Tenement Museum Reviews

This is such an interesting and unique museum. We chose the tour called After the Famine : 1869 about a family who emigrated from Ireland. Our tour guide, Karina, was excellent and helped us to really feel what might have been experienced back in the 1860's. Our group had lots of comments and questions which made it even more interesting.

I really enjoyed the tour of the tenements and a look at the Moore family and their year in a unit along with their immigration from Ireland. The guide was very knowledgeable and articulate. Just a great reminder of what makes this country so great! The work of all immigrants.

Our guide was great. Very knowledgeable. They deserve a fair contract! Support the union. The guides make the museum come alive.

very fun, real-world, interactive experience. It's like peaking through a window of the early 20th century and gazing at how an immigrant NYC family lived at the time. Would definitely recommend for couples and families.

My partner and I had a great tour in 2/2024. Our educator was well informed, knowledgeable, and obviously made the entire tour. Without the educators at TM, the experience would not be worth returning to. TM’s workers deserve living wages and a fair contract. Union workers are happier workers.

Superficial histories of the building and its occupants. You start in the souvenir shop and they have a docent take you upstairs to and old apt then talk.

We came on a short holiday from the UK. Visited the Tenement museum in New York on 28/10/23-it was FANTASTIC !! There are several experiences you can book on- we chose the one about the German family who lived in the tenement block in the early 1900s. Our guide was Silas ( Si) who was BRILLIANT-so easy to listen to , so informative and answered all questions really well !! It takes you on a trip back to the German family who ran a bar there. They provided a meeting place for all the people who lived in the Tenement and their story was brought to life SO well by Si. It is well worth a visit -you won’t be disappointed !! Oh and the gift shop is well stocked with loads of things you’ll want to take home from the quirky to the beautiful !! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!❤️

Great tour from Maya. You should certainly give her and her coworkers more money in the new contract that the union is negotiating. Or at least minimum hours!

Really enjoyed our tour - we did a tour that focused on two families - one that came over fleeing the war and another who came from Puerto Rico for employment. Loved that we sat in the actual apartment with some keepsakes donated by the families.

Our guide was lovely and very engaging.

The area the museum/shop is in I found to be a little sketchy - we were hassled whilst starting our tour on the street however people moved on when we didn’t engage.

Lovely gift shop that was reasonably priced.

Would definitely visit again. Yes it’s $30 per person which I see is mentioned often in the reviews but honestly we felt it was absolutely worth it.

Great museum! Tour super informative and fun. Can’t wait to go back and see more! Tour guide David was very knowledgeable

We did an apartment tour, I expected a more engaging experience than we were given, perhaps more specific details on each family's experience, more of a storytelling like experience I suppose. Also, we were told that many "artifacts" were in the museum's possession, but none of them were actually in the apartments. Seems they could have put in at least a few to lend to the authenticity. I'd give this a 3.5 stars

Our guide was certainly enthusiastic and knowledgeable as far as it goes. The presentation focused a lot on two specific families. Seeing the apartments was certainly interesting and dramatized how little room people had to live with families larger than people have today. While that was interesting, there was little information about other aspects of the tenements and the history of immigration in New York City or America generally. My big issue is that there was no broader context provided about immigration, the importance of immigration in the country's history, and, frankly, anything positive about the way in which our nation absorbed tens of millions of immigrants between the late 1880s and 1924. It was as if the only thing the immigrants (now or 100 years ago) ever experienced was poverty and racism and that everything positive ended in 1924 when the immigration laws changed dramatically. It would have been nice, for example, just to explain that between 1880 and 1924 over 24,000,000 people immigrated to the United States. Given the overall US population was only 50,000,000 in 1880 and 114,000,000 in 1924, I'd call that immigration story a smashing success. Why not point out how the children and grandchildren of these immigrants became successful and contributed so much to the nation? We should be celebrating that America was willing and able to absorb that many people in such a short period of time. Did any other nation open its doors as wide to immigrants as we did? I do not think so. How about highlighting Emma Lazarus ("'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...") rather than the 1619 Project?

Planning a day trip to NYC and stumbled upon this museum while on the National Park website. One of the most interesting museums/tours I have ever visited. The museum is only accessible via guided tour. There are several different tours to choose from varying in subject and length. We purchased tickets for the "Under One Roof" tour and our guide was very knowledgeable, providing many details shared by actual residents/family members that lived in the building. The age range in our group included a child, teenager and 4 adults and everyone enjoyed it, with the teenager asking the most questions!

The concept is good and while the guide was not bad, the experience was not as good as previous visits. Costumed actors were much more effective than a guide rattling off some facts and figures and a weak storyline. Considering the fact that the temperatures were freezing, it would have been nice to have the last forty-five minutes of the explanation indoors, rather than on a frozen street corner in the Lower East Side.

We had an amazing time at the museum. We did the “Under One Roof” tour. We got to see how two families, one Jewish, another Italian, lived back in the early 1900’s. Our tour guide, Emily, was awesome and so knowledgable about everything. She made the tour so interesting. We plan on going back for another tour soon. The bookstore is also amazing. Tons of reading material about everything New York and beyond. Five stars all the way.

Very cool renovations but the guide was more interested in sharing political views than actual facts. I wanted to know what was the wage of the day, what was rent, what did utilities look like, to get an idea of life in the 1900’s . Guide was more interested in comparing yo today’s political climate.

Loved my tour with Cat. I hadn’t realised when I joined online that there were different tours, but I like to think the tour chose me.

Cat’s knowledge, passion and respect for what she was speaking about really shone through and made the experience really enjoyable. I would happily go back on another tour.

Really interesting to see the inside of the old tenement housing and get a feel for how people would have lived.

A fabulous trip back in time to New York when immigrants were coming here hoping for a better life. We were fortunate to have the director of the museum lead our tour and she was not only amazing and informative but you could feel her passion for this fantastic museum. This tour gives you a physical way to step back in time, as you climb the stairs and go into the tenement and experience how small they were and learn about how many family members lived there. We followed the lives of two families from two different time periods which gave us perspective on how things improved or were more difficult. Highly recommend!!!! Oh, and the gift shop has beautiful and unique items.

Really enjoyed this. It wasn't just walking through apartment mock-ups-- it was sitting down and talking about real people who had lived there and what their lives had been like. Kept us engaged and entertained, and sent us out more enlightened than when we went in.

Took the 1902: women tour with friends. I was here in 2012. The museum has gotten even better. The tour was awesome. I highly recommend this museum.

Superbe experience! This museum tour brings history back to life. The tour guide tells us the story passionately and really connects with participants. Nice book and gift shop completes this very interesting experience.

"After the Famine: 1869" Tour told the story of Irish Immigrants. As a first generation Irish-American, who grew up learning from my own immigrant parents, I didn't expect to learn as much as I did. Sophie C. was an excellent and knowledgeable tour guide. She brought stories to life and a tear to my eye. I can't wait to return with family members. Thank you.

Loved the 75 mins Apartments Tour on a hot summer day. Our tour guide, Isaiah, was energetic and passionate with our small group and told us wonderful stories of the families that lived in the apartments we visited. Understanding the lives of these immigrants while further uptown, the Astors, Vanderbilts and wealthy families were living a Gilded Age dream. I left the tour with a smile knowing that the 7,000 families that lived in the building we toured on Orchard Street will not be forgotten.

I was really looking forward to this experience but ended up disappointed. I took the “Family Owned” tour, of the basement apartment that held a German beer saloon and living area. Our group of 15 or so had 5-10 minutes to look through the 3 or 4 rooms, then sat in the saloon area while our guide told us about the apartment and answered questions. We then moved to the other side of the basement wall, and sat for another 15 minutes or so for more questions and answers. The whole experience lasted one hour.

I love the concept of the museum, showing the lives of immigrants and working people from the past, but I would have liked to see all the apartments, without having to pay $30 for each one. It felt like a third grade field trip, and after about 15 minutes, I felt like a bored third grader, fidgety and ready to move on to something else.

We love this place. My friend was not up for a tour, so we just watched the free movie, which is very enlightening. I have been here before and I can vouch for the tours - they are excellent. The gift shop has a wide variety of items of interest to any and everyone. This museum is a must-see when you are in NYC.

Outstanding!
I HATE museums - going along and looking a "stuff" - no matter how historic or famous is boring to me but I LOVED this. They call themselves a story telling museum and that is an excellent description except that you don't just listen. You are allowed, nay- encourged to ask questions and you seem to blend into the story. It truly becomes "alive" because you connect the story to where/who/when it has meaning to your own interests, past, future. This was exceptional. Make reservations ahead. We saw "After the Famine"

We are out of towners and old and so worried about taking the subway - so we took a cab ($40) from Penn Station. We took the F train (subway) back and it was comfortable, safe, on time and clean. We were too slow to wrangle a seat but a young woman hopped up immediately and offered her place. A gracious, beautiful (inside and out) young lady. I know the subways get crowded and crazy during rush hours especially but the young lady made our experience lovely.

We stopped and got lunch from a street vendor and sat outside on benches on a beautiful fall day after a visit to the past at the museum.

I see why "I Love New York"slogan works. It's true.

Confession: We have been going to NY for the fall for 40 years because of family in NJ and have been to lots of NY places - It took so long for us to go here because, I hate museums, but I wish we had gone long ago! You will love this!

Excellent tour! I definitely want to go back and do some of the others. Our guide Maya was fantastic and an excellent speaker. Since my family and my husband’s family were all immigrants it was especially interesting.

We did this tour.
Tenement Women: 1902

Explores the challenges faced by Jewish immigrant mothers in 1902. Visit the Levine family apartment, then learn how women organized the Kosher Meat Boycott of 1902.

The tour we chose highlighted the life of two families that lived in the same tenement building 100 years apart. They all worked in the Garment District. The museum is both guided and interactive. Excellent and educational 60 minutes. I look forward to going on some of the other Tenement Museum tours in the future.

The Tenement Museum has a wonderful book shop with many excellent books and information on many aspects of the growth of New York since the 1700’s.

We toured a tenement house and was given a history of how difficult it was for black people to integrate into their new lives.. We were given very interesting information about slavery and the integration of black people into different areas of New York. The tenement building we visited certainly shows how overcrowding occurred and how poverty affected people after arriving into New York and how many different nationalities came to the district of the lower east side of Manhattan.

The museum is a great resource of information if you are interested in the social side of how New York developed right back from the 1700’s.

The idea of the museum is great . You actually get a good impression of how people lived in new york in 1916. The formula of hearing the story out of the mouth of an actress playing a 14 year old child pleased me - being an actor myself . We were asked to step into her world , ask age appropriate questions and go with that flow . UNFORTUNATELY the whole idea of the 14 year old girl in 1916 playing coy and innocent was destroyed by the fact that the actress wore a 2024 post covid mask . Why ? ( i asked ) Well she was not feeling that well . Well, be true to your 1916 and hold a handkerchief. That the guide wore a mask as well “ because Olivia always wears one “ - Duh ? - bothered me less . Everybody may be hysterical if they want . But alas the whole charade was a sham . It marred the experience. ( None of the other guides had a mask on , so choose your tour carefully if you are susceptible to “ reality “ .

Tenement apartment tour. Saw one family’s dwelling. Tour guide was not interesting. Expected visitors to ask questions instead of imparting her knowledge. All of our family group, ages 8, 13,48, 80 , 83, felt we had wasted our money and time. Several dwellings from different immigration eras, rather than one, would have been interesting. Better storytelling needed. Disappointing.

Brilliant look into the history of living in Lower East Side. Each tenement represents a different era, however, they are separately-priced tours. Ben the guide gave a passionate tour of the 1950-70s apartment. It’s advisable to book at least 24hrs in advance to get the tour you want at the time you want otherwise you’re only offered what’s left on the day.

We did the "After the Famine" tour. It was very well done. The only complaint I have is that 10 minutes after the tour started, two people came in late. Then a few minutes later 4 more people came in. Then, almost a full 20 minutes after the tour had begun, 3 more people came in. They all claimed that the subway was at fault. We left our hotel early, took the subway, watched the 25 minute film about the tenements, and then walked the neighborhood for around 20 minutes before our tour began. The problem was, each time new people came to the tour, the guide retold the same info he had already told us. So we heard the same stuff 4 times! It was interesting, but not THAT interesting!

We had been wanting to visit this for a long time. The last time we were in New York, we were being cheap. Let’s face it: $30 a tour is a little pricey. But this trip we decided to bite the bullet and take two tours and both tours were well worth the price. We did the “Under One Roof” tour first. Sallie was our guide for that tour and she was one of the best docent/tour guides I’ve encountered in a long time. She knew everything about the history of the two families, immigrants and the tenement itself. Our second tour, “After the Famine” was interesting as well, but the docent, while knowledgeable, wasn’t as enthusiastic as Sallie. There is a very nice gift shop. Splurge and take a tour.

What a fabulous experience we had taking an apartment tour at the Tenement Museum. We bought tickets on line although they were also available for purchase the day we were there. We watched the excellent movie while waiting for our tour to begin. We took the Under One Roof tour about two families that lived in the building. It was so interesting and our tour guide was terrific. ( so sorry but I can't remember his name) I would highly recommend this museum to anyone coming to NYC. It is so worth your time and money.

Darrel, our guide, was phenomenal. A newer tour, the “new hope” tour, was a fantastic way to see the less talked about history of New York and get acquainted with the neighborhoods, loves of the families, and New York itself’s history with oppressed groups.

Fascinating snapshot of the history of real people who lived in New York. We did the After the Famine tour. Our educator, Camilla, was so knowledgeable and helped make the story of the Irish family insightful and relatable. I would highly recommend a tenement museum tour for anyone visiting the city and interested in its history.

We visited the Tenement Museum last Wednesday for the first time and took the "After the Famine: 1869" tour.

Grace was our guide for the one hour tour/history lesson and she was excellent. She captured our attention for the entire tour and was historically accurate.

We found this tour to be super interesting and relevant since we both have ancestors who fled Ireland during and after the Great Hunger and arrived in NYC living in tenements most likely similar to the one we visited on the tour.

Amazing to see and think about the way people had lived in a tiny 3 room apartment with no indoor plumbing, running water, or heat over than a coal burning stove in the kitchen.

The apartments consisted of one small bedroom, a kitchen, and the parlor (living room). 4 outhouse stalls and one water spigot in the back yard that served the entire building. I believe our guide had said that there were 20 separate apartments in the building while it was active.

The building is a fabulous piece of preserved history built in the 1860's which had been basically abandoned and vacant since 1935. A rare treasure in a city, which in general, doesn't do a great job at preserving the past.

I highly recommend visiting the tenement museum and taking one of their several guided tours.

