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Lower East Side Tenement Museum Tours

How to Get Tenement Museum Tickets

Updated: March 23, 2024

While offering some of our tours, we will sometimes pass by the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.

With that in mind, we created this post is about how to visit the Tenement Museum in New York City, including getting tickets, directions, what you will see at the museum, and an analysis of reviews.


What is the Tenement Museum?

The Tenement Museum is housed in actual tenement buildings built in 1863.

The building served as a residence for approximately 7,000 immigrants from the time it was built all the way into the 1930s.

The only way to visit the museum (housed in historic tenement buildings) is by taking a tour or guided experience.

The museum offers many tours each day, but tours do sell out. If you are flexible about what day and time you can go, your chances of getting tickets increase.

It can't hurt to be spontaneous so you can always call at the last minute and see if tickets are available.


PLAN YOUR VISIT

TIP: A great way to complement your visit to the museum is to take our pay-what-you-wish Lower East Side Food Tour. See more below.


Getting There

The Tenement Museum is at 103 Orchard Street at the corner of Delancey Street in the Lower East Side. (map)

By Subway

  • B or D trains to Grand Street
  • F train to Delancey Street 
  • J/M/Z to Essex Street

You can use this Google Map to get exact directions from your point of departure to the Museum.

If you are new to New York, you may find the following posts regarding the NYC subway helpful.

By Bus

M15 North and South Bound. There is a bus stop at the corner of Grand and Allen Streets. 

By Car: Click here for directions and parking information.

TIP: Many sightseeing bus tours have stops in the Lower East Side within walking distance of the Tenement Museum. 

If you are thinking of taking a bus tour, see our post about which New York bus tour is best? 

Tenement Museum Orchard Street

Museum Shop and Visitor Center Hours

The Visitor Center and Museum Shop are 7 days a week, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Days. 


Choosing the Best Tour for You

As stated above, you can only visit the Musem by taking one of their tours.  They offer many different tours each with its own theme. 

Tours vary in duration so this is something to keep in mind. Also, some building tours require you to walk a few flights of stairs.

These old buildings can get hot in the summer, just like they did 100 years ago!

Below we list the types of tours they offer. 


MUSEUM TOURS

The museum offers many variations on the tours below, far too many to explain here. You can see more details on their website

Note that tours are not recommended for children below the age of 6.


Apartment Tours

Tenement Apartment Front Room

On these tours, you visit the apartments and homes of former residents of the building.

They have been designed to look as they did more than a century ago. 

Your guide will discuss life in that era and help you imagine the experience of the families that lived in 97 Orchard.


Neighborhood Walking Tours 

These tours are led by guides who show you around the neighborhood while explaining different aspects of the neighborhood.

Tours include topics like how locals spent time outside of their homes a hundred years ago.

Another topic is how the neighborhood has changed over the decades. 


Apartment Tours - Meet the Residents

Tenement Kitchen

These tours have the added bonus of having a 'resident' (a costumed performer) of the building show you around their apartment. 

These tours are especially good for families with children.

Note: These tours are on a limited number of Saturdays and Sundays and are booked up fast. 


Other Events at the Museum

The Museum has special events, including panels discussing the themes of immigration, food history, music, health, and politics.

Also, every Thursday evening, the Tenement Museum hosts events and programs that are not offered any other time.

Some of these events are free and some require a ticket. See the schedule here.


TICKETS

This unique museum can sometimes sell out of tickets. We highly recommend that you buy your tickets in advance. The museum posts its tour schedule online 6 weeks in advance. 


Apartment Tour Tickets: 

  • Adults $30
  • Students $30
  • Seniors $30
  • Children under 5 are not permitted at this time 

Walking Tour Tickets: 

  • Adults $30
  • Students $30
  • Seniors $30
  • Children under 5 are not permitted at this time 

Apartment Tours- Meet the Residents:

  • Adults $30
  • Students $30
  • Seniors $30
  • Children under 5 are 5not permitted at this time 

You can purchase tickets on their website, in person inside the gift shop, or by phone at 877-975-3786.  


REVIEWS OF THE TENEMENT MUSEUM

The Tenement Museum has a very good 4.5-star TripAdvisor rating. Overall, guests have been very pleased with their experiences.  

Tenement Museum

Many reviews point out how fascinating and interesting the inside of the 97 Orchard tenement apartment building is. 

Guests have been mostly pleased by the guides and the content of all the tours.

There are some, but not many, negative reviews. The most frequent complaint is that the tours are too expensive.

Guests love the gift shop, which offers a great selection of books and many other New York City-related items.


LOWER EAST SIDE FOOD TOUR

The Lower East Side is one of NYC's most vibrant neighborhoods. That is why we created our pay-what-you-wish Lower East Side Food Tour.

You can take this tour before or after visiting the Tenement Museum, or instead of the museum tour which is somewhat expensive!

Our guides tell you about the history of immigration in the neighborhood, including what life was like in the tenements. 

You'll also learn about the area’s well-known art scene. And of course, you'll be tasting some of the best and cheapest treats the neighborhood has to offer.

Be sure to take a look at our full lineup of New York food tours.


Tips From Locals and Travelers

Although we did our best to remain unbiased in this article, it's always a good idea to get a variety of perspectives before making any purchasing decisions.

Thankfully, we also have a Facebook Group called New York City Travel Tips where you can ask any questions you may still have about visiting the Tenement Museum.

Here are a few examples of comments that locals and travelers have made about this historic attraction:

As you can see, sometimes travelers will ask questions about whether or not the tour is worth the cost, and when that happens, the answer is almost always a resounding yes.

No seriously, we challenge you to find more than a few comments that are anything but positive.

Although it might surprise you, there's actually a lot of great activities to combine with a tour of the Tenement Museum. Maureen notes in her comment that it's even compatible with an Off-Broadway show!

Myra also makes a great point, noting that there's nothing quite like this museum anywhere else in the world.

For even more unique perspectives, make sure to check out our New York City Travel Tips group on Facebook, and consider asking your own questions as well!


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About The Author

Stephen Pickhardt

Stephen is the CEO of Free Tours by Foot and has overseen the transformation of a local walking tour company into a global tour community and traveler’s advice platform. He has personally led thousands of group tours in the US and Europe, and is an expert in trip planning and sightseeing, with a focus on budget travelers. Stephen has been published and featured in dozens of publications including The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Yahoo, Washington.org, and more.
Updated: March 23rd, 2024
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