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Programs (click to expand)
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Great Trees of Green-Wood Sensory Walk
As the highest-accredited arboretum in New York City, Green-Wood is the perfect place for young learners to study what makes a tree a tree. In this program, students will use their senses to observe Green-Wood’s most unique, biggest, oldest, and storied trees. This interactive tour also features drawing and collecting natural materials found at Green-Wood.
- Recommended for 3K through Grade 2
- Available as a 75-minute walking program starting from the Main Entrance
Trees and Urban Ecology
Students will explore Green-Wood’s Level III Accredited arboretum to learn about how trees survive in urban environments, why humans and other animals need trees, and how Green-Wood cares for its trees. Can be tailored to the Science Olympiad.
- Recommended for Grades 3 through 8
- Offered year-round.
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from the Main Entrance
Bird Behaviors and Adaptations
Green-Wood is a sanctuary for more than 125 local and migrating bird species. Students will: observe birds among the monuments, in the grass, trees, and ponds; learn to identify common city birds; and collect data on the different ways birds communicate and survive.
- Recommended for 3K through Grade 5
- Offered year-round.
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from any of the Cemetery’s four entrances.
Investigating Insects
Students search high and low for the creepy crawlers that keep Green-Wood green. Through close observation, students learn to identify different kinds of insects and other arthropods and explore the roles they each play in their ecosystem.
- Recommended for 3K through Grade 5.
- Offered September-November and April-August.
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from any of the Cemetery’s four entrances.
Cemetery Geology
Learn about igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock through Green-Wood’s 200,000+ grave monuments. Learn why some look ancient even when they are not, and why others look new when they are really hundreds of years old. Students will collect data, learn about the Mohs Hardness Scale, and learn about the work that our restoration team is involved in.
- Recommended for Grades 3 through 8.
- Offered year-round.
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from any of the Cemetery’s four entrances.
Looking at Lichens
Lichens grow plentifully on monuments and trees at Green-Wood, but why? Learn how to identify their different growth forms, collect data on their prevalence in the cemetery, and discover how these marvels of symbiosis are also indicator species for air pollution.
- Recommended for Grades 3 through 8.
- Offered year-round.
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from any of the Cemetery’s four entrances.
Plants and Pollinators
Green-Wood is an active cemetery and a vibrant green space. In this program, students will learn about the pollinators that thrive here, why they matter, and how people can steward their survival even in a city. Includes a nature walk and seasonal activity.
- Recommended for Grades 6 through 8.
- Offered September-November and April-August.
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from the Main Entrance.
Oasis in an Urban Landscape
In this program, students use Green-Wood as a living laboratory to study the relationship between nature, the built environment and heat. Students learn about the Urban Heat Island effect and the albedo effect through hands-on experimentation and data collection.
- Recommended for Grades 6 through 8.
- Offered May-August.
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from any of the Cemetery’s four entrances.
Ecosystem Explorations: Meadows vs. Grasslands
In this program, students learn about two ecosystems and why we steward both in our historic cemetery. Students collect data on biodiversity in each and explore how our horticulture team maintains and bolsters environmental health in a space designed for human use.
- Recommended for Grades 6 through 8.
- Offered May-August.
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from the Main Entrance.
Native and Invasive Species
In this program students explore the egg laying habits of the spotted lanternfly, an invasive species that has been introduced to the area in recent years. Students will collect data and remove egg cases to aid in pest control as a way to keep our local ecosystem balanced.
- Recommended for Grades 6 through 8.
- Offered November-May.
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from the Main Entrance.
GRAVESIDE History
Green-Wood’s Battle Hill and The Battle of Brooklyn
How should we memorialize a battle we lost in a war that we won? In this program, students march to the top of Battle Hill: the highest natural point in Brooklyn and one of the sites of the first pitched battle of the American Revolution, fought in 1776. When they reach the top, students study the monument Minerva and the Altar to Liberty and explore how the Battle of Brooklyn is remembered today.
- Recommended for Grades 4 and up
- Available as a 75-minute walking program starting from the Main Entrance or Prospect Park West Entrance.
Black History at Green-Wood
In this program, students discover the lives and work of fascinating Black New Yorkers who are interred at Green-Wood: doctors, artists, activists, and more. While visiting their monuments, students consider: What do their lives and experiences tell us about the times in which they lived? How are they memorialized?
- Recommended for Grades 4 and up
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from the Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance.