Tip: Arrive a half hour early to check out the gift shop and to watch the short documentary film about how the tenement museum was created.

I was our first time in New York and the museum. We checked in at the front desk and then waited for our guide. Her name was Carmila. What a tour we had, she was amazing, full of knowledge and enthusiasm for what she was doing!! She made the tour for us!!
We had a great time at the museum and one day we are hoping to visit NYC again, and the museum will definitely be on our list!! Well worth the visit!

Fantastic museum that brings the history to life. You go on a tour with a small group in a restored tenement apartment. Our guide gave a wonderful tour with lots of information. My kids - aged 9, 15, and 18, were all engaged. There aren't too many things that appeal to all of them! I can't wait to return for the other tours.

A great place to learn things! For small school groups, family trips, or solo. The Tenement museum deserves workers rights. I’m in support of their union.

We went a did a tour of the Tenement Museum in NYC after it being recommended by a friend. The tickets for the tour we bought online and when we arrived at the museum gift store we went up to one of the people at the counter who then checked us in. The tour left on time and the tour guide we had was friendly and knowledgeable. It was an interesting tour and if you have time and love history I would recommend doing this. The tour we booked was called "Finding Home."

Such a fascinating and eye-opening experience. The pre-tour film is essential and set the scene for the whole tour. The tour of the Levine apartment introduced us to just what it meant to arrive in the US and settle in this vibrant, crowded community. This was a family trying to experience family life at the same time as running a business in the same location. There are no words - just visit yourself. Our tour was particularly good because of the excellent tour guide. She was personable, knowledgable and engaging. A great trip all round

Admittedly we tuned up pretty much last minute and the only tour available was to visit family life ( I don’t remember the exact name). We visited four rooms in the building, two of which were reconstructed according to the lives led there by a Jewish refugee couple from Poland with their two children arriving in the US in the 1950’s, the other two rooms represented where a Puerto Rican lady lived and brought up her children in the 1960’s. The tour lasted 45minutes and each ticket cost $30.

There was very little novel information to us and in fact the apartment seemed to represent what an average family would be lucky enough to live in at that period ( each family occupied four rooms though we where showed just two). I felt I could have got more information from watching a YouTube video and certainly learnt a lot more from visiting the excellent Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Other than that tour, there was no museum that we could see, just a large bookshop selling related books and merchandise. Definitely not a high spot of our visit to New York.

Very interesting! We learned a lot about life in NYC.

The spaces we toured weren’t original, so that’s why it wasn’t a 5-star experience (which we didn’t realize before the tour) but most areas are more original.

Tour guides are super knowledgeable and give a great tour.

We took our 13 year old granddaughter to Ellis Island the previous day and wanted the "Meet Victoria Confino" tour to be an extension of the immigrant experience. The tour guide was not the greatest, but adequate. She gave us a preview of this family. However, when we entered Victoria's apartment, we were not met by a 14 year old girl but an adult in costume. My expectation was that this "costumed Interpreter" would talk about her family's experience crossing the Atlantic, how they came upon their apartment and what obstacles they had o overcome as immigrants. It was very awkward. Those of us on tour had to ask questions - there was no information freely offered. Also, please discontinue allowing children to attend this tour. A five year old little boy was extremely disruptive. I would really like to be reimbursed for this tour. Very disappointing.

The tour was quite expensive for a short duration. While the information and personal anecdotes were unique, I believe that for the price, it could have been two tours instead of one.

Maya was amazing! She was knowledgeable, fun, and friendly. I highly recommend visiting. We will be going on another tour when we visit again.

We we toured the Tenement Museum on August 23rd. Our tour guide was Jared, a very passionate, knowledgable young man. He interacted fabulously with our group and was so engaging that you wanted to listen to what he had to say. It offers an insight into the lives and hardship of living in NYC , after arriving from another country. Working for a pittance of a salary, living in extremely small apartments and sharing with many people. No running water, only heat was from a coal stove and everyone slept in the same room. 4 outhouses for many people in the tenement house. It is located on the lower East Side at 103 Orchard Street, Manhattan , NY.

Not really knowing what to expect, we were blown away by the tour we got of the Tenement Museum. Our interpreter was able to explain the social, political, financial, religious, and cultural landscape of 1869 New York City in such a way that held our attention for a full hour, and left us talking and thinking about the experience for days afterwards. Showing us death certificates, baptism and census records, she was able to tell us a story of who lived in the building. Not only the cold facts, but also universal human issues that we could relate to today. The building itself was amazing to see, with literal layers of different groups of humans' wallpaper. I feel like this is something everyone should experience to understand the past of our country, and immigrants in general. Highly recommend!

This is a fascinating place to go, and the tour guides are wonderful. Definitely worth a trip! Also, they have excellent books at their gift shop!

I love the podcast, The Bowery Boys, (history of New York City and it’s boroughs). Their Episode #246, focuses on the Tenement Museum, located on the lower east side. During a recent trip to Brooklyn to visit my nephew and his wife, I made a point of this visiting this fascinating time capsule. The original building at 97 Orchard St. is currently undergoing preservation, but access to the temporary historic apartments at 103 Orchard St. is well worth the trip. The small group tours provide a time capsule into the lives of tenement residents, as the guides shared poignant stories of the many families who resided in these buildings from the 1860’s to 1980’s. There’s also a very fun and eclectic museum shop where you check in for the tours.

Way better than anticipated. The guide made this especially interesting. My husband was not thrilled about going but afterwards commented on how much he enjoyed it. We went to the 100 years apart

Wonderful museum! You tour restored and recreated apartments of NYC immigrants from the 1800’s. We picked A Union of Hope:1869 and After the Famine. Sophie, The tour guide on A Union of Hope was fantastic! It was an amazing story of an African American family, their Irish boarders and building. I highly recommend the tour. After the Famine was interesting because we are Irish and their story paralleled our ancestors but I heard rave reviews for Tenement Women and Family Owned. Watch the movie (30 min) before starting your tour. Great bookstore and gift shops as well. We had lunch at the near by Sunday Sundays and it was great.

We took the "After the Famine" tour and our tour guide, Mauricia (not sure of the spelling) was absolutely amazing. One of the best tour guides I've ever had for any tour all over the world. She was articulate, so educated on the subject, and very passionate about history. Great tour and wonderful experience!

The tenement museum was one of the highlights of our trip to the city! We chose to take the 100 years apart tour, but afterwards wishes we had time to do a few more! Our tour guide, Billie, was very friendly and knowledgeable. The first apartment was one of the Wongs, a Chinese immigrant family in the 1970s. The implementation of technology in this apartment was amazing! I had no clue that there was any technology whatsoever until our tour guide showed us that if you tapped the top of the sewing machines the fabric on the table would turn into a screen. Since the history of this family was so recent, we got to see actual interviews of Mrs. Wong and other family members. The second apartment which was that of a German-jewish family in the 1870s was equally as interesting. This building had been left untouched for years so we got to see parts of the apartment exactly as they were. We loves learning about how the neighborhood changed over the years and the different lives that these two families lived.

A great set of guides, and staff all around, very knowledgable and engaging. I'd like them all to have all the pay and benefits expected for their work.

The history in the area is amazing and the concept of the museum is great but it could be so much better. We did the “Family Owned” tour which was interesting and took an hour but we only saw one small tenement consisting of 3 rooms and then an interactive session in the old auction room which was well done.
However, at $30/person it’s very expensive and if you want additional tours you pay more. Surely better to open up all the tenements and allow people to get a proper overview.
Lower Eastside itself is interesting but wouldn’t recommend the museum as you could get as much online
Learnt much more doing 2 free tours at the NY Public Library the day before

We really enjoyed a walking tour of the Lower East Side with our engaging and well informed guide. So much so that we went back 6 days later for the ‘After the Famine’ tour of the tenement home of Joseph and Bridget Moore. Equally as important interesting and enjoyable. The bookshop is excellent and there are great cafe options in the neighbourhood. Would love to go back next time we visit NYC

An exceptional opportunity to explore what it would have been like to live in the tenements. The building is inherently interesting, with both “ruin” and restored spaces, but the content shared by the tour guide is what brings this to life, where you can imagine both the happy and challenging aspects of people’s lives there. Apartments are shockingly small by modern standards but people did their best to live in dignity. You only see one or two apartments per tour and there are different themes. I’d like to go back in the future for other tours. Highly recommended

My brother and I went on this tour while in New York City. It was two hours, but it flew by, and I wish it was longer. There are a few different options. We chose the Jewish families from Russia. We learned a lot about the two familes and the conditions they lived in. Nobody lived in the apartments we were in for at least 50 years. The museum has done a good job at using stories from the grandchildren and children of the families who remember what the apartments looked like.

My sister and I were in NYC for a long weekend in mid November and our visit here was definitely one of the highlights! We weren’t sure what to expect, but the “After the Famine” tour was informative and compelling- researching an actual family who lived in the apartment we toured made it all very “real”- both sad and hopeful.

The Irish tour is just one choice available, and lasted about an hour. My sister commented that she’d love to come back to NY for a week and do a tour a day 😃

Definitely arrive early to watch the film which details how the museum came to be- this will eliminate a lot of questions later. Plus this will allow touring the AMAZING and beautifully curated gift and book shop!

This was one of the highlights of our recent trip to New York City. We took the Under One Roof tour that featured two families who lived in a tenement building over a period of about 40 years in the late 19th and early 20th century. Our tour guide, Austin, was excellent as he brought the lives and experiences of two immigrant families---one Jewish, the other Italian Catholic---to life during this fascinating tour. This is not just a tour about seeing artifacts and items from the tenements. Instead, it is about trying to understand how they lived, the challenges they faced, and the ways that they coped and survived in new surroundings in America. To be sure, tenements were often crowded and dismal places, but this tour brings out the life and humanity of those that called the tenements their home.

Either before you take a tour or even if you don’t have $30 for a tour, please see the free movie in the ground floor visitor center. It runs continuously for about 20 minutes, with a three-minute break, between showings.

My friend and I wanted to do something not as touristy in NYC, so I pre-bought on the website for the walking tour a Day in the Life: 1911. Our tour guide was fantastic!

Keep in mind, which I wasn’t sure what to aspect. The tour is a bit of walking outside through the streets and parks, it happened to be a beautiful day when we toured. You start at the Tenement store (if you plan on buying souvenirs buy before the tour because you do not end up back at the store. We followed the life of the Rogarshevsky family while walking and ended up at a recreation of the family apartment, where the tour ended.

I believe our tour guides name was Luzi. Extremely informative. well conversed in the tour information with a sense of humor throughout which kept your attention.

I had a great experience at the tenement museum! We did the “100 years apart” tour with Clay as our guide. Clay was an amazing tour guide! They answered all of our questions and was a great storyteller. Our group was only 4 people so we really got to have an intimate experiance with the museum exhibits. 100 Years Apart is in both of the buildings they have so you get to see both buildings they have on site. Great tour and great gift shop. don’t forget to get there early to watch the little movie they have at the visitors center.

This was my very first time at the Tenement Museum and I could not have had a better experience. I went on a Meet Victoria tour. The person playing Victoria really made her come alive, and seemed so truly "at home" in the set, I was completely immersed. What an incredible way to engage with history as a living thing. The educator on my tour, Sally, really brought this all home before and after the tour with background information on and images of Victoria, her home country, and her family. I was particularly moved (to the point of tears) when Sallie told us that Victoria had always wanted to be a teacher but was removed from school at a young age and never got to be, but that through this living history program, in a way Victoria gets to teach at last.

The skill of both the living history performer and Sallie, the educator, cannot be overstated. they both clearly pour so much time, effort, and care into their work. I hope - even demand - that the Tenement Museum will support these singularly skilled workers in their efforts to gain a fair contract. I would like to return to the Tenement Museum in future, and knowing they fully understand - and compensate - their workers would make return visits all the better.

My best friend and I have now visited the Tenement Museum together twice - once in 1995, soon after they opened - which was an AMAZING visit!!!! - and then, again, this 2023 fall, which was a wholly disappointing "tour" of three rooms for 15 minutes with little information, capping off 45 minutes of looking at the privies and being lectured to in a sad classroom with 6-7 digital images that offered nothing to the story.
Once upon a time, in 1995, we visited and left the Museum wholly inspired and in awe, eager to visit again and travel back in history! It took us longer than we'd imagined to make it back and we finally did! We excitedly booked a tour, made it back - and were sorely disappointed.
It should be said that the space itself is amazing and (perhaps) we just booked the wrong tour... but, frankly, it sucked and I need to say so. At $30/person, I was SO disappointed!!!! I started out elated that the Tenement Museum had come SO far that now they had strict scheduling and book shop (which looks pretty cool and I wish them well - we had limited time, but it was impressive and they had an amazing selection of books and other items) - but we were herded like cattle for our tour, heeding alerts and shouts, following rangers to ensure we had the right tickets. Once first verified, we wound up outside on a loud, busy sidewalk for an "intro" offering little helpful or audible information as our "guide" shouted over the traffic.
Finally, off to the privies, which were, frankly, among the best parts of the "tour." We lingered here for a strange amount of time - and, thankfully, I and my friend had a few great questions that kept things interesting and informative! Eventually, we climbed 4 stories for the "tour".... but, instead, were immediately corralled into a small "classroom" for 30 minutes to witness 6-7 slides (with uninformed understanding) and that dragged on (forEVER!) while the guide compared Irish immigrants of the 1800s to the Palestinians of today (at length) - it was a lot (and I'm quite liberal and open minded - and I worried more than a little bit about how my fellow visitors would receive this angle....) When we finally escaped the classroom, we had about 15 minutes to witness and explore the 3 small rooms of an Irish family, along with some brief and stilted commentary. I was wholly jealous of anyone below us, visiting other floors and really missed exploring what I remembered from years ago, witnessing much more of what was available to see. I can't say that I'm a fan of only choosing a tiny portion to witness for a substantial fee. I enjoyed about 25% of our "tour", which could have been SO much better!
And, I must say that, before complaining so bitterly in public, I tried to leave most of these comments directly with the museum , but the website was not helpful for doing so. Long story, short: I WANT to LOVE this museum!! It was AMAZING in 1995. Today, they may have grown too big for their britches. Now, we pay a fortune to see a tiny portion of what they could offer, and what we did experience was oddly politicized (which I can handle, but worry much more about others who might take it horribly the wrong way....). Perhaps the Museum could include showing more in their tours while paring down the political commentary AS WELL as the didactic portion of the tour (just some thoughts..... ) And, hopefully, our experience was out-of-the-norm and unusual!
We were SO looking forward to finally returning to the museum after all this time - but, frankly, it was a bust. I hope you'll consider bringing things back to more inclusion and more enticing features. I want it to be amazing!

