tickets: Must be 21 years of age or older to participate $65/person

Immigrant Foodways Tour
Explore the past and present of East Williamsburg's cultural and culinary landscape!

Once known for its pickles and kosher meat, the neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn today serves up herbal teas from Mexico, sounds of salsa, and traditional foods and products from Latin American countries. Based on oral histories with residents, this tour explores the history of Brooklyn's "Avenue of Puerto Rico" - once the heart of a Jewish community - and takes an in-depth look at the Moore Street Market, built in 1941 to mark the end of the pushcart era and today a centerpiece of the Spanish-speaking community.  Tickets: $39/person

Eat Like a Local Tour:  Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
Italian, Middle Eastern, and New American cuisine come together on this stroll through Brownstone Brooklyn

Join Urban Oyster for a strolling lunch through one of Brooklyn's premiere culinary neighborhoods.  This tour will include both old school haunts and new culinary entrepreneurs which makes for an exciting menu of traditional flavors and daring dishes.  We'll stop into Italian and Middle Eastern shops that have long been the staple of the neighborhood, and explore the growing scene of cafes and restaurants specializing in artisanal foods. While we enjoy their delicacies, we'll learn about the neighborhood's rich history and changing character from the local business owners and residents themselves.  Come hungry! Tickets: $55/person

Brooklyn Navy Yard Bus Tour
Come and see the past, present, and future of the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Sponsored by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, the Brooklyn Historical Society, the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, and Urban Oyster.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard once produced some of the most famous ships ever built: the USS Maine, Arizona, and Missouri.  Today, the Yard is a thriving industrial park that attracts media and environmental businesses to New York City.  This bus tour is replete with fascinating stories of the Brooklyn Navy Yard's past, present, and future. At stops along the way, we hop off the bus to get a closer look at the Yard's most intriguing sites, including a Civil War era dry dock , the 24-acre former Navy hospital campus that is virtually frozen in time, and the nation's first multi-story LEED-certified industrial building. The bus picks up and drops off tour participants at BLDG 92, the Brooklyn Navy Yard's Visitor and Exhibition Center. Tickets: $30 for the two-hour comprehensive tour and $18 for the one-hour highlights tour

In the Spirit of the Season: A Holiday Church Tour

In the spirit of the holiday season, Urban Oyster is proud to host our third annual Christmas-themed tour of the beautiful church and parish grounds of Most Holy Trinity - St. Mary in the eastern part of Williamsburg.  On this tour, we venture up into the towers and down into the crypt, and even take a peek into the rathskeller basement of the rectory where clergy entertained guests. On this tour, we reflect on the German and Irish heritage of this congregation, highlighting its early beginnings in the mid-1800s with stories of the origins of Santa Claus and Christmas trees, and learn about recent immigrants who have brought new holiday traditions to the church, from Noche Buena to the Three Kings Day Parade.   Tickets: $20/person

Bicycle Tour of the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Getting a Handle on Sustainability

Sponsored by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, the Brooklyn Historical Society, the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, and Urban Oyster.

Pedal along with us on this bicycle tour as we explore the Brooklyn Navy Yard's transition from being one of the nation's foremost naval shipbuilding facilities to becoming a national leader for sustainable urban industrial parks. Learn about the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation's sustainable development efforts including the nation's first multi-story "green" industrial building, first solar and wind-powered street lamps, NYC's first building-mounted wind turbines, adaptively reused historic structures, and new green buildings certified by the US Green Buildings Council. Tickets: $24 REQUIREMENTS: Each participant must supply his/her own bicycle & bring and wear a safety helmet at all times while on the Brooklyn Navy Yard tour.

One-time Tours and Events