- Available as a 2-hour trolley program (can begin at any entrance)
Immigration History at Green-Wood
In this program, students visit the monuments of immigrants interred at Green-Wood who left a mark on their new home as artists, entrepreneurs, and community-builders. Participants will explore the history of immigration to New York while making past-present connections through topics such as food, holidays, language, and more.
- Recommended for Grades 2 and up
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from the Main Entrance or Prospect Park West Entrance.
- Available as a 2-hour trolley program (can begin at any entrance)
Women’s History at Green-Wood
Explore the lives and legacies of women interred at Green-Wood who both defied and embodied the times in which they lived: suffragists, spiritualists, artists, actors, authors, activists, and more. In this program, students will visit multiple monuments to discover how these women made their mark- and consider how they are memorialized today.
- Recommended for Grades 4 and up
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from the Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance.
- Available as a 2-hour trolley program (can begin at any entrance).
Innovators and Activists of Green-Wood
In this program, students will visit the monuments of visionaries interred at Green-Wood and discover their impact on American social and political movements, technology, and culture. They will also compare these changemakers’ achievements in life to how they are memorialized in death.
- Recommended for Grades 4 and up
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from the Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, or Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance.
- Available as a 2-hour trolley program (can begin at any entrance).
LGBTQ+ History at Green-Wood
In this program, students visit the monuments of both famous and unknown historical figures who identified (or would identify today) as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Explore their fascinating stories, see how they are memorialized at Green-Wood, and consider how gender expression and sexuality impacted their lives and legacies.
- Recommended for Grades 4 and up
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from the Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance.
- Available as a 2-hour trolley program (can begin at any entrance).
Marvelous Monuments
In this program, students visit the cemetery’s most unique, elaborate, and expressive memorials to learn how people’s lives are celebrated through public art. See larger than life firemen, ships and rope carved in stone, and even a giant baseball. Students will practice close-looking and storytelling, while considering how we can publicly honor community helpers.
- Recommended for Grades K-2
- Available as a 90-minute trolley program (can begin at any entrance).
Lives of World War II
Explore the history and legacy of World War II through the lives of Green-Wood’s permanent residents. Students will travel on our historic trolley to visit the gravesites of several fascinating figures and consider what their experiences- as soldiers and sailors, as well as scientists, nurses, journalists, activists, and “Rosies”- can teach us about the war abroad and its impacts at home.
- Recommended for Grades 4 and up.
- Available as a 2-hour trolley program (can begin at any entrance).
Lives of the American Revolution
How do we remember the American Revolution today? What was it like for those who lived through it? Ride our historic trolley to explore this era through the lives and legacies of Green-Wood’s permanent residents. Students will visit the gravesites of revolutionaries from this era who participated in some of the war’s most important events.
- Recommended for Grades 4 and up.
- Available as a 2-hour trolley program (can begin at any entrance).
Lives of the Civil War
Green-Wood is a permanent residence for more than 5,000 Civil War soldiers and tens of thousands who experienced the war as civilians, nurses, abolitionists, and more. Travel on our historical trolley to some of their gravesites. Learn how the Civil War was a catalyst for change in New York and consider how we can remember the roles that Green-Wood’s permanent residents played in this pivotal era.
- Recommended for Grades 4 and up
- Available as a 2-hour trolley program (can begin at any entrance).
Art History
Architecture for the Afterlife
As a city of the dead, Green-Wood is full of stunning structures built to show off architects’ skills, communicate wealth, power, and identity, and most importantly, be places to reside…. forever. In this program, students study and sketch masterpieces of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century architecture at Green-Wood while learning to identify common styles that appear not only in Green-Wood, but all over their city.
- Recommended for Grades 4 and up.
- Available as a 90-minute walking program starting from the Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, or Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance.
- Available as a 2-hour trolley program (can begin at any entrance).
Stories in Stone
In this program, students become cemetery sleuths. They learn to how anchors aren’t just for sailors, how to identify those who belonged to special societies, and other secrets carved in stone. Participants will explore the cemetery and search for symbols on a scavenger hunt, before designing their very own symbol.
- Recommended for Grades 2 and up.
- Available as a 75-minute walking program starting from any of the Cemetery’s four entrances.
PROGRAM DETAILS
Group Logistics:
- Maximum of 35 participants including at least one adult participant, per group. One Green-Wood educator will be assigned to guide each group.
- We offer both walking and trolley tours. Walking tours are completely outdoors. Please also note that no outdoor area of the Cemetery is ADA compliant, however we will do our best to create wheelchair-friendly program routes whenever possible.
- Green-Wood’s School Programs have several different starting locations. Make sure you know where you are scheduled to arrive before your visit.
- Groups are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early to use the restroom and check in.
