The Tenement Museum celebrates the enduring stories that define and strengthen what it means to be American. We share stories of the immigrant and migrant experience through guided tours of our two tenement buildings on Orchard Street and the surrounding neighborhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Visitors can take building tours of the recreated homes of our former residents between the 1860s and the 1980s as well as walking tours of the neighborhood they lived in.
Or to visit us virtually, check out our upcoming virtual programs and events.
Tenement Apartment Tours
Explore historically recreated tenement apartments and discover how immigrants lived on New York’s Lower East Side in the 19th and 20th centuries. Along with a glimpse of the past, glean insights from educators who offer historical perspectives that relate to current conversations about immigration.
Neighborhood Walking Tours
Get to know the city by visiting historical sites and learning about the people and neighborhoods of the Lower East Side through our walking tours. Tours are available for both individual ticket holders or private groups.
Upcoming Virtual Events
Explore our schedule of weekly free virtual events on Youtube Live, and purchase tickets to our virtual tours and specialty programs. You can view video recordings of past virtual live events.
Plan a Group Visit
Host a private in-person or virtual experience with the Tenement Museum! Your guests will interact with experts and educators and be guided through the recreated spaces of our historic tenement buildings and the lives of the families who lived there, using videos, archival images, and oral histories.
Explore Digital Stories
From digital exhibits to behind-the-scenes articles to our award-winning podcast, you will find yourself immersed in the stories that make the Museum so unique and gain a fascinating, in-depth historical look at life on the Lower East Side.
Virtual Field Trips
The Tenement Museum’s virtual school programs offer your class a chance to “visit” our recreated apartments from anywhere in the world. Our Educators take students into the building and apartments using pre-recorded video, 360° images, and primary sources to share stories of the families who lived in our historic buildings.
An Original Food Documentary
Taste of the Tenement
Our gala celebration this year was the premiere of our new gala film, Taste of the Tenement! A special “Tenement take” on Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, we explore the rich history of our vibrant Lower East Side neighborhood through the common thread that brings us all together: food.
Sharing Stories of the Immigrant Experience
The Tenement Museum celebrates the enduring stories that define and strengthen what it means to be American. We share stories of the immigrant and migrant experience through immersive guided tours, educational content and programs, and thought leadership, with one important goal — to advance the understanding of immigration and to highlight its role in the ongoing creation of our nation.
Throughout history and into the present day, millions of people moved to and around the United States in pursuit of the American Dream. While it may at times be easy to see the gaps between “us” and “them,” a closer look reveals how these newest citizens demonstrate the human spirit of our nation’s ideals. And, the understanding that results is that it doesn’t matter why they came; what matters is that they did.