We look forward to welcoming you to the Tenement Museum! Below are our visitors’ most frequently asked questions.
FAQs
Planning A Visit
The Tenement Museum is a National Historic Landmark. Unlike many museums, our exhibits are not contained within glass vitrines or surrounded by velvet ropes. Please help us preserve this landmark and offer a positive experience for all visitors by adhering to the following rules for the duration of your visit:
- Masks are no longer required, but are strongly recommended for all Museum visitors.
- Children under 5 are not permitted on most tenement apartment tours, but are welcome to join a Meet Victoria tour, neighborhood walking tours, or our virtual programs and events.
- Large bags, backpacks, or luggage are not permitted on apartment tours. Storage lockers are available in the Visitor Center.
- Eating, gum-chewing, and drinking (other than water) are not permitted inside exhibit spaces.
- The Tenement Museum is a smoke-free zone. Smoking/vaping is not permitted.
- Service dogs are welcome on all tours. Pets and emotional support animals are not permitted inside our tenement buildings.
- Please stay with your guide at all times. In case of an emergency, your guide will call for a staff member to escort you out of the building.
- Please do not touch walls, objects, or other areas of the building unless invited to do so by our educators.
- Cellphones and other electronic devices should be turned to silent prior to the start of your tour.
- Photography is permitted on tours (with the exception of our Meet Victoria program), but we ask that visitors do so in a way that does not distract fellow visitors or the educator giving the tour.
*Members of the press should contact Jamie Salen ([email protected]) for press tickets.
Online | We highly recommend reserving tickets in advance through our website.
Phone or Email | Alternatively, we’re available Monday–Saturday by phone and email, 10:30am–5pm EST. Contact us at [email protected] or +1 (877) 975-3786.
In-Person | Tickets are also sold at the Museum Shop and Visitor Center on a first-come, first-served basis.
All tickets are $30 per person, per tour. See below for more information on special discounts.
All tickets are $30 per person, per tour.
The Museum offers discounts for teachers, military, neighborhood residents (10002 zip code), visitors with disabilities, and members of AAM, MANY, and National Trust. For more information, please contact our call center at [email protected]
NY Teachers: Get free admission on Sundays! Use code TEACHNY and get 1 free ticket per order.
A valid school ID or email needs to be shown when picking up tickets. Only applies to tours on Sundays.
Many of our tours sell out, so advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended – especially during weekends, holidays, or if you are visiting with a group of 5 or more.
After adding your desired tickets to your order, press the shopping bag icon (🛍️) next to the Checkout button on the lower left side of the screen. A summary of your cart will appear.
Choose “Apply a promo code” and enter the discount code – then click “Apply“.
The discount will then be subtracted automatically from your total!
Yes. The website lists the number of tickets available for each tour and will state “Sold Out” when all available tickets for a session are reserved.
A limited version of our upcoming tour schedule is posted 2 weeks prior to the 1st of every month, with an additional select number of programs added on a rolling basis every Thursday.
We recognize the diverse needs of our audience and are committed to enabling all visitors to explore the im/migrant experiences we interpret at the Museum.
View a complete list of our accessible programs and services on our accessibility page.
The following apartment tours are not air-conditioned:
Cooling is provided through fans and windows. Visitors are permitted to drink bottled water on their tour to stay cool. |
The following apartment tours are air-conditioned:
The Museum Shop, Visitor Center, and theater are also fully air-conditioned. |
Tickets are non-refundable or exchangeable. Visitor Center staff can catch up visitors to their tours up to 20 minutes after the start time.
The only exception is our Meet Victoria tour. Staff can catch up visitors only up to 15 minutes after the start time due to the program’s format and structure.
Per Museum policy, tours with less than 2 visitors may be canceled. In the event of a tour cancellation, a visitor will be offered the next available tour or refunded in full.
Service dogs are welcome on all museum tours. Pets and emotional support animals are not allowed inside our tenement buildings, but can be brought on outdoor neighborhood walking tours.
We ask for visitors to leash and clean up after their pets. During your visit, pets cannot be left unattended or placed in the care of our staff.
Your tour will be led by an Educator, an employee of the Tenement Museum. Tips are not solicited or expected. If you would like to show your appreciation you are welcome to leave feedback online, through our post-visit survey, or in the Visitor Center. You are also welcome to leave a donation in the Visitor Center or through our website.
The Museum does not have any eating facilities. Water and select soft drinks are available for sale in our Museum Shop located at 103 Orchard Street. The Lower East Side is also home to a number of excellent restaurants. Feel free to ask Visitor Center staff for suggestions when you come for your tour.
The Tenement Museum does not offer onsite parking. Metered street parking is available, but limited. Please allow a lot of additional time to find parking if you require it. The nearest parking lot is Essex Street Municipal Parking, located at 109 Essex St, New York, NY 10002.
We recommend visitors travel using public transit over driving.
By Subway B/D/F/M/J/Z
The closest subway lines are the B and D at Grand Street, the F at Delancey Street, and the J, M, and Z at Essex Street. For detailed directions, visit our Plan a Visit page.
Subway service can sometimes change. Please check the MTA website for service updates before heading to the Tenement Museum.
By Bus M15
The M15 and Sightseeing buses stop at the corner of Grand and Allen Streets, one block east of Orchard Street.
Choosing A Tour
Yes, the Tenement Museum is accessible by guided tours and experiences only. Reservations are recommended for all tours.
Tours begin and end at the Museum Shop and Visitor Center, located at 103 Orchard Street, on the corner of Delancey Street.
Most tours are between one and two hours long. If you’d like to take more than one tour in a day, we recommend combining a building tour with a neighborhood walking tour and leaving 15 minutes between scheduled tours. All tickets are $30 per person, per tour.
You can contact our call center for assistance at 1-877-975-3786.
The best tour is the one you go on! There’s no perfect “starter” or general tour. That’s why we recommend reading the tour descriptions and choosing based on your interests.
All of our tours focus on actual families who lived and worked on the Lower East Side. Tours will offer historical context and info about the time period the families were living in the neighborhood.
The Lower East Side is a historically diverse neighborhood, so none of our tours focus on any one single culture. Rather, we focus on the individual experiences of our families within the cultural makeup of the era.
To enhance your experience, we recommend combining a building tour with a neighborhood walking tour after watching our films – available to view in our theater. We also have one of the most popular book/gift shops in NYC, so leave yourself time to browse and shop!
Feel free to email us at [email protected] for local restaurant and “things to do” recommendations!
For Families
While children under the age of 5 are welcome inside our Shop, Visitor Center, and Theater, they are not permitted on most apartment tours.
For children ages 5 and under, our Meet Victoria tour is a fun, interactive program ideal for families with younger children. For children ages 5+, we also recommend 100 Years Apart and At Home in 1911.
Alternatively, we also offer outdoor walking tours and virtual events for all ages!
Didn’t find the information you needed in our FAQs? Email us at [email protected].