School programs are 60, 75, or 90-minutes long and are led by experienced Green-Wood educators. All guided programs take place within a short distance of a Green-Wood entrance and restrooms. Programs can be scheduled Monday through Friday at 10:00am, 11:30am or 1:00pm. We can accommodate up to two groups per time slot. Participants are welcome to explore our grounds, self-guided, before and/or after their program during visiting hours.
All programs align to local, state, and national curriculum standards, and can be modified for different grade levels and learning needs. See a sample of our programs standards here. Age recommendations and program duration are listed with each program. When you book, please make sure to tell us about the units of study with which you would like your Green-Wood program to align.
Program Rates
- Price per program
- Title 1: $120
- Public: $180
- Private/Non-NYC: $250
- 10% discount for school staff who attend our fall education open house or book two or more programs!
CUSTOM PROGRAMS
If you are interested in a program theme not listed above, or wish to customize any of the above programs, Green-Wood’s director of education, Rachel Walman, would be happy to work with you! Please contact education@green-wood.com. Custom program pricing will be determined based on length and content of the program.
Registration
To plan and book your in-person program, click here to fill out our booking form. Programs MUST be booked and paid for (or purchase order number issued) a minimum of two weeks in advance.
Questions? Please call 718-210-3060 or email education@green-wood.com.
OTHER PROGRAM INFORMATION
Special Needs
Please tell us any relevant information that will help us make your program a success. Please note that none of Green-Wood’s walking programs are ADA compliant.
Lunch
If you wish to have your group bring lunch and eat at Green-Wood, please state this in the notes when you book your program, and our staff will contact you to confirm. School groups eating lunch at Green-Wood must respect our space and keep it clean. Please note that Green-Wood cannot provide storage for belongings or food. All food and drinks except water must be sealed and put away during programs. Green-Wood educators are not able to remain with groups while they eat.
Cemetery Etiquette
As an active cemetery and public green space, Green-Wood has some easy-to-follow yet specific guidelines for appropriate behavior that all visitors must abide by. Please review our rules and best practices page with your students and chaperones before your program. All participants will be expected to observe appropriate etiquette during their time at Green-Wood, before, during, and after their programs. We thank you in advance for helping us make this a space all visitors can respectfully share.
EDUCATION STAFF AND CONTACTS
Rachel Walman
Director of Education
718-210-3060
rwalman@green-wood.com
For the fastest reply, please email education@green-wood.com
RESCHEDULE AND CANCELLATION POLICY
Green-Wood School Programs take place completely outdoors and will proceed as scheduled during moderate rain, cold temperatures above 32 degrees, or heat below 90 degrees. If weather is severe, Green-Wood will reschedule your program at no extra fee or refund you in full if no reschedule date can be agreed upon.
If you wish to reschedule your program for no additional fee, please email us two weeks before your program date. Green-Wood will make every effort to reschedule your program if requested, though reschedule dates are subject to availability.
If you wish to cancel your program and receive a full refund, please email us at least three weeks before your program. Cancellations will be 50% refunded if made between 20 days and 48 hours prior to the program date/start time.
If any member of your group tests positive for or was in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of your program, or if anyone experiences symptoms of COVID-19 on the morning of your program, please contact us as soon as possible to convert your program to a virtual experience at no additional fee. If you choose to cancel, normal cancellation rules apply.
Program fees will NOT be refunded if:
- A cancellation is requested fewer than 48 hours prior to the program date/start time. OR
- You fail to arrive on the date of your program. OR
- You receive a shortened program due to late arrival or arrival at a different entrance to the Cemetery than was agreed upon. OR
- You arrive for your program during a different time slot than you reserved and we are unable to accommodate you. We will make every effort to accommodate you, but cannot guarantee it.
Getting Here
Please note that Green-Wood’s School Programs have several different starting locations. Click to expand each section below and read or print directions to each of Green-Wood’s entrances.
MAIN ENTRANCE
These directions take you to The Green-Wood Cemetery’s MAIN ENTRANCE at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street in Brooklyn.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The closest subway station to Green-Wood’s Main Entrance is the R train at 25th Street. After exiting the train, walk east one block to Green-Wood at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street.
BY BUS
If you are using GPS: Please enter “25th Street and Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY.” Do NOT use “500 25th Street.”
From Lower Manhattan
Take the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (Hugh L. Carey Tunnel) and exit at Hamilton Avenue (immediately after the toll plaza). Continue on Hamilton Avenue until it becomes Third Avenue and go about eight blocks to 25th Street. Turn left on 25th Street and go two blocks. The Cemetery Main Entrance is straight ahead at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street.