Incredible museum and experience showing our history and America is a nation of immigrants. Our educator/tour guide Ben was amazing. If you are in NYC it is a must visit.

Our tour guide was great. She was very knowledgeable about the history, the neighborhood, and the highlighted families. We did the walking tour that ends in a recreation of a Tenement. It was interesting to see old photos of the current landmarks, and imagine the way they were. Some of the original tour buildings will be reopened in 2023, and that might add to the immersive experience, however, we were not really disappointed by the recreation. This is a slow paced tour, and I would not advise bringing children or teens unless they are very interested in the history. As a parent myself, I was grateful that I didn’t have to hear my kids say “when will we be done”! Of course you know your kids best!

We loved this tour/hidden gem of a museum!! Maya our guide was uh.mazing! Her knowledge, delivery of knowledge and personal insight has stayed with me since our tour. Give yourself some extra time to peruse the book store/check in.
We'll be back for another tour for sure (and keep our fingers crossed that we get Maya again!)

The tour consisted of standing in a rehabbed tenement and hearing the story of one family. Not too engaging/interesting . Most people come to see the building and see the units first hand, not to hear the story of one family. The museum has broken down the stories of family's from different eras into multiple tours to increase the number of tours they can sell. For the $30 tour cost I think it's reasonable for each tour group to be toured through the tenement unit from each era, not just stand around in one unit. It was interesting to see one unit, but not interesting enough to warrant the price and to stand there for 30-40 minutes in one spot. There's a lot of story to tell and the units are interesting but personally, I think they're milking it for money at this point. It would take more coordination to facilitate the flow of tours through the units but it would be better. I'd recommend lowering the price and showing more on each tour to allow a better educational experience for those who visit.

This was one of the things we were most looking forward to and it did not disappoint at all! With limited time the only downside was having to pick just one tour, but we loved it and will definitely return as soon as we can.

Ben was a fantastic tour guide, confident, knowledgeable and interactive. We are grateful to them for answering all our questions! It was lucky it was a quiet tour too as it gave more time to engage. Ben also told us about the current union negotiations. Felt kind of ironic that in a place which had seen so many people join unions and fight for better conditions that the team themselves were having to do it, we wish them and all the team the best of luck with their negotiations.

Would recommend doing this tour after Ellis Island - it’s kind of like a part 2 to the story of immigration.

Outstanding tour with thought provoking commentary from a most enthusiastic guide.
A good way to see how some of the building blocks of the fabric of our society came together in the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s.

Tenement Museum! Our tour guide was David, and he was absolutely amazing. The way that he told these stories and wove them together was compelling, and he really brought the experience to life. He spoke about the Moore family with such respect and care, it was a truly amazing experience. Everyone should go!

I hate having to leave poor reviews but, quite frankly, the Tenement Museum is, in my opinion, a rip off! It cost my Wife and I $30 each so $60 for two, in return for which we were subjected to 30 minutes in a classroom where the guide lectured us about the two families who lived here over time. We then got to see the rooms which consisted of a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen all close together with some more info. The rooms could have been seen in ten minutes including time for photos. Spend your dollars elsewhere.

Our tour guide Ruth was absolutely phenomenal!! So funny, personable, and well-informed. The tour itself was also so interesting and well-done. Definitely would add this as a must-do in nyc.

This is a well-done museum in an historically important part of New York, but it is not so much about tenement history as immigrant history, all of which is also covered nicely at Ellis Island. Not a big issue, but if you want to learn about the real health challenges of tenants or the many efforts to change them over the years, you won't get much.

Love this place! Look forward to bringing my friends again! Nothing like an nyc museum, in a great location. The staff was very friendly & informative.

A fascinating tenement Museum.The layout of the original rooms and our guide was super informative and kindly.Highly recommend

Toured the Tenement Museum in NYC. They actually take you into two tenement homes. This was soo interesting. They also talked to you about families, how they lived, their jobs, education, etc. The cost was very reasonable and didn't break the budget. It's amazing how the y lived and got by with so little. I strongly recommend this tour. It showed my childen that they don't have it as bad as they think! Also, for elderly and handicap people, there are stairs you have to climb. I don't know if they have an elevator or lift so check with the museum. Hope you enjoy your tour as much as I did!

Unfortunately the ticketing staff was extremely rude and smirked at our concerns when we pointed out a mistake in our tickets. Mistakes happen but the disrespect we were subjected to was uncalled for.

I have been here multiple times and the content is wonderful.

However, the pandemic is over and so should your mandatory mask policy. You are a major outlier and this is enough to cause me to resist returning or recommending to friends

Family and friends have talked about the Tenement Museum for years. We finally got a chance to go this summer. We did two tours (they offer 50% off the second if you book two in the same day, or at least they did when you booked online in summer 2025). All tours are led by a trained guide.

Our first was Under One Roof, which explored two families that lived in the same apartment about 25ish years apart—one Jewish in the early 1900s and one Italian Catholic in the 1920s/1930s. The second was Finding Home, which followed a Jewish family after the Holocaust and a Puerto Rican family in the 1960s. Both were very good and showed how vibrant and difficult life in NYC was in those time periods.

Really glad we finally got to go to the museum, and will do it again.

Our tour lasted an hour and could easily have been 20 minutes. I would suggest adding more information or cutting the tour time. There were 15 people crammed in the tiniest spaces so you really couldn't see much at all. The last part involves a little technology which didn't really seem to fit. People were told to pick up "old" objects but the information displayed had nothing to do with the objects. I would recommend skipping that part altogether.

I learned so much! And our guide, Penny, was fantastic. We took the "daily life in 1902" tour and it was very well organized. Highly recommend! And the pizza joint down the street was pretty tasty too.

Judy was an amazing guide. Friendly and very knowledgeable. Did I mention friendly? She painted a picture of an Irish immigrant family in real details

It is not a museum but rather different guided tours in relation to how the immigrants of the great wave of the late 19th century and early 20th century lived. in the most densely populated area on the planet.

Awesome tour guide, great idea, but just not enough to see to justify the cost. They have a great book store and if you do not know much history of the area it is a nice window into the past. I am not sure I would do it again. Our guide was wonderful though.

I enjoyed the “Under One Roof” tour. Nice stop for those interested in working class life, immigration, and genealogy. Guide was knowledgeable. This is not a typical “museum” but rather a tour of recreated historical spaces. You do get to see some of the original spaces, without any recreation work, which are (expectedly) derelict but authentic.

The tour includes photos of the residents, photos of the census data, and audio recordings of prior residents recalling their experiences here. I think $30 is overpriced for the experience you get, but I suppose some of that goes toward ongoing restoration and maintenance work. I would have preferred more facts, more historical context before seeing the spaces, and the ability to move through more spaces at my own pace (with an audio guide) for that price. Could still gave human guides stationed in each room to answer questions.

The tour is 75 minutes. Guided only. Two apartments. Come early/stay after for the film toward the back of the shop. Restrooms on site. Expect to stand the majority of the time on the tour itself. There are about 4-5 chairs in each room for some to sit. There are tower fans but no air conditioning. I went early afternoon on a day with a high of 80F, and inside was very comfortable. You do stand outside for about 10 minutes.

Be aware that parallels are drawn between sentiments toward immigrants at that time and now, with an overt theme of tolerance and acceptance.

Really disappointed by this visit, we thought we would visit apartments and immerse ourselves in the lives of the locals and we spent 1 hour sitting listening to the Guide tell us the stories of 2 families. Plus, for $30, it’s really an abuse.

I would not recommend the Tenement Museum to others. The concept of the Tenement Museum is very cool, and I enjoyed looking into the restored apartment we were briefly let into. However, there were two big issues!

1. You see very little on each tour - only one or two apartments. I can't for the life of me understand why the Museum is designed in such a way where you are shown SO LITTLE of the restored buildings. I took the 1902 Women Tour. For $30, which is the same as a ticket to the MET (the entire Met!), you should definitely get to experience more than a simple story from a guide and a tiny bit of visual stimulation.

2. It was FREEZING. Most of the tour, about 45 minutes, were spent outside. In December, in NYC. It was so cold, most of the tour participants were visibly shivering and uncomfortable. One person left before it ended because she was so cold. I read in other reviews that some people were disappointed to spend most of the hour in a small classroom being lectured at - well, I would have loved to be inside! So sounds like that has changed for the worst.

If I had the day to redo, I'd go to the Met instead :)

If I could advise the Tenement Museum on their approach, I'd suggest creating tours that are less specialized and limited to one-two stories. Instead, create a tour that shows everything the two restored buildings has to offer and tell a longer story! The story in our tour was somewhat interesting, but could have been told in 10 minutes. And the other thing I'd advise, which I'm sure they've been told before, is put the tour inside, especially in the winter.

Several different tours you can choose, book ahead of time, if you want a specific tour and time, a bunch of them well sell out. We did under one roof. 75 minute tour, a few tours, standing the whole time, sometimes in what feels like a cramped room, but that is how they lived. You tour one building a couple of apartments, while the guide answers questions and tells stories about the area, the building and the people that lived in the 2 units you looking at. Informative, interesting and glad we went.

Easily the worst Museum experience ever. We did the 1902 experience. It was $60 for 2 people. First, I expected to see 97 Orchard, bought tickets for that, then learned it was closed, and was shown a recreation of 97 Orchard in 103 Orchard - that information should have been disclosed at time of purchase! Tour guide was also weak - mixing facts and opinions. I do not recommend!

We went on the “After the Famine” tour as a family (two adults and a ten year old). We saw two three exhibits — the outdoor toilets, an unrestored apartment, and the restored apartment. Our tour guide, Darrell, was knowledgeable and engaging, and eagerly solicited questions from the group. We all left with a greater understanding of what our ancestors may have lived like. Highly recommended! Make sure to book your tickets in advance — they open about two months ahead on the website. The gift shop is great as well.

We did the 100 years apart tour.

The menu of tours available was confusing and asking questions was not welcomed.

Extremely disappointed. Overpriced and not worth it. Very scripted talk. Guide answered questions in a condescending manner. He had no interest in listening to the guests, only his agenda. He even made a disparaging comment regarding political parties. Politics have no business being part of this.

$30 per person takes advantage of museum goers. Visiting two rooms that were barely furnished without a good story was just sad. We could have asked the many NYC immigrants and gotten more and better information.

Shame on the employers who are refusing to pay their employees a living wage. They deserve a fair contract and living wages. It’s INSANE that this needs to even be stated. If this doesn’t end in favor of the employees, I will never come back to this museum.

This was an awesome experience! Katie, our After The Famine tour guide, was amazing and she really made the stories come alive. I have always been someone who walks directly away from any history, but this was the first time I felt completely interested and engaged. From a history skeptic, this place was a little slice of heaven. The place was also very professionally set up and the gift shop was marvelous. It contained a wonderful combination of Tenement souvenirs, general NYC souvenirs, and just funny knickknacks. Overall, this was an amazing experience and I would highly recommend the Tenement Museum for families!

I admittedly have gone here well before the pandemic started. And the tour that I had to choose from was only one that was not the same one I chose. Regardless, I think this is one of the most interesting museums I have ever been to and I have been to a lot. It serves as kind of a living history museum and it Chronicles through interpretive guides, what life would like for immigrants who often had to live in these difficult conditions about 90 plus years ago. They say that New York is a city of immigrants and I feel like no other Museum in the world does anything like the tenement House Museum does. Somehow the spaces that they have acquired, have not really been changed since they were inhabited by immigrants almost 100 years ago. I recall having an excellent guide/ interpreter and felt like it was a memorable and enjoyable experience. Tour groups are intentionally kept very small, and so there's a lot of opportunity to engage with The Interpreter. I feel like many of my friends who live in New York absolutely love this Museum, including several who have been and don't reside there. They also have a bookstore and a place to get tickets which I think has some small exhibits or at least they used to. If you are in the area it doesn't hurt to walk in there and see what it's all about. No tickets can get a little expensive, but they do cover a very small guided tour that lasts at least an hour or two, as well as a contribution towards according and maintaining these special spaces.

If you’re looking for a revisionist history of 19th century America from the perspective of modern progressive Democrat intersectional ideology you’ve found your tour! Were you taught that millions of Western Europeans died from a parasitic algae destroying most of the potato crop for several years? No! It was because of an oppressive power dynamic enforced by English Protestants. Think factory doors were locked to reduce unauthorized work breaks and reduce employee pilfering? Not at all. This was about “controlling women”. This was more sermon than history lesson. So if that’s not your religion you may feel like you accidentally wondered into the wrong church only to discover they don’t think you’re just another sinner but the source of evil in the world—and you already tithed to them before hearing the sermon.

The most articulate and knowledgeable guide ever. Elaine was our guide during the "After the Famine" tour. She started with the root cause of the potato famine and subsequent immigration to the US. She illuminated the socioeconomic externalities that impacted the lives of these individuals by telling the story of one family and their life experience. It was an incredibly well-researched multi-level presentation that was informative and provocative. Thank you, Elaine.

This museum is a must-do in New York City. They have so many options for tours (including walking food tours of the neighbourhood as well) I have done just about every single tour and each one is fantastic. The guides are incredibly knowledgable and interesting. They also have a great gift shop. My top two choices for tours are the walking food tour and the Finding Home one.

Save your money. We did the 100 years apart tour. We spent quite a bit of time standing in a hallway while the guide talked. Then visited two different “apartments “ which were actual recreations and a representation of a garment factory. We honestly could have learned more from the internet. The only reason I gave two stars was due to the gift shop- quite a selection of good books on early New York.

After visiting all the Glam places of New York, this was the other side, the gritty history. Authentically restored building covering the stories of families that lived in the area , their struggles and hardships, very authentic and captivating , the guides really bring the back stories of these families to life. Each tour tells the story of a different family Irish immigrants/german settlers/first generation freed slaves. This isn’t obvious when you’re booking so take time to work out what story you want to see before you book. Each tour is one hour $30

We start with a perfectly decent slideshow.
Then we are very disappointed.
This museum is really not accessible to non-English speakers.

We took a tour on the daily life of 1911 - what a terrific guide. Walking the neighborhood, visiting the park and re-created apartment with photographic history brought the history to life. No matter how much I had read about the history of the Lower East Side or seen in movies, this was a more realistic depiction of what daily life was like. There is also a great bookstore.

We’ve been to NYC a lot but finally made it to the Tenement Museum. We’ve talked about it each time, just never made it over there. So glad we did. Sophie was our guide on the Under One Roof tour. She was so good and you could tell the subject matter meant a lot to her. I can’t recommend it enough, and am excited to get back to go on some of the other tours they offer.
The guides are unionized and we learned they could really use our help as they try to negotiate a living wage. Check out Local 2110 UAW to learn more. The job they do to help educate us about this period in our nations’s history is important.

