NYC Slavery History: Underground Railroad Tour

399 Ratings

New York

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Uncover the hidden history of NYC’s enslaved people and their brave uprisings. Explore the Underground Railroad’s secret routes and hear stories of courage and triumph on this historical walking tour.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

National Museum of the American Indian - (Exterior Visit) Built in 1907, Alexander Hamilton Custom House stands as a Beaux-Arts treasure commemorating the rise of trade and commerce in NYC with 3 floors of art and artifacts dedicated to Native Americans.

What's Included

History of the Underground Railroad
Slavery in Historical Context
The site of New York’s first slave market
Local guide
African Burial Ground
New York’s Role in Slavery
Fraunces Tavern

What's Not Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Additional Information

Explore the crucial role played by enslaved individuals in shaping NYC and their courageous resistance against subjugation. Delve into the intriguing history of the Underground Railroad, a secret system of pathways and sanctuaries used primarily by enslaved African Americans to flee to free states and Canada.
Tour an excavation site and monument honoring…

Location

1 Bowling Green

Bowling Green

In front of the National Museum of the American Indian.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.9

(399 Ratings)

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1 star

Y9050rujoshuap

Jul 13, 2025

Good - Educational. Not meant for kids in elementary school as the tour is more educational than it is site seeing of sites. Expect 2 hrs total.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Claudia_j

Jul 12, 2025

I Learned So Much! - Our Tour Guide, Maya, was phenomenal! I learned so much, and walked away with book and museum recommendations to further my learning. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in learning more about the Underground Railroad and New York City’s rich history.

Review provided by Viator

Pathfinder747021

Jul 9, 2025

Great informative and engaging tour! - Ludi was so great! She was so informative and made sure she didn't leave anyone behind (we had a wheelchair in our group). She was so sweet and very connected to the story that she tells along with pictures. I would recommend this tour to everyone and this is our 4th one in 4 days and it was the best!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Victoria_g

Jun 23, 2025

Great tour for visitors and locals - My sister was visiting but I live in New York. I loved Maia's incredible knowledge about history. Thank you for allowing me to see the past from a more personal perspective. I had dinner and drinks at Fraunces Tavern and plan on visiting other places mentioned in the tour.

Review provided by Viator

425gayleg

Jun 19, 2025

Fabulous tour of NYC Slavery and Underground Railroad with Ludi - Our 10 member book club recently took a trip to NYC to visit sites we had read about such as the Morgan Library (The Personal Assistant), New York Public Library (The Lions of Fifth Avenue), The Outsiders on Broadway and Inside Out Tours' NYC Slavery and Underground Railroad Tour (Clint Smith's How the Word is Passed). Our tour leader for the Underground Railroad tour was Ludi and she was fabulous. She gave the topic the gravity and respect it merited and also showed us a lively, thought provoking good time. One of our members told Ludi, "I wish you had been my high school history teacher." We highly recommend this tour.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

2fearless

Jun 5, 2025

Exceptional, educational tour and history lesson - History teacher Damani educates and enlightens sharing facts and information missing from U.S. history books and Internet searches. NYC Slavery and Underground Railroad Tour is a "must-do" 2.5 hour walking tour ending at the African Burial Ground National Monument and Museum.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Valk67

Apr 26, 2025

Quality and very documented tour - Very interesting tour on a part of essential American history. The guide, historian, was perfect. Tour in English. Recommended.

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Rossih123

Apr 24, 2025

Amazing Tour Guide! - Damani was an amazing tour guide! He was very knowledgeable and despite this being a heavy topic he kept everything light and interesting but still historically accurate. This was our favorite tour we went one while in New York and we would definitely recommend it.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Jill_v

Apr 6, 2025

Maia was super... - Maia was super knowledgeable and enthusiastic, just a great communicator. Highly recommend this guide! Only problem was the frigid, rainy, windy weather, which made it impossible for me to finish the tour. If we had been able to keep walking the whole time rather than standing and listening, or had been able to move inside to a coffee shop or bar (one person's suggestion) I would have been able to hang in there.

Review provided by Viator

Shawn_l

Jul 3, 2025

The tour was interesting... - The tour was interesting and I did learn a lot but it is a lot of standing for long periods while the tour guide talks. There is not a lot to really SEE. Unfortunately several of the parts of the tour were under construction or blocked off (the statues outside the Museum of the American Indian, the African Burial Ground) which was disappointing. I wish the tour company had let us know that in advance, although the tour did go into the African Burial Ground museum since the area itself was closed. Again, I learned a lot and found the information interesting, but be warned that it is a lot of standing and listening at various street corners.

Review provided by Viator

Check Availability

From $49

up to 9 guests

1 - Adult