Birding Basics
Birding is one of this country's fastest growing hobbies, and there is no place better to enjoy it in Brooklyn than at Green-Wood! This two-part course will teach the beginner birder the why, where, how, and what of birding. With over 250 species of birds residing in, or passing through, the Big Apple every year, learn where to look for, and how to identify, many of the species in this diverse group of animals. Our second session will end with a walk through the Cemetery, applying some of the lessons learned in the classroom.
Brooklyn by Name
Meet the nineteenth-century luminaries interred at Green-Wood whose names now grace parks, streets, and subway stations throughout Brooklyn. Discover how city dwellers like Hezekiah Beers, Henry Evelyn Pierrepont, Henry Havemeyer, Peter and Abraham Schermerhorn, and Teunis Garret Bergen were influential enough to become permanent fixtures in the borough of Kings.
Make Your Own (Mini) Monument
Green-Wood is a veritable outdoor museum of stone sculptures – over 250,000 in all. Each marks a life and a life story. At this hands-on workshop, Neela Wickremesinghe, Green-Wood’s Manager of Preservation and Restoration will offer insights into the art of stone conservation and demonstrate how her team creates replacement parts when monuments need repair. Using the same techniques, each participant will cast his/her own personal plaster ornament to take home.
(Sold Out) Dead Distillers Trolley Tour
Green-Wood is teaming up with our friends at Kings County Distillery to delve into the storied past of distilling in Brooklyn. The afternoon kicks off with a trolley tour of the cemetery’s “permanent residents” with whiskey connections, including the one and only casualty of the Brooklyn Whiskey Wars of the late 1860s and early 1870s. Afterward, the trolley will head to Kings County Distillery in the Brooklyn Navy Yard where visitors will see first-hand how whiskey is made and enjoy a tasting of four delectable varieties.
Death Café
Green-Wood Cemetery 500 25th Street, BrooklynThe Death Café is inspired by the centuries-old European salon (or café), an informal gathering to discuss philosophical, political or scientific ideas. In 2011, British entrepreneur Jon Underwood brought this concept to discussions of the most universal topic of all: death. Underwood’s intention was to provide an opportunity to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their lives.” Today, there are over 4,400 Death Cafes in 26 countries around the world.