I highly recommend spending some of your day at here!

Support the Tenement Museum Union. They are underpaid and get no health benefits. Without them, the Museum would fail!

It’s clear this museum is lovingly curated! We had a great tour that we joined last minute. We had a great guide who was a good storyteller. There is a fair amount of standing and listening on this tour. There are some stools available but not for everyone on the tour. I think it was about an hour and a half. There’s a nice gift stop where you can also purchase tickets. I would not recommend this for younger kids - not because of the content but the attention span and standing in one place required.

We had Russ & Daughters for lunch nearby.

Very interesting introduction to the immigration history of NY, social mobility, the role of unions. The family stories and interactive exhibits captured the attention of our young teens who generally find museums boring at their age.

Chava was an engaging, and well informed guide who gave us a very visceral and detailed insight into the lives of the garment workers, mothers, and leaders of the kosher meat, boycott of 1902. Highly recommended.

I went to the Tenement Museum several times years ago and loved it. I used to recommend it to everyone visiting or living in the City. However, the 100 Years Apart tour I went on recently was a waste of time and money. The buildings are under renovation so the tour isn’t in the correct location, which seems like a scam based on the tour description. The tour is set up in only two of the three rooms it should be and only portions of the rooms look like they would have in the past. The tour guide did his best, but it seemed like there was a huge lack of knowledge and we just spent the time looking at old artifacts, which would have been better in a different format and certainly did not match the tour description.

In addition, it is incredibly frustrating that this museum markets to children and even has signs posted about how certain places are donated and dedicated to children, yet children are not allowed on the tours. I have never been to a museum that doesn’t allow children.

Overall, this place was wonderful a few years ago but seems to have leaned into a pretentious excuse for a museum that uses its past success in an attempt to stay relevant. With all the incredible museums in NYC, I highly suggest that you go to one of those instead.

Our family of 5 (ages 13, 11 and 8) really enjoyed the Tenement Museum. It was a little over our 8 year olds head, and there was a lot of standing for long periods of time that made it tiring for the little legs at times, but otherwise we loved hearing the amazing stories of the families that lived here. An incredible piece of history that is not often told and is important for our kids to hear. We did the Under One Roof tour, and really enjoyed learning about the histories of these families.

The ‘After the Famine’ 1869 tour was exactly as advertised. The guide was knowledgeable and engaging using storytelling, artifacts and music to tell about the Moore family. The tour was an hour long and we also enjoyed the book selection in the gift shop.

Irish tour was great. Would be fantastic if the tour could recommend additional readings, documentaries or movies about the time period.

I’ve wanted to visit for some time and we lucked out as there were two tickets left for “finding home”. A very informative and entertaining tour.

Paid USD30, all I saw was a room decorated in that period. Not much to see visually, but lots to hear from the guide. When the tour is done, I had a feeling like " Ah, is that it? " . It is an interesting period of history for NY, but not enough materials to show. It was like a lecture for me.

This was not my first visit. We took the 1902 women tour. I actually recommend all the tours. This one included something new to me: info on the Kosher meat strike that year. We saw two apartments in one hour. Carla, our educator, made that surprisingly meaningful.

We also watched the free film,hidden in the visitor center. I recommend that, too.

We sat in the seats provided. Then we walked to Greenwich Village for lunch.

I will return to take a 75-minute tour.

This tour was amazing. We went with our family, ages 7-15. Wear comfortable shoes as you stand quite a lot. But this is a tour not to be missed by history buffs. It kept my kids attention and I found it fascinating.

I am a Genealogist and enjoyed our visit with the Wong and Gumpertz Families. Jared was a great educator and guide. His enthusiasm and knowledge were great. The only negative comment I have is that it would be nice to see 3, possibly 4 units. Otherwise, it was excellent.

Terrific experience - we took two tours - 1902 Women and 1863 after the famine - nice to have the contrast. So impressed with the recreation of how people lived in tenements and the history about the area. The guides were both very good. Highly recommend it and was glad this history is being shared to so many.

The Sisters of St. Brigid, a New Jeresey non-profit women’s social organization that celebrates Irish history and culture, went as a group and took the "After the Famine" tour. The tour took us into a typical apartment where Irish immigrants who came to New York after the Great Famine would have lived.

Our guides Grace and Angelica were engaging and knowledgeable, sharing historical details that made the experience feel both intimate and eye-opening. It’s a sobering but inspiring look at how Irish families overcame poverty, discrimination, and hardship to build new lives.

A moving, well-curated experience — highly recommended for anyone interested in immigration, resilience, and New York history.

This was hands down one of the best museum tours I have been on, anytime, anywhere. Our guide/educator, Sophie E., could not have been more professional, engaging, or knowledgeable. I’m encouraging everyone I know, who’s visiting NY, to come to this museum. The stories of immigrants could not possibly be more relevant to who we are as a nation, and who we want to be, today.

went on two tours - one was a walking tour to explore the neighborhood & take us back to the 1800's (day in the life 1911) & the other was inside the tenement about 2 families (called 100 yrs apart). both were excellent docents & I learned a lot. excellent (large) selection of books from area & various ethnic group (immigrant experience), ect

This is an excellent tour experience. Our guide was passionate and knowledgeable, really bringing the lives of the two women to life. It takes place in recreated / preserved apartments. There’s an excellent bookshop and a very informative movie as well. It’s about 60 minutes long, involves a little walking. There are many tours to choose from, we did the 100 years between. Really worth while.

This is an interesting museum only if you know almost nothing about immigration. You visit basically 2 appartments one of them from around 1850 (the more interesting).
Visit is about1 hour with a guide.
Personnaly I did not learn much from the guide. Not possible to visit or stay more time by yourself. Far too expensive. They extract as much money as possible, with one group after the other. No rebate for seniors

What an engaging tour by David today. The building is a time capsule with careful attention to detail and thoughtful recounting of 3 generations of immigrant families able to realize the American Dream to different degrees. David made history come alive. Even our 9 and 11 year old boys enjoyed a 1.5 hour tour.

Not so much a "museum" - instead there are numerous guided tours offered. I did the 1933 tour about the Italian family. Jill was a terrific and engaging guide and provided us with lots of information about the time period, the family, and the process of recreating their LES home. I loved being able to see what an actual apartment looked like and was impressed with the attention to detail. Looking forward to returning to do a different tour. Side note - their gift shop is great, too.

We did a one hour tour of one of the apartments in the tenement building that has been restored and wished we had booked more. Had a really informative guide who made it all come alive. What a great way to learn about NYC history. And the bookshop is wonderful. I was only limited by my luggage space. This is a must for visitors to New York City

Great tour. Our guide Lucy was very knowledgeable. Very interesting. Highly recommended for those interested in the history of immigrants in NY; how they built their businesses and raised their families. Plus they have good bookstore.

I visited museum several years ago with my sister and did a visit again with my wife. The museum offers an insight into the living conditions of immigrants to New York City late 19th century early 20th century. There are several tours to choose from focusing on one ethnicity or another. Being of Irish descent I chose the story of two Irish immigrants in 1863. The story was interesting. It was well documented. The reason I downgraded the rating is because the whole message of this organization is to support tolerance towards immigrants. This is a touchy, subject. Any immigrant's welcome this country by legal standards only! They preach acceptance and tolerance of immigrants… A little too preachy for my taste. Of course we're all immigrants to this country except for Native Americans, I just don't think it needs to be mentioned given the mess in our country at this time.

We were late thanks to two lost Ubers but the kind fellow in the Tenement store allowed us to join our tour late and even walked us there. The building we toured is a treasure and we're so grateful to those who were willing to put the hard work in to save it. Our tour guide was a warm young man with dark hair and glasses. It was a great activity and I'm so glad we did it.

The only thing that marred our visit was an officious young woman who I believe was the tour guide for the next group behind us. That tour had not yet started nor were there any people in the rooms we had recently exited. She must have been walking through ahead of time. My tour group was gathered in the last room and we were just finishing up when I needed to step out into the hallway for a brief moment to use my inhaler. Before I could even get my inhaler out, she confronted me and rudely told me I had to stay with my tour group because I would "run in" to the next tour group. Which wasn't there. And which I saw her leave with fifteen minutes later in the store. But that's no reflection on our tour guide or the tenement museum as a whole. A great educational experience for anyone.

This museum has been on my NYC bucket list for years. You will choose from multiple limited entry guided tours depending on which topic you’d like to learn more about. Tours are about an hour. I went on the Family Owned tour where I learned about a couple from what is now Germany. (Prussia/Bavaria) and their saloon. The gift shop is excellent. Interesting neighborhood too.

Our tour guide Brian was amazing and so knowledgeable! He really made the tour engaging and fun. Book now - so worth it and you’ll be supporting an awesome non-profit. Honestly you get more of an experience here with a guided tour and storytelling than you would walking through the larger museums in NYC.

Simplistic, expensive and very un informative visit. We were coralled like a group of primary school children to two small rooms with a wholly uninformed guide. The talk lacked any imagination and had no reference whatsoever to the impact of WW1 or the Volstead Act in this area of high German immigrants and dense lager saloons.

We were so looking forward to this tour but unfortunately, it turned out to be a huge disappointment. The concept is awesome and this could be a phenomenal tour but, sadly, it is not done well and at $30 per ticket, totally a waste of money. Anyway, it started out badly by them requiring a mask which must cover the mouth and nose. Do they realize that the pandemic is over and that we just rode the packed subway to get there with hundreds of other people,mask free? Not to mention being in a crowded restaurant and theatre the night before, mask free…etc? So we took the 100 years apart tour, which sounded very interesting, but was definitely lacking. All we got to see was a two room, recreated apartment for one family ( the Gumpertz family) and we had to imagine the rest, and for the Wong family - 100 years later- we all squeezed into a small bedroom (which was hot and stuffy and with the masks on we couldn’t breathe; I thought I was going to pass out. We were told they lived in that actual building with a kitchen, living room, another bedroom and their own bathroom but we never saw any of it; just one small bedroom. Then we saw a recreated “sweat shop” room. Another bothersome thing was the “man bashing” They focused on the women rather than the family. When we asked what happened to Mr. Gumpertz we were told that he “couldn’t handle the pressure and took off like most men.” After no mention of Mr. Wong we asked about him and were informed with a wave of the hand that he “died sometime.” This really could be a great tour but they need to ditch the masks and give you your money’s worth. In contrast, we also did the NYC Transit tour. For $10 per ticket we saw lots of exhibits and thorough information on the building of the subway as well as many subway cars through the years that we could actually go into and the staff there was friendly, available, polite, helpful and eager to give information and no masks required! Go there instead!

Really interesting tour of the Moore family home in the 1860s and how they came to live in the area - with a fantastic guide (Lucy)..well worth a visit!

On a girls trip we stopped here for the Women of 1902 tour. It was so interesting! We learned a lot and it was really neat to be in the apartment and see how they would live. They had to be so strong (emotionally, physically, etc…) and it was inspiring to see what people did to survive and thrive.

I booked a tenement tour based on a friend's recommendation and this ended up being a highlight of my trip. I did the Finding Home tour - the apartment was so interesting to see and the guide was knowledgable and engaging. It was kind of incredible to see so many similarities between the Epstein and Saez Velez families and my own relatives who immigrated to the US in the 50s even though they came from completely different countries and for different circumstances. The tour group was lovely and engaged, and asked great questions. I'm ready to go back and see all the rest of the tours/apartments ASAP!

A MUST-DO experience in New York! It is NOT a traditional museum...this is a living history experience as your small group is guided through an historic tenement building (from the mid-1800s) in NYC's Lower East Side. It's amazing to see how people lived during different periods and to learn about the immigrant experience in America. The guides are knowledgeable and friendly. A walk into history!!

The highlight of our entire week. The staff are knowledgeable, passionate and friendly, and bring the people, house and history to life. The property is in a wonderful state of preservation, really thought-provoking. We did a walking tour and the house, both fantastic.

We went on the 100 Years Apart tour. While the subject matter was interesting, the tour itself and the presentation were way too long (almost 90 mins). There was too much time spent standing around in small rooms with insufficient seating. The tour guide was knowledgeable but dragged some discussions on way too long (for my liking).

The experience is real and visceral. History in front of your face. The build itself the reenactors , the small size of the actual tour ( this is a guided tour only museum ) create quite the experience. If you family has root in New York and/or the time periods covered in the tours it can quite moving.

More like apartment tour than museum. They have many different tours so my advice is to choose carefully in advance - which we did not do......We just went there and took the next available which was Finding Home -tour. It was about visiting two different Epstein and Saez Velez families' homes in the 1950s and 1960s. Guide was very knowledgeable but I think that the content of the tour was too much about the families themselves than the era or the subject itself. I think that I would have liked more the other tours like Neighborhood Walking Tour or early 1900 -tours. By the way this was the only museum or place (which we visited) that required masks.

If you like your moral judgments normative and delivered breezily, without compunction, this is the tour for you. A lot of sitting, a little information, and lots of lectures tying the present to the past in obvious ways made for an underwhelming experience. 3 rooms for 30$— the price of the Met!— seems a bit high for this venture into speculative history. And, as one of the patrons mentioned, many present day Manhattan apartments are not any larger. Of course these days you don’t have to climb down for floors to use the outhouse, either. There are many different tours, all at 30$. Not recommended.

Zena was an entertaining and knowledgeable guide. We took the “Working Women” tour, which was a good mix of general information about immigration and tenements and information specific to the theme.

We took the 1902 tour. Really interesting look at how new penniless immigrants lived in NY in the early 1900’s. Brought the Glasgow tenements to mind.

A gem! Finally a museum that brings to life the immigrant working people who built our country. Excellent connection between racism & anti-immigration sentiments between then & now. Sallie & Cat brought the people & eras of their subjects to life & their warmth connected the tour attendees in heartfelt discussions. Ironic that much of the tour stressed the importance of unions in helping the workers, while the educators are waiting for their contract. Educators make this museum - please, pay them fairly.

Disappointed by how little you see. We stood outside looking at old toilets while the guide passed around laminated website and archive printouts. Then we climbed 4 flights of stairs (ugh) to see only 2 rooms. Yes it was interesting. Yes it was realistic, but it was expensive to see the outside of a building and 2 rooms. You do have a live guide the entire time but some of us prefer to wander and self pace at museums.
The ticket counter and website should advise early arrival to watch the short movie in the tiny theater for an overview of the museum’s intentions and history. It was good.
The photos on the website are misleading because for any one given tour, you only see a fraction of that. It seems designed to have you come back 4-5 or more times (with 4-5 more tickets at approximately $30 each) to see all it offers.

My sister and I visited in mid-November. It was her idea, so I was along for the ride and did not have an expectation of the museum. I was surprised and moved by the tour. Very immersive to stand in the flats, to climb the same stairs, to experience however briefly the lives of the residents. Our guide was authoritative, knowledgeable, and in addition to describing the family life of the tenement dwellers, deftly connected the immigrant experiences of today with yesteryear without politicizing the issue.

Other reviews noted the lack of seating. Generally, there were a few folding seats available, but there is a lot of standing, so be mentally prepared. The tenements are small and mostly filled with period furniture which is not available to rest on. Any discomfort I may have felt I channeled right back into the story we learned that day of hardship and sacrifice. What lives of comfort we live today compared to back then. At least the museum provides clean restrooms! It would have been another level of historic immersion if all we had was the four holer at the back of the building!

I highly recommend a tour...or tours! If our schedule permitted, we would have taken another tour. Good books in the gift shop too.

This was my second visit to the Tenement Museum. It was as good as the first time. This tour focused on 2 Jewish families and 1902 when there was a neighborhood boycott on Kosher meat because the Meat Board in Chicago decided to raise the price of Kosher beef and target Jews. Our guide, Josh, was very informative and provided good insight into what was happening in the neighborhood at the time.

We intended to visit the Tenement Museum on a visit to NYC in 2021 and ran out of time. In the interim between that trip and this trip, we had a chance to visit the Tenement Museum virtually and participate in a couple of virtual lectures and video tours. Those experiences bumped the Tenement Museum to the top of our "must see" list for this trip and we were not disappointed. My husband and I decided that if we were going to go on two tours, at $30 per person per tour, we might as well get a membership. That was the best idea yet! We went to the TM on a Friday and spent the whole day there, going on three tours. Those tours were so well done that we decided to return the next day and go on three more tours. Shout outs go to Sara, Ashley, Isaiah, Daryl, Brian and Weixi, the educators who each led one of the six tours. They were interesting and well-versed in the history (as much as is known) of the families whose apartments we visited. Through the educators and also the efforts of those who have painstakingly staged the apartments (both restored and unrestored), we were able to get a sense of what life might have been like in the tenements of the Lower East Side. There is an interesting 26-minute video that provides an overview of the tenements; you can watch it before or after your tour or, between tours. The gift shop has an amazing variety of books on the subjects of immigration, history of NYC, experiences of various ethnic/racial groups, cultural characteristics, cookbooks, books for younger readers, etc. that allow a visitor to continue their education after visiting the museum. Though we spent two full days at the museum, we know that we will be back when we visit NYC again, as there are a couple of tours that we were not able to fit in!

Very interesting tour. For the history minded person. They had little stools to sit on as the tour was 70 minutes long. The guide was very well informed.

This is a fascinating and unusual museum in that you cannot walk around - you must join a timed tour. I am not sure if you can book on line but we hadn’t realised this when we turned up and many of the tours were already fully booked even though they go on a very regular basis. Luckily we managed to get on a tour covering the immigrant experience in the post WW2 era (I think it was called “Finding Home”). It covered the life in the building of two immigrant families - a Jewish family who had survived concentration camps in Europe and a second family from Puerto Rico. Darryl, our tour guide, was hugely knowledgeable and had actually worked on the oral history projects with members of the two families. The groups are small - 10 people- and you are encouraged to join in and engage with your own reflections and experiences. It is a very moving experience.

A visit to Dublin's Tenement Museum at 14 Henrietta St. is a must. Walking through this imposing house, the visitor is transported from the grandeur of the Georgian period and the lavish lifestyle of its first residents to its last years as a tenement, housing many families in abject poverty.
Our guide, Gillian was incredibly knowledgeable on all aspects of life in the house and vividly recreated the lifestyle of its occupants with passion and humour, some of whom are still alive today and have visited the museum giving moving accounts of their time spent there.
Gillian's passionate delivery and her account of these people and others who suffered heartbreaking tragedies during that time was both moving and sincere. Her ability to bring history to life was exceptional. This museum is a gem.

This is a hidden gem in the city! Great tour guides, interesting history and truly unique experience! To see the way our immigrant families lived and to imagine not knowing the language, not having anyone else to guide you along a journey into a whole new country and then having such a small space to raise their children! Some rooms had to be left as they were found and you can see layers of flooring, wallpaper and wall board. And to see the outside outhouses they used when the place was brand new in 1868! Just take a couple of hours and treat yourself and your children to this beautiful place!

I love history and found this place very interesting. If I lived in the city I would buy some kind of annual pass and go back and listen to every story. We were in a bit of a time crunch and chose the tour that was next up. It was on a Jewish family and a family from Puerto Rico. The young man that led our tour ( I think David) was very knowledgeable. I loved the fact that they blended stories from the family into the tour. It made an impact. All the items from that period were great. If you like history I highly recommend.

This museum offers several different experiences/tours. We did the Under One Roof tour. The tour guide was so knowledgeable, and really helped us to understand what NYC was like for the working class and immigrants in the early to mid 1900s. Had we been in NYC longer, I would have loved to have taken more of the Tenement museum tours. I also think that doing this after Ellis Island would have been even more meaningful.

We went on the 1869 After the Famine Tour. Our guide was very friendly and informative. You learn about a real life family that lived in the building. The tour also goes into what else was going on in the City at that time to get a feeling of how these people must have dealt with everyday life.

The Tenement Museum is a wonderful experience for immersing yourself in immigrant America. you visit in a small group the reconstructed apartments of immigrants from the 1930s of Jewish and German origin

Lots of great history and our tour guide did an amazing job bringing forth new story that incorporated black communities.

This tour and experience was simply amazing; incredible and told the story of working class, immigrant New York and America in accessible, stunning, vivid detail that came to life. David C., our guide, was not only a vast well of knowledge and history, but also a public educator who moved 15 strangers along together, weaving personal experiences of guests with modern struggles that brought all along while encouraging us to expand our understandings. David and the workers deserve more than a living wage, but also a fair contract. Please ensure they are valued as the treasures they are so we can return to more tours of such depth and living history. Thanks! Solidarity with #2110!

I had an excellent time on my tour, "One Hundred Years Apart," which focused on the matriarchs of two families that lived in the neighborhood. As the descendant of Chinese immigrants to the US, I found the stories and the rooms deeply moving. Our tour stopped in a sewing factory which had really incredible oral history recordings presented in novel projections onto sewing machine stations.
Our tour guide was awesome. She was really respectful of the visitors on her tour (for example, offering the use of the elevators in a totally non-judgmental way, even though everyone appeared able-bodied) and showed a profound respect for the stories of the families she was telling. I'm a former museum educator myself, and I was very impressed with her presentation.

Fascinating window into the past - interesting and informative. I'd love to bring my kids next time we all visit NYC - I think they'd enjoy it and appreciate the experience, too.

If you are visiting New York or live here and haven’t gone to the Tenement Museum, put it on your list!! It gives you the opportunity to step back in time, see how early immigrants and residents of Lower Manhattan lived and hear their stories. The tour guides are fantastic and delight in exploring the questions members of the tour pose to them.

The work The Tenement Museum does to continue to uncover the stories of early residents of New York and share them with the public is so important!

Very interesting visit. well preserved and explained. small group so not crowded. The guide tour provided a lot of information.

Don’t miss it! A great tour with different experiences of immigrants who come to the USA in the late 1800 and early 1900. Amazing tour guides and experiences.

We took the Day in the Life: 1911 neighborhood walking tour. Our experience at the museum was excellent. Our tour guide was well informed and very friendly and brought so much to life. My own relatives lived in the Lower East Side when they came from Italy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries so I felt a deep connection to all I saw and learned. I also know that the tour was great because my 14 old daughter was fully engaged and expressed how much she enjoyed it. We ended our day by eating at the Essex Street Market to tie things all together historically! If I lived in NYC, I would be volunteering at the TM as much as possible.

History is best learned through stories. Our "educator" was Willa and was such a good storyteller. We did the After the Famine Tour and learned about a family living in the tenement house with no electricity and no running water. We learned how they cooked, did laundry, heated their home in the winter. How they made community despite difficult circumstances. I came away with a great appreciation for the sacrifices our ancestors made to change the trajectory of their families, and I came away with
an appreciation for all the conveniences we have today.

The 'Family Owned' tour was somewhat boring. It took two minutes to see the apartment and the rest was mostly the guide telling their story. The main problem was there were TOO MANY people on the tour. When our guide asked everyone to find a seat, three people had to stand as there were no seats left. Standing for a long period wasn't fun. It was crowded, we didn't see much and not worth the money in my opinion. Wish we had taken a walking tour instead. Do not recommend this particular tour.

Very interesting ! Right in the old Jewish district of Orchard Street, we chose to visit the tiny apartment of the Levine family, who came to NY in 1902, fleeing pogroms in Eastern Europe. No water, no electricity, 6 people with children and "micro factory" in the "living room" to make dresses (a dress bought for 15 cents by Macy to be resold for $15 by the store..) The family is beaten to get out and create a new life...Moving tour by passionate guide! In English only.

Maybe we picked the wrong tour, but $60 per couple seems an awful lot for visiting a handful of rooms with very few artefacts and listening to some history regarding the rooms and the people who lived there. We were disappointed, although the educator did his best with very lean pickings. The interactive section at the end was not working for some of us. Great book and gift shop though!

Great tour, Grace was very knowledgeable on the "Under one roof" tour. All employees were very helpful and polite. Shoutout to Tenement Museum Union!

This was interesting and really cool to see inside the building. I liked seeing the entryway. Since the apartments are small, you really only see the room you are in while the guide is giving their spiel. For example, I was in the living room and only briefly walked through the kitchen and glimpsed at the bedroom. We then exited the fire escape and I never really saw it. The guide should have said to take a good look because you won’t see it again. Overall it was interesting but a bit pricey for an hour, especially for my ten year old.

I recently visited the Tenement Museum in NYC and was impressed not only by its insightful exhibits but also by the dedicated staff. It has come to my attention that they are working towards unionizing, and I wholeheartedly support their effort for fair working conditions. The commitment of the staff enhances the overall experience, making this museum a place that truly values its team. I hope the museum management recognizes and respects their employees' right to unionize

I grew up in a LES tenement, but only recently had the opportunity to visit. It was still eye opening learning the history firsthand through this tour!

The educators who made this possible are exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly. I learned that they're in the middle of negotiating a new contract for fair health benefits and a living wage. Its hard enough to survive in NYC....I wholeheartedly support their efforts. Add oil!

I love social history, particularly of the 19th century, so this museum has long been on my list of places to visit. It is necessary to select from one of the 6 or 7 guided tours on offer, each focusing on one couple or family from one period in the building's history, from the mid-19th to mid-20th century. I did one about a German couple who ran a beer saloon in the 1800s. We saw the beer saloon itself (I presume it is a recreation) and three of their domestic rooms behind it. The guide Cat was enthusiastic and knowledgeable and answered the tour group's many questions well. The tour cost $30 for about 75 minutes, which I think is comparable with other museums and tours on offer in New York City so I think it is reasonable, but of course for that price you only get a small amount of the history of the building. You see just a few rooms and get no sense of the building as a whole, and to do all the tours would obviously cost hundreds of dollars. I really love the idea of the Tenement Museum but I wish it was possible to see more of it - if there was also a section with a general display about the building and some photographs or items related to the wider story, that would help with the context, then you could go deeper into one aspect of the history on a tour. The tour ended in an interactive room with a clever "magic" table which we were encouraged to play with - you place an object on the table and it lights up with photos and information, but this sort of exhibit doesn't really work on a guided tour when you have no time to explore it fully.

Access to the reconstituted rooms is only possible with a guided tour which is very long to spend only 5 minutes in the room.
Previously, these were endless comments on the supposed life of the family.
It would be so much more interesting to have audio guides and move at your own pace

The tenement museum is a real treasure. This tour (walking around neighbourhood and learning of changing land use/housing and social philosophies was fascinating and relevant to today as much as history.

The only tour available the day we were there was one that focus on the 50s and 60s. It was ridiculous… We were trapped in three tiny rooms for an hour and 20 minutes where we had to listen to a lecture which was patronizing and not interesting. Are so many better museums and things to do in New York City -save your time and money!

We visited with the Day in the Life: 1902 tour. The layout of the original rooms and their use is very well explained by a most enthusiastic guide. You go away with admiration for a family that managed to work, bring up children and live in such a limited space. The original furniture and work tools also help your understanding of what their lives may have been. The short walk around the immediate neighbourhood focuses on the successful boycott of kosher meat which brought the women of the area together to demand fairer prices. The museum shop is also a fantastic place to browse with a great range of books and gifts. Just remember that, as of early September, masks are required in the building and shop.

This museum is a true Time Machine, and devotees of Nee York City history owe it to themselves to make at least one visit to this treasure. On another note…the employees who help make this place special have organized as the Tenement Museum Union. Now more than ever, in the face of corporate greed and lack of loyalty from organizations to the people who work in the trenches, unions more necessary than ever before. We should support their efforts to secure a fair contract that affords them a liveable wage and health benefits.

Probably my favourite place to visit this time in New York. If you have any interest in NYC history and/or the immigrant experience, this is the place for you. Our tour guide Emily was detailed, bright, and passionate about the people who lived there and the neighbourhood. Her insights into the laws/politics that affected immigration and her knowledge of the intimate details of the families she spoke about really gave us a deep dive into the lives and situations. The recreated rooms where the families lived were incredible to see. And of course the interviews they played from former residents were wonderful to see and hear. Have breakfast at Russ & Daughters and head over to the Tenement Museum for a uniquely New York morning.

The information given by the docent was very interesting about two families who lived there 100 years apart with reference to census data and recordings of the inhabitants. The digital displays were good. What for me was a little disappointing was not seeing more of the living conditions. We saw a 70s bed in a room and some 19th century furniture in a revised location due to building works. I’m more familiar with the Tenement House in Glasgow which has a 4 room tenement apartment set up much as it was when one family lived there from 1911 to 1965 which you can wander round at your leisure.

The guide was excellent and told nice stories. But there isn’t really a lot to see, so the guide has to be good. There isn’t a lot to see because the people who lived there didn’t have a lot of material possessions. So it is good to see how the other half lived vs going to mansion after mansion for old home visits.

We choose the jewish(Russian) and Italian families under one roof tour.
This was very much akin to a middle/primary school tour.
The operator was good but was very flat in places
There was a lot of emphasis on unions .Which seems to be very evident on other 5 star reviews.I do not think trip advisor is the correct place to express solidarity with union conflicts .
Not so much on how the families actually lived on a day to day basis ,what did they do?what food did they eat ?What did the children do.
It could have been so much better
One note the Italian matriach Rosa returned to Palermo in 1948 to find the place had changed -I wonder why ??Did the tour guide miss this one? On no occassion was either of the world wars mentioned and what a massive impact this would have had on their children growing up.
The tour was very cramped and felt very rushed
As said before many oppertunities missed
I do not recommend this tour ,especially for anyone with mobility issues

It’s basically the “everyone’s” story for people who immigrated to New York. There was nothing special. I know people now that are living here in worse apartments.
I always wanted to check it out for a long time because I had heard it was good, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
People came here for more opportunities. It was difficult work and living conditions. The families had hard ships. Then they did better.

Unfortunately our guide seemed completely bored and uninterested in the content she was sharing with us. Definitely a big let down. We had heard great things about this tour.

A phenomenal tour and I think everyone should stop here when in NYC. An amazing way to look at immigration to America, and specifically New York from the early days! It is a great way to appreciate how immigrants have contributed to American culture and society for our entire history. They offer many tours the one we did this trip was the Tour and Tasting: Family Owned. It looked at an old saloon and auction house, where we learned about family businesses that had once been housed there and what that meant for New York and the people that lived there. Then we walked around the area to look at different areas and learn more about the businesses that used to call this neighborhood home. The tour ends at Cafe Katja for pretzels and beer or lemonade. This cafe is run by an Austrian Immigrant! It was a wonderful tour and our guides Laureen and Grace were awesome! Highly recommend stopping here!

Fantastic tour! Very imformative with our brillant tour guide Issah! He knew all the history and made the tour very interactive. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Very close to the Subway. The shop at the Tenement museum was neatly arranged with books and other things. Loved the tour! 10/10 Thank you

Had wanted to know more about what life was like living in a tenement building. Perhaps I selected the wrong tour (there are about 5 different tour types to select from) as my tour was an historical insight into two different families. While informative, and Grace the tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, I’ll need to return to take a different tour to learn about life inside a tenement building.

I had been here before and a lot has changed since my last visit. I felt it was pricey for what we got. We toured one apartment that focused on the Moore family. The tour was informative but commandeered by one family who sadly didn’t pass around information that was shared for everyone to look at and whose child sat on the phone playing games with no volume control! I had been looking forward to visiting again and sharing the experience with my daughter but didn’t feel we got any value for money. The guide was still giving information as we were being hurried out which also gave a negative impression.

I joined as a member and went to the museum several times during my membership, usually with a guest who hadn't been there. Very informative and a real walk into the past. Everyone I know who has been to the Tenement Museum has enjoyed it very much. In addition, the neighborhood is hopping and interesting to explore w/lots of shops and places to eat and drink.

Learning about immigration and people who built this nation through storytelling . Very effective and interesting!I will recommend this to anyone who wants to immerse themselves in what it felt like to be an immigrant.

Horrible horrible rip-off. NO museum, when you arrive they tell you "The Tour is the Museum" (of course tickets are not refundable the moment you press "Pay"). Of the 1 hour tour, which cost two people $60, 30 minutes were spent standing in one room, no chairs, not looking at anything, just a script that has been the same for 10 years, (A friend went 10 years ago and remembered the same experience). The other 30 minutes was standing outside in 40 degree weather without any preparation. We were required to put our backpacks in a locker (why, there's nothing to steal), so we didn't have our gloves and hats. The owners and creators of this "museum" have managed to hype this place appealing to the emotions and nostalgia of descendants of these exploited people. I guess we got a flavor of that. :

So happy this building was saved for us to see the past. My great grandparents would have lived near here as Italian immigrants.

LOVED IT. Really engaging and brought to life the area's rich history! Our docent who gave the apt tours was really great...

We did the tour about an Irish couple who fled Ireland after the potato famine. Learned so much. Wish I could remember my guide's name but she was so riveting.

The museum is accessible by guided tours and experiences only. Tours are 60-90 minutes long so you can go on more than one tour by leaving 15 minutes before each tour. I was glad I got to hear the stories of working class tenement residents who moved to NYC from either other states or other countries.

Every museum guest has their own interest on NYC's past history. I recommend that you read the tour descriptions and choose what interests you the most. There's not a "best" tour. It's all about personal preferences.

I was looking forward to Tenement Museum visit. I took the Day In The Life: 1902 which seemed interesting with some time in tenement home and out in the local streets. Our guide was very knowledgeable on the family who lived in the home. The disappointing thing was they had to make a mock up of the families original apartment as the main one in another building was under repair. For me it didn't give a full view of the families living situation as we didn't see bedroom and not sure if living area and kitchen were same as in original building.
I grew up in a tenement in Glasgow, Scotland as did my parents and grandparents and the period of this family was around time grandparents were in their tenement and the ones in Glasgow although not big nor roomy they looked far better and had running water in their homes.
The tour on outside to where the women at the time rebelled against the cost of kosher meat rising was interesting but felt there was more could be told and we only had a short walk on this.
I felt that at $30 for the hours tour it was a little expensive. The tour was interesting but not sure I would be willing to pay for one of their other tours.
I enjoyed listening to the guide and her enthusiasm for the Tenement Museum and the surrounding area we were in was interesting as after tour I had a good long walk around the surrounding area

We did the Finding Home tour, which was about a Jewish family and a Puerto Rican family. The tour guide was very informative and the furnishings in the tenement flat brought his stories to life. It was really interesting and I would recommend it.

Way too expensive to pay 30 dollars per pax for a visit to one room. A normal museum you get to see more. History is very interesting, and purpose of the museum is interesting. But the price is overrated. The person working in the cashier was not very interesting in telling what we should see based on our needs and wishes.

You literally can't find a "museum" like this anywhere else in the US. Its a building that was boarded up from the 1930s to the 1980s so everything inside is much as it was when it was built in the 1840s. They have left some areas unrestored and restored some areas to be like the families would have left them. The tour I did, the "after the famine" tour follows the time when an Irish family lived in one of the apartments. The guide MADE the tour. He was amazing. You learn so much and not JUST about the building. Well worth the hour and the cost. Top 25 activity in NYC.

I am disappointed! Booked the Tenement women 1902 tour and it was not at all as advertised. We spent less than 30 minutes in the old apartment, which to my opinion is THE main attraction, and then another half an hour in a new classroom …. I didn’t sign up for a lecture but wanted to feel the apartment, the atmosphere.

We were excited to visit the Tenement Museum as relatives had taken advantage and spoken highly of the experience. We booked the 'Day in the Life 1902' tour in advance and arrived about 15 minutes early. We were greeted at the door and sent to wander the nice store until the tour started promptly.
The issue, unfortunately, was with the tour guide - a make it or break it part of the experience. While he seemed like a very nice guy, was enthusiastic, and I believe knew his subject, he couldn't put together a coherent narrative. Facts and viewpoints seemed to pop into his head at random and would just come tumbling out of his mouth. Any kind of story telling or ability to put a timeline to the narrative was beyond him. He also seemed to have a distracting fascination with numbers - "Here are 4 things to remember!", "The number 3 will come up a lot!", etc. - but then trap himself when reciting all the numbered items occasionally eluded him. Not long after the tour started you could tell our group had checked out mentally, mostly staring around the room and not engaging at all.
We stayed for the narrative in the apartment but left soon after the walk started.

The tour guide was an excellent storyteller and very knowledgeable. I had an incredible experience and learned a lot. Shout out to the tenement museum union. They deserve a fair contract and a living wage!

Awesome museum and amazing tour guide, so thoughtful and personally invested, it was fascinating! We hope local 2110 UAW can help these educators get a fair contract!

I took my niece to see the Under One Roof tour because it represented our heritage. Silas was an incredible tour guide and really emphasized the importance of telling personal stories to make history relevant. This was my second time to the museum and I tell everyone to go!

My friends and I did the 100 Years Apart tour — truly fascinating and well done. Our guide Lin was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic! Would highly recommend. Shoutout to their Union, Local2110 and who is currently fighting for a fair contract and living wages — I’ve taken a few tours and all have been great.

We took the “Under One Roof” tour. Our tour guide (Grace) was very knowledgeable and personable. The addition of recorded narration by those who lived there brought the tour to life and made it very moving. We enjoyed the films in the welcome center as well. Overall an excellent experience. Note: if we want to keep these passionate historians - they need a living wage. History Matters and so do those who share it!

They have a lot of different tours, so you could go back again and see totally different sections. The horror was interesting and I never even realized the museum was there. So glad my friend’s cousin suggested it. It was particularly timely, since we saw the Ragtime revival later that day.

SO fascinating! Grace and David were fascinating educators. Learned a lot about culinary, social, and historical aspects of arriving in the US in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Highly recommend. Very informative. Enjoyed the 100 Years Apart tour. My children learned so much. Our tour had unique interactive learning elements, which they enjoyed.

This was our second visit to the Tenement Museum. As always, the tours are incredible!! Love the amount of research that goes into each tour, and how the stories are made accessible and understandable - so meaningful. I always learn something.

What I also learned today is that the dedicated tour guides - highly skilled and educated - aren't able to work there full time and therefore don't get benefits. I spoke with one guide at some length about the situation (I worked as a guide in Virginia so I know the problem). These folks deserve a better deal and I support their efforts to get work with their union to achieve these goals.

The message being taught at the Tenement Museum is too valuable to not have such excellent guides.

As you may know, the Tenement Museum basically tells you stories about the immigrant experience in NY City anchored by the places they lived - typically tenements. In our case, we saw a portion of a tenement building in the dilapidated state it was when the museum purchased the building. Then we saw a 3 room tenement apartment as it would have looked at the time a particular family lived there. All the while we were learning about that family's experience. Our guide, Austin, was superb. Very knowledgeable and a born educator. He made everything come alive for us. Try to get there early enough to see the movie about the museum that runs in their theater off the visitor services area. It is well worth it to understand how the museum came to be, and its mission.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about how immigrants lived not only in New York but also in older large cities across the US.

There are a variety of guided tours and I wish we had more time to more than just one. Rest assured, if I wind up back in NYC, I will be back to do another tour.

I went to Tenement Museum with family. We went to the 1902 Tour of the Jewish family who started a butcher shop. The apartment was home to their little clothes factory. It was the tour that fit our time frame. Our guide really knew her history of this time period and was very interesting. Although we were told this family tour was not yet in the original building they had their belongings there and we saw the hardship and family life very well. I cant wait to go back and take a different families tour. We are not Jewish but this tour was very important to life in the US for newly arriving families.

Very interesting museum, good tours. Not too short, not too long in length. Good gift shop too!

Loved my visit to the Tenement Museum. It was tricky to pick a tour but I went for 'After the Famine', which was about an Irish family who came to live in New York. The tour guide Ashley was absolutely brilliant. So knowledgeable and a really natural speaker. She was so interested in our questions and explained a lot of extra stuff when we asked. She's in the right job! Fascinating stories and brought the two tenement flats we saw to life in a way that just walking around them wouldn't have. Absolutely fascinating. Gift shop is lovely too and really clean toilets!

We learned a great deal about the Eastern European immigrant experience in the early 1900’s. Witnessing a recreated 300 sq foot apartment brought alive by our tour quite, Angelique. Lower east side area the real deal. Pancakes at Dudley’s first, right down the street on Orchard.
Took the F subway to Delancey St, one block away.
See the real history of New York City here.

Each fall my friend and I visit NYC and we choose new museums to explore. We are both public school teacher with a high percentage of students who are refugees. This museum gave us an inside look at what newcomers to America went through in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Our tour guide was informative and answered all questions. I recommend this tour to those that love learning about our country and our diversity that makes it great!

I've been visiting the Tenement Museum for years. It's such a special place. I have so much respect and admiration for all of the work that goes into these tours. There are very few places that make oral history come alive so vividly and are able to connect real people's stories to broader national policy. Every guide I've ever had is incredible. David C. led our Tenement Women tour and his enthusiasm, deep knowledge, and curiosity about our own histories made for an especially fun and engaging visit.

Tenement Museum, I love you dearly and recommend you to everyone I know. But please pay your workers a real, living wage. It's hard to be a fixture of NYC working-class history when you don't agree to a fair contract for your workers. Solidarity with UAW Local 2110.

Did not feel this was worth $30. My particular tour followed the story of just one family, which was interesting, but we only saw 4 rooms. The museum is 4 or 5 stories tall with multiple rooms on each floor, yet I only got to see 4 of them. And the rooms are small while the tour had a lot of people, so it was very cramped. When you consider the ginormous Natural History Museum and Guggenheim are the same price, it seems like I paid a lot to see hardly anything.

I was really excited about this tour as I had heard very good things from others. However, I was pretty disappointed with the 100 years apart tour. I expected more information. It was much lighter and less impactful than I would have liked.

Don’t waste your money on this inauthentic, overly politicized, assembly-line-like tour. Groups squeeze into rooms that were originally tenements but now just have furnishings that are just someone’s best guess at what might have been there, almost nothing original and no documentation of what those rooms looked like in their day. We are history buffs, and a fair bit of the historical information provided was dubious or exaggerated. (Suggestion to guides: read multiple sources by reputable historians.) And the food in the food tour was a total ripoff: half a soft pretzel, two cups of dips (mustard and cheese spread) passed around for everyone to share, and a half glass of mass-market beer was the sum total of food provided. Possibly the worst tour we have ever taken.

The first apartment was interesting and our tour guide, Ruth was knowledgeable. The second part we’re they tell you about the Wong’s and their huge apartment but only show you the daughters bedroom. When I asked if we could see the rest on the apartment, she told me I had to sign up for another tour. Totally a teaser….

We had purchased tickets online ahead of the date and we were glad we did since it was the first available time for that date. From ground level, we did climb a few flights of stairs outside which can be slower for some. It was amazing to walk in the same building halls and rooms with the rooms made up as they might have been back then (After the Famine: 1869). Talks were informative.

The woman who took the tour was very knowledgeable but the actual tour was a real disappointment and waste of money.

The tour was actually a mock up and not a traditional tenement. This was miles below the same type of your in Glasgow which is in a traditional tenement.

Incredibly they instructed everyone to wear face masks albeit they don’t actually work and will contribute to the spread of any germs as people were constantly touching their faces.

Despite the insistence on face masks they handed out laminated documents to pass around with no sanitiser.

Wasn’t the best NY attraction.

Wow! I love this museum so much! I have visited before and I try to take another tour every time I go to NYC. This time I took the Union of Hope tour with Darryl and it was phenomenal. It is so well curated, presented, researched, and organized, but Darryl's style of engaging with each guest, welcoming discussion, and stressing important points made it so memorable. The information I learned will stay with me and inspire further research. Thank you Darryl and Tenement Museum for a great couple of hours!

I took the '100 Years Apart' tour at the Tenement Museum and found it to be a truly fascinating and essential New York experience.

Our tour was led by our docent, Ruth, whose enthusiasm and deep knowledge of the subject were immediately apparent. She was an exceptional storyteller, vividly bringing the history of the building and its residents to life.

It is remarkable to see how the museum has meticulously preserved this important slice of the city's history within the original building. The tour powerfully illustrates the immigrant experience, telling the stories of the families who lived here in a way that is both incredibly informative and deeply moving. Standing in the apartments themselves is a poignant experience that a standard museum exhibit could never replicate.

I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting the city; it offers a vital perspective on the foundations of modern New York. I will definitely be returning on a future trip to experience another of the museum's tours.

Took the German business tour. Saw nothing that that I couldn’t have read on my own. No original artifacts, no deep dive. Everything is reconstructed in later dates
Additionally, the tour guide, Ben, decided that she had to weave her political opinions into the content. Totally not appropriate.
Waster of time and money. Better do a self guided tour of the LES

This was an enlightening tour with a few caveats.

Arrived for my 12:15 PM tour. Was informed that I was the only individual booked for that time slot and that they don’t take 1 person tours. So I had to wait for the 12:45 PM tour. Fortunately, I had no other obligations booked immediately after this one so I waited. They should make this “policy” known for individuals buying tours for just 1 individual.

When 12:45 PM tour was announced . . . there were 14 people. What many tourists don’t realize is that this tour is a timed tour. . . . Tours are moving in and out of 97 Orchard Street (the actual tenement location), e.g., as one tour is moving out of the kitchen and down the stairs . . . Another tour might be moving into the space that was just occupied by a tour. With that in mind, we had 4 specific individuals who always hung back. When Sophie, the tour guide would announce we were moving to another area, these individuals would hang back to take pictures, talk amongst themselves, check their phones. At one juncture, because they did not follow the group . . . They were “locked out” by a door that our group entered but which locked behind the last person through the door. So someone had to go back and let them in. Those 4 people were blocking another tour group who was trying to move down the stairs. This happened at least 3 times on a 75 minute tour.

At several stopping locations in the building, Sophie would announce “I wish I had time to tell you about that . . . But don’t now.” Or “We don’t have the time”. The assumption is that we didn’t have that allotted time due to the stragglers in our group who were never specifically called out by our guide. And they certainly should have been. So - the rest of the group is missing out on information due to the selfishness of certain individuals. I know these guides rely upon tips . . . But I specifically did not tip Sophie because of her hesitance to tell these 4 that they were wasting this group’s time by not following instructions.

Also - guests are encouraged to watch the 30 minute movie PRIOR to the tour. Because the majority of our group did not do that . . . There were redundant questions as well as numerous questions for which answers would have been known previous to the tour IF they would have watched the movie. So for those of us that arrived early and watched the movie (as suggested) - we are now having to waste time during the tour on redundant questions that are answered in the movie.

Also - certain guests love to hear themselves talk. One in particular in our group of 14 always asked questions - no matter how redundant or immaterial to the subject at hand. At some juncture, the tour guide should be allowed to say “if you take the time to watch the 30 minute movie - all of your questions will be answered.” But Sophie did not do that.

Tours should be LIMITED to 10 individuals in an effort to assist guides with their control over the group. But I’m certain it’s all about revenue.

Lastly, I purchased more than $200 of items from the Museum’s gift shop. I also made a donation to the museum itself. So - after my items are run up and I paid my total . . . I asked for a bag (due to some of my items being breakable). I was told that I had to pay another $1 to get a bag. So I just spent more than $250 and I am being told basically “no bag for your items without giving us another $1.” Guests should be encouraged to bring their own bags if they intend to potentially buy anything from the museum gift shop.

This is a brand new tour so perhaps time will transform it a bit. I have to agree with the other reviewer who stated that walking up 60 stairs to see some documents, a few unrelated artifacts, and a recreation of an imagined conversation was lackluster and not in keeping with the great tradition of the Tenement Museum’s storytelling.

Then we got to see the two room simulation where and how five people may have lived circa 1870. That was the best part and might have gone first. It might be great to focus on that and rework the prior two segments of the visit.

I have enjoyed all the other apartment tours and walking tours more.

I have to agree with those who feel the price is steep….and as far as I can tell, there are no child or senior discounts. But tours do sell out so there must be little incentive to lower prices.

The bookstore-gift shop is, as others have said, great. There is a free film, worth watching, and great restrooms. But it is the superbly curated selection of books for sale that grabs me most!

If you hate guided tours, this is not the place for you as no visitor is free to wander the building at large. The guides are indeed called Educators and do engage visitors well.

The neighborhood is fun to see although gentrifying rapidly. For instance, rent in one of the Tenement apartments could have been $7 a month 150 years ago. Hotel rooms right across the street may run $700 a night nowadays.

My wife arranged this tour of the tenement museum. The museum is an actual tenement building preserved in its original. It was sealed up and untouched for about 70 years. Like a time capsule the way this building was inhabited in the early 1900’s by two different immigrant families. Interesting and very knowledgeable tour guides. Note that there are no self guided tours.

Fascinating small museum on Lower East Side, tour reservations required. The Tenement Museum has a few different themed tours, we went on the Tenement Women: 1902 tour. I have read about the Five Points Neighborhood and the tenements but to go into the ACTUAL structures is a visceral experience. The stories told by the guide add to the experience and generate conversation. And they have a really great gift store! I have been a couple of times and never leave without a book or two!

This is an excellent museum. They have done a fantastic job in returning this 1863 tenement building to its original state, complete with furniture. The visit takes about one and a half hours. All visits are guided which is great, our guide Erica was excellent with a wealth of information about how immigrants who arrived in the late 1800s lived in this kind of building. You can chose from several tour themes. This is an essential visit if you are in New York. It's a bit off the main parts of tourist New York but well worth the journey, there is a subway station at Delancy. There is a shop and bathrooms in the reception building. We walked back from here to Chinatown, quite an interesting walk.

I'm not usually a fan of doing the same touristy thing over and over, but I've done 3 different tours here and it never disappoints. The best tours have included some exterior/neighborhood aspects. My twenty-something daughters also really enjoyed. Great experiential learning.

This was a cool place! We did the Family Owned tour, and our guide was very knowledgeable. He was able to answer every question thrown at him. There is a short movie that you can see before or after your show, and they announce when your tour is beginning, so you don't have to worry about missing it while in the movie.

Excellent tour and even better guide. But the guides through their union need higher salaries and more input as to the operation of the Tenement Museum. Is that too much to ask!

My friends and I loved our tour chronicling Chinese and Jewish immigrants across time. Our guide was great, and deserves a fair contract with living wages! Union now, just like our ancestors said :)

We joined the “After the Famine 1868” tour led by Ben. They were a brilliant, knowledgeable and engaging host who made us feel relaxed and comfortable asking questions. The tour was excellent and we came away with a true picture of what life was like for Bridget and Joseph Moore who left Ireland to escape the potato famine and build a new life in the USA. There are a number of different tours and we only had to wait a few minutes after arrival before we headed into the tenement. This is a must do when you are in New York and it followed on perfectly from our visit to Ellis Island as it brought the struggles of new immigrants to life.

Arts and history is the core of who we are and every effort should be made to preserve them. This isn’t possible without museum workers, who currently earn well below a living wage with zero health benefits. They deserve a fair contract and living wages!

Amazing place. History preserved through the stories of the families that lived in this building. The walking tour expands your knowledge to the businesses and activities in the area

You need to experience this museum to understand how special it is. It truly is like being in a time capsule. The fact that the building has been preserved as it was is nothing short of miraculous. We booked the "Under One Roof" tour and it was wonderful! Our guide was so engaging and knowledgeable. Although this would be a great family experience, there is a lot of standing and listening to the guide. While the information our guide shared was fascinating, it would be a lot of listening for most children. Save some time to check out the book shop/gift shop. They have an amazing selection of books. Be sure to reserve your tickets before you visit. I noticed that many of the tours were already sold out. I can not recommend a visit to this unique museum highly enough.

The only downside of this wonderful museum is that most of its workers are not making a living wage. I learned from the Tenement Museum Union that they have no health benefits and no guaranteed minimum number of hours per week. Please listen the Union and give them a fair contract.

Very disappointed in this tour. The museum knew very little of the tenets that they picked for one of the apartments. They chose to use the tour to teach about racism against Irish families instead. While not a terrible topic and something that should be addressed as should all racism, my issue was that they chose to do this in a museum that advertises that you will get to know the tenets and how they lived. I thought we would learn about the difference in foods and such, or the actual people who had lived the apartments. Their daily lives, what they did, etc. There are better tour companies that can teach what they were doing. The supervisor explained they allow staff to choose either politics, family life, and one other way to present the tour. So be warned you may have a tour guide who has an agenda and not really interested in the history of the building or the history of the neighborhood, or its tenets.

We found our tour to be very interesting and informative. We liked being able to select the time period that would be the focus of our time in the museum. The gift shop had lots of cute/off-beat items for sale. I was surprised at how great this experience was since I've been to NYC a lot and had never heard of anyone going there.

Being a native NY’er for all my life, my wife and I took our 9 yr daughter to experience what it was like to live back in the mid to late 19th century.

Sophie our guide was very knowledgeable about the history and people who lived there.

We followed the building on the lower east side tour. It was my second time on a Tenement Museum guided tour, and it is always interesting. The tour handled as well historical subjects as subjects from current times.

We did the one hour tour Jewish immigrants tour. Very educational and informative. Tour guide was very good. Be prepared to climb some stairs. Plan your day well and you can combine this with lunch at Katz’s Deli.

Situated in the Lower East Side, the Tenement Museum offers guided walking tours, showing the history of different waves of immigration, by showing specific families and how and where they lived. Very interesting!

The guide was amazing and the employees here deserve a fair contract with living wages! This is a must-visit and I hope the workers here are soon recognized for how necessary their work is.

I had read about this museum and have been wanting to visit for a while. My husband and I recently had the opportunity to do so and we were not disappointed! We took both the After the Famine: 1869 and the Finding Home tours. I wish we had time for more!

The tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the subject matter. They are currently negotiating a new contract and are asking for a living wage and a fair contract. We thoroughly support this effort.

The tour was AMAZING. I now suggest this museum to anyone visiting New York. It's the best way to learn so much of the REAL history of our city. I took the 100 years apart tour and it was fascinating to be able to learn about how the museum partnered with families to tell their own stories especially how being union members made working and living and thriving in America easier and afforded them so many opportunities. On that note, I strongly support the museum workers UAW union drive for a fair contract for higher pay and better benefits and think that it would benefit both workers and the museum!

We came here last week on our New York trip. We did the 2 Families tour which lasted about 75 minutes and we got to see The apartment of both a Jewish family and an Italian family.
I can’t remember our tour guides name but she was excellent and made the tour very informative. I found the stories of the 2 families quite moving.
We are planning to come back to New York next summer and will definitely be returning to this museum. Highly recommended.

We had heard such great things about this tour, but we’re so incredibly disappointed by every aspect of our experience. We spent 75 minutes learning about a meat boycott and not much else. The apartment was initially interesting, but the rest of the tour devolved into meaningless and uninteresting details that resulted in a desire to escape. There are so many interesting experiences in NYC and this is one that I would wholeheartedly encourage you to avoid.

We did the 'Out in the Neighborhood' tour. Highly recommend. Our tour guide was amazing. He clearly is passionate about history and the neighborhood. He gave a great our, answered everyone's questions and helped point people to their next stop after the tour. The gift shop is wonderful, so many great books.

A very big "don't bother." For the price, you see 2 rooms, stand the whole time and feel pressured that the next tour is just waiting behind you. Very disappointed, the material they must have that could be revealed in a more interesting way is being wasted, sitting in a box somewhere. Skip this 'museum'.

Absolutely fascinating tour of a tenement building throughout the years. We took the 1949 to present tour Our guide was extremely knowledgeable on every aspect of the families that lived in these apartments and the traumas they went through to ensure their families wouldn't live the same lives they had to go through. To think a couple could ensure years of torture in death camps to become parents and live "normal" lives is credit to who they were.
The level of detail in each of the rooms, curated by the actual families who lived there and experts in purchasing antiques from the time really set the tone.
Id love to work there!

This is one of those hidden gems. It’s amazing that thismpiece of history survived in its real condition. I followed my ancestry and took thenIrish immigrant tour that was led by a young woman who is a history major and very passionate about these true stories. They know the actual family who lived in the apartment you visit super friendly museum staff and a great gift shop to boot!

My husband, cousin, and I took the “Exploring a Tenement: 1933” tour on our visit to NYC in July. The tour was 1 hour long and detailed the life of the Baldizzi family, who lived there in the 1930s.

Our tour guide was wonderful and had a vast knowledge of the Baldizzi family, history of the time and place, and immigration policies of the time. She made the family’s story come alive and always kept the tour interesting.

There are stairs to climb, as this is an older building. Chairs were available throughout the tour. The perfectly reconstructed apartment was small, but clean and bright.

I highly recommend this tour, which you don’t have to be a history buff to enjoy. There are various tours to choose from, and next time I’m in NYC, I will go on another.

We took the subway from the west side to get to Orchard Street. Easy to find.

The Tenement Museum is located just off Delancey Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It provides a fascinating history of how tenement houses (essentially old buildings of small apartments) housed multiple waves of immigrants. You can only visit the museum on a tour. There are several different tours, telling different stories, that run throughout the day. We went on a tour that showed us an apartment that first housed Jewish holocaust survivors and then an immigrant family from Puerto Rico. Our tour guide was very good and provided an interesting explanation of the history of the building and its residents. Surprisingly, she left quickly at the end of the tour before we could tip her. There is large gift shop and a film about the museum that runs every 30 minutes. There is an elevator so the tours are fully accessible.

Went on a tour of Levine’s 1902 apartment with our 10 year old and 13 year old. Our guide (lively young lady sorry can’t remember the name) kept things really interesting and without being patronising (which some guides end up doing!). Apartment block itself is interesting and the stories and items really bring it to life. Not too long but not too short. Pricey but we all really enjoyed.

We’ve wanted to visit this museum for a long time. Finally In the city and purchased tickets in advance. They are expanding and
Improving so it sounds like it wasn’t a typical experience but it was still 5 stars. Our guide, Erica, was extremely knowledgeable and passionate. Can’t wait to see their expansion on our next trip!

Two moms and our 17 yr old daughters here for the weekend. Came across this museum and decided to visit. Jared was an excellent guide!!!

This un-traditional museum offers little in the way of formal exhibits and artifacts on display. The appeal rests largely in the museum’s unique guided apartment and neighborhood tours. I would recommend first-time visitors to opt for one of their apt. tours, as these let you see the re-created tenement living spaces of different immigrant families in the Lower East Side over the last 160 years. The guide for our tour (*Family Owned) was knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about telling the story of past immigrant families and their myriad contributions to the history, character, and heritage of New York City. All tours must be booked in advance through the museum’s website, each one costing $30 per adult head. There also is a gift shop where one can purchase (overpriced) nick-knacks, clothing apparel, and books.

I had a great experience here. I wasn't sure if an hour tour would be worth the money, but it definitely was. I took the After the Famine tour. I arrived early to look around the gift shop, which had some really interesting products, from books to souvenirs. I also watched the 15-minute long movie in the back about the history of the tenement museum. If you have a National Parks passport, you can get a stamp up near the register. I used the bathrooms in the lower level, which were clean when I was there. The water fountain and lockers are also down there. Lockers are cubby sized, you could probably fit a school backpack inside. I had a drawstring backpack with me that I was allowed to keep on me as long as I had it over one shoulder.

The docent I had who led the tour was very well-versed. First, we went around to the "back yard" of the tenement, which is where the outhouses and water pump are. Then we went up to the 4th floor. We started out in a "ruined apartment", which was a unit left as it was found when the building was acquired, without any renovation. There, the docent provided an interesting talk about the historical context of the family whose apartment we would see next. It was multi-media, so we saw some slides projected onto the wall that had pictures, as well as a folk song. She also showed us some physical printed out pictures. Then we went into the restored apartment, which was renovated to look the way it would have when the family was living there. The docent gave us information about the family, and she pointed out specific details of what we could see in the apartment. It included furnishings and personal objects. The tour was only an hour, but it was absolutely packed with interesting information. It was presented in a way that made history feel more personal and something you could identify with. It also gave a good picture of the immigrant experience. Right after this tour, I went on an unaffiliated Gangster and Ghosts tour, which I'm mentioning because there was actually some overlap in information, but in a completely different context. It really reinforced what I learned at the Tenement Museum, and those two activities paired together perfectly.

Tips: You need to be able to climb stairs. We started at an outdoor basement level and climbed up a fire escape to the 4th floor. The gift shop does not sell snacks, but they do sell water bottles, and there is a fountain in the basement. You can't have opened food on the tour anyway, but if you need something for afterward, you can have a small snack in your bag. I had a reusable water bottle and a protein bar in my bag, and I was able to have both with me as long as they stayed in the bag.

I went on the Finding Home tour with Stefania (please accept my apologies if I've misspelled that). She is an exceptionally good guide and the tour was very informative, interesting and moving. This is one of the best museums I've been to, in NYC or anywhere, and I'd highly recommend it. Pre-booking is advisable as the tours are rightly very popular. The gift shop is also excellent. Thank you so much for a brilliant experience.

My husband and I spent most of our week in NYC, visiting with our family from Utah.
Our visit began with a frustrating encounter with the visitor services staff. When we politely pointed out a mistake with our tickets, they responded with smirks and dismissive attitudes. After aggravation on our part, a helpful staff member (tall, glasses, white hair) intervened and resolved the issue. Frankly, it's baffling why a museum would employ individuals with blatant disregard for customer service and basic courtesy.

The only redeeming aspect of our visit was the museum's exceptional gift shop. It offered souvenirs, jewelry, books, and knick-knacks.

We booked the "Union of Hope" tour. Unfortunately, the experience was a major letdown. The guide, despite calling themselves an "educator," seemed uneducated and rude. The tour felt rushed, cramped, and passionless. The museum preys on emotion to attract visitors, particularly descendants of those exploited individuals.

Not suitable for anyone with mobility limitations as there is much stair climbing and standing.

While the gift shop offers a positive experience, the museum has a long way to go when it comes to customer service and accessibility.

A very interesting subject but the museum missed the mark for us. We wanted to learn about immigrant life and the history of the area. However the musuem is really about showing you a few preserved rooms and thus forces you to choose a tour. Most last at least an hour with a guide to see a few rooms. Our tour ran over and was an hour an a half and very slow. Very few places to sit so we soon had back ache from standing still. Some nice touches including audio of some of the original occupants, but the guide meanered off without structure which we needed.
The lady who took our money (quite expensive) failed to tell us there was a film to watch in the 15 minutes we had to hang around for the tour to start - we found out about it the next day when sharing stories with another tourist. The bookshop was a bit too cluttered so we didn't even notice there was a film.

The lower east side walking tour was excellent. So informative. Dolan was a wonderful guide. Shout out to the tenement museum union. Every employee deserves a living wage and a fair contract.

We booked the Jewish Women’s tour of two different women who lived in the block in the early 1900s. Brilliant tour guide and so inspiring.

The Tenement Museum is such an important place to stay connected to a critical aspect of NYC’s history. The tour guides do an incredible job and clearly invest a lot of time and effort in crafting their tours. This is one of the many reasons why their deserve fair pay and a fair contract. I hope the museum will ensure that that happens!

Two generations of our family took the “Tenement Women: 1902” tour. We all enjoyed the insights and insights enthusiasm of our guide, Judy. Highly recommend for an immersive experience.

Seeing the tenements that are basically in a time capsule is fascinating. Really makes you appreciate how life is much easier now!

The tour itself was great and informative but our guide needs a few lessons on Ellis Island. She stated that immigrants had their eyes checked for cataracts, when they were actually checked for trachoma, a highly infectious disease that causes blindness and she said they were led up a flight of stairs to check for limping, and if they limped they were deported. The flight of stairs they went up were the people that need more testing. She made it sound like the US only wanted “perfect and good people”. Only when a member of our tour group spoke up and said people were examined for diseases as well did she say, that’s true too. A little too much wokeness for a tour on a big part of our history. Get the facts straight and the tour would be great.

Everyone should visit the Tenement Museum at least once! The lower reviews clearly have missed the point of this institution, which is to highlight the stories of the everyday people who have shaped the LES into what it is today. It's not meant to be an all-encompassing analysis of the eras in which these individuals lived, so if that's what you're looking for, it might not be the right choice. I found that it gave me a new perspective on the neighborhood, which has historically been inhabited by the working class.

The museum has an excellent approach to accessibility - providing written transcripts, elevator escorts, and requiring masks to be worn inside. (I hope they'll create a tour that dives into the intersection of NYC tenements and the field of public health at some point). However, note that the tours are in English, except for some interviews that might be in other languages.

I went on the Finding Home tour, which retells the stories of 2 families that lived in the building in the 50s and 60s. (Shout-out to our guide Victoria for her engaging, informative tour). To be honest, a lot of the historical information was not new to me, but I really enjoyed learning about the level of detail that was put into recreating the room. I also appreciated the reframing of the word 'tenement' itself; I had always been taught that it was a negative word. Overall, it's an excellent introduction to the neighborhood and the American immigration landscape. You can supplement what you learn on the tour with the books they sell in the gift shop.

I took the “After the Famine” tour with Sophie -what a wonderful experience! The tour was well researched and curated, Sophie gave a compassionate and intelligent commentary, was receptive to questions, and made it a very pleasant experience. I love this museum and I can’t wait to visit it again.

I was born and raised in NYC, but the Tenement Museum is one of the few Manhattan museums I hadn’t visited until today. Unfortunately, I did not read reviews ahead of time to get a feel for the experience.

There is no opportunity to explore on your own and are only allowed to visit one apartment. Before you visit the apartment, the tour guide gives two lectures about the what it would have been like for families living in the building. The tour guide was decent, but a lot of the information conveyed feels generic, particularly on the tour I was on- “A Union of Hope”. Most of the content seemed like an amalgamation of stories about the Black experience in the Lower East Side. I did not find the tour worth the cost. Additionally, there is a lot of stair climbing and standing in the cramped tenement rooms- if you have a mobility impairment, this may be a challenge.

I think everyone who lives in NYC should visit this place at least once. Humbling experience! Would definitely recommend.

The place is worth visiting. History of the many Europeans who came to New York in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The stories and places will leave you speechless... you need to know the English language, otherwise you will miss the pleasure of the guide's tales. Recommended even if you do not chew English very well.

loved the experience, crazy to see how people were crammed into a little space and still seemed to be completely grateful

Been on the Finding Home tour with Amy. Very knowledgeable guide with great stories about some of the many residents of New Yorks tenement buildings through the years. Great if you like social history, great if you like political history also. One of a number of tours available, we will have to return to try others. Great way to spend an hour.

I think this museum could have offered more that what I got in an hour. You can only have a guided tour and that tour is only one portion of the building. So much more to learn from this museum but why pay to go and see the other tours?

Amazing history of immigrant NY.

There are 14 different tours. We did the Under One Roof tour. Fascinating history.

David C. Our guide was excellent…filled with passion and enthusiasm for the subject

I am amazed when fellow New Yorkers have not visited so I take them. Most, not all, love it.

The museum was the 1988 brainchild of two women who were not museum professionals. It is intentionally different from many museums.

-you cannot wander on your own
-there are no audio tours
-you cannot see the whole place on one visit
-there is no cafe
- there is no senior discount
-not all of it is accessible if mobility-challenged
-it focuses on the poor not the elites
—possessions such a family might have used are displayed, not works of fine art.

What happens instead:

-it is best to reserve a specific date, time and tour ahead of time as they do sell out.
-know that your tour will be limited to 16 or so people because spaces are small
-the 16 will come from all over the world and all over the US
-understanding spoken English is essential to enjoyment
-the neighborhood is restaurant-rich
-arriving 45 minutes ahead allows watching the free film and perusing the terrific shop
-guides, called educators, lead your group and invite questions

Yes - Go! Do a tour, do several, you won't be disappointed. This was a highlight of our trip to NYC, and we will go back to do other tours. Maya was a great tour guide, very personable and engaging. The gift shop was great. This is a museum everyone should see.

The good: great book resource for NY.

The bad: 45 minute tour with a girlish, amateurish, guide for the 100 year tour. Asked why a poor German widow had the right to receive a free sewing machine when there were other deserving women. A woman with children trying to survive. Who was Jewish and received aid from a Jewish aid society.

The areas covered were very limited, and could be claustrophobic for some.

No elevators working.

I looked forward to visiting this museum for years, and came away disappointed.

Excellent tour of a historic building and the people that lived in it. We took two tours, one in the underground area that was a german bar/living area from the late 1800's, and another tour of an apartment from a family in the 1950-1960's. Both areas are recreated just as it would have been in those times. Individuals that had lived in those apartments could remember items and memories from those rooms.

We did the 'Finding Home' tour. It was excellent- very interesting and informative. It really brought the social history of NYC to life. I hope I get the chance to go back and do another tour.

Excellent tour guide led our group through the OUR HOME tour. Very good overview of immigration in the 50s with carryover to today. Our guide had info and dates readily available for the many questions that were generated by this tour.

The tour guide for the walking tour was among the best we've had on our trip. It was a really excellent presentation by a gifted presenter. We learned so much about the history of the neighborhood and about philosophies of urban development. We also did the under the roof tour inside the building.Nothing like being there can help you understand how cramped and crowded it was. It is amazing to visit the real building. I wish it were possible to see more of the apartments though. Those of us who don't live in NYC can't come back next week.

I went on two tours here. The union of hope tour I would rate 3.5/5 - it was interesting but I really don’t think they have enough material on the family to make it an entire tour. The second tour I did, under one roof, blew me away which is why I decided on balance to give the museum a 5/5 (I also think the delivery of this tour guide - I believe her name was Caitlin - was better than the first. Caitlin was really knowledgable, friendly and engaging).

My middle school son chose the Irish immigrant experience after my wife let us know it was her favorite museum in NYC...it's now one of mine. Our guide John, whose mother was an Irish immigrant herself, gave us all a great background of what life was like for Joseph and Bridget Moore, the Irish family that lived in the building in the 1860s. The museum has done a wonderful job of bringing to life what their apartment might have looked and felt like, and the challenges (and successes) the family had trying to make it in NYC. It ended with a genuinely moving update of relatives of the Moores reaching out to the museum and filling in missing gaps for many of the descendants. I can't wait to go back and do one of the many other experiences...highly recommend!

The Tenement Museum is great, but I wouldn’t recommend the 100 Years Tour with Lin. While passionate, I found the tour guide emphasized the things she couldn't say due to privacy laws, and her delivery was over the top and off putting. Highly recommend Hard Times if they’re still running this tour.

I've heard only great things about the Tenement Museum... but I will not be paying to go or recommending it to friends until the people who work there have a union and are receiving fair wages for their labor.

It strikes me as deeply hypocritical for a museum dedicated to the history of NYC's class struggle to deny their own employees the wages they need to make rent.

The most difficult part of our visit was trying to decide which tour we should book when all of them sounded interesting. We landed on Under One Roof and it didn't disappoint. The Museum is amazing and a great way to see some history of New York still standing.

Be warned that you may or may NOT actually be given a tour of the old tenement house, nor might you learn about the actual immigrants who lived there. Instead, you may be in for a long lecture and discussion group about the racial dynamics of NYC then and now. It was torture to finally be at the museum having travelled so far, and not be allowed to look at it. Nor, even to ask questions. Our "tour guide" actually told us that we could not ask questions about the tenement building itself as the lecture topic was more important. While exploring racial dynamics and other minorities classes who suffered and worked in NYC is well and good, I spent $30, traveled for miles to learn about tenement dwellers at the turn of the century and finally get to see where they lived. A lecture and highly controlled discussion group was not what I paid for, nor what was advertised.

Loved this tour! You really get a feel for the immigrant’s experience and what life was like in the time period. Our educator/ guide was wonderful! Can’t remember her name but she was a young woman with dark hair whose mother is French and her Dad, Irish. She was so knowledgeable, well spoken and pleasant. If I ever visit NYC again, I’ll take another tour here. My friend who isn’t really into history was as fascinated as I was.

I have wanted to visit this museum since the last time I visited NYC ten years ago. We organised the early morning trip to Ellis island first - followed by an afternoon guided tour of 97 orchard Street - a brilliant way to immerse yourself in the migrant history of New York. Our guide was superb- a very smart young woman who knew her stuff. Her energy and enthusiasm for the story of the Rogarshevsky family was very impressive- you couldn’t help but be caught up in it all. Which, I guess, is the whole point. Empathy for those who simply sought to better the lives of themselves and their loved ones is as relevant now as it’s ever been.

We went on the Family Owned tour which told the story of early German settlers living in the tenement in the mid 1800s. Very interesting story and fascinating to see the living conditions. The house has a mock up of the saloon bar which the family ran during their stay. Well worth the visit.