From Long Island
Take the Long Island Expressway west to the 48th Street exit to Brooklyn-Queens Expressway southbound to the Hamilton Avenue exit. Continue on Hamilton Avenue until it becomes Third Avenue and go about eight blocks to 25th Street. Turn left on 25th Street and go two blocks. The Cemetery Main Entrance is straight ahead at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street.
From Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
Take Route 278, Gowanus Expressway, to the 38th Street exit. At the bottom of the ramp, proceed straight one block to Fifth Avenue. Turn left at 5th Avenue and continue 13 blocks to 25th Street. The Cemetery Main Entrance is on the right.
Arrival Instructions
- Please enter through the Cemetery’s MAIN ENTRANCE at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street in Brooklyn. Ask busses to drive up through the Gothic Arch and drop you inside the Cemetery.
- If you need to reach Cemetery staff on your way here, please call 917-848-6226
- If school busses wish to remain in the Cemetery during your program, Green-Wood staff will direct them to an appropriate waiting spot.
- Please note that you will have access to a limited number of restrooms while at the Cemetery. Please encourage students to use the restroom before coming here, if possible.
Fort hamilton parkway entrance
These directions take you to the Cemetery’s FORT HAMILTON PARKWAY Entrance at Fort Hamilton Parkway and Micieli Place in Brooklyn.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The closest subway station to Green-Wood’s Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance is the Church Avenue F/G station, which is approximately a ten minute walk from the Cemetery. Please be sure to cross Fort Hamilton Parkway at McDonald Avenue on your way here.
BY BUS
If you are using GPS: The entrance intersection is Fort Hamilton Parkway and Micieli Place. Do NOT use “500 25th Street.”
These directions take you to the Cemetery’s FORT HAMILTON PARKWAY Entrance at Fort Hamilton Parkway and Micieli Place in Brooklyn.
From Lower Manhattan
Take either the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (Hugh L. Carey Tunnel), Manhattan Bridge, or Brooklyn Bridge. Continue on either I-478 or I-278 W until they merge. Use the left two lanes to take Exit 24 for Prospect Expy/NY-27 E. Then take Exit 5 toward Fort Hamilton Parkway/NY-27 E. Merge onto East 5th Street, then make a right on Fort Hamilton Parkway. The entrance to the Cemetery will be about 5 blocks away on the right.
From Long Island
Take I-495 West to Brooklyn, NY. Use the second from the right lane to take Exit 31 N-S toward Kennedy Airport. Merge onto Cross Island Pkwy. Take Exit 29 E for Grand Central Pkwy toward Triborough Bridge (Robert F. Kennedy Bridge). Keep left, follow signs for Grand Central Pkwy W and merge onto Grand Central Parkway. Keep left at the fork to continue on Jackie Robinson Pkwy/New York State Rte 908B W. Keep right to stay on Jackie Robinson Pkwy/New York State Rte 908B W, follow signs for E New York Ave. Continue onto Jamaica Ave. Continue onto E New York Ave. E New York Ave turns right and becomes Pacific St. Slight left onto Eastern Pkwy. Turn left onto Bedford Ave. Turn right onto Empire Blvd. Continue onto Ocean Ave. Turn right onto Parkside Ave. At the traffic circle, take the third exit onto Ocean Pkwy. Keep right to continue on Fort Hamilton Parkway. The entrance to the Cemetery will be about 10 blocks away on the right.
From Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
Take I-278 East into Brooklyn. Take Exit 20 for Seventh Avenue toward 65 Street. Merge onto Seventh Avenue. Turn right onto 65th Street. Turn left onto Fort Hamilton Pkwy. The entrance to the Cemetery will be about 1.8 miles away on the left.
Arrival Instructions
- Please enter through the Cemetery’s FORT HAMILTON PARKWAY ENTRANCE at Fort Hamilton Parkway and Micieli Place.
- For Black New Yorkers program ONLY: Buses may drop you outside the Cemetery at this entrance or inside.
- For Civil War and Innovators & Inventors programs: Busses MUST drive you into the Cemetery, make an immediate left on Border Avenue and follow signs for the Freedom Lots. They must drop you off and pick you up at the Freedom Lots.
- If you need to reach Cemetery staff on your way to here, please call 917-848-6226.
- If school busses wish to remain in the Cemetery during your program, Green-Wood staff will direct them to an appropriate waiting spot.
- Please note that you will have access to a limited number of restrooms while at the Cemetery. Please encourage students to use the restroom before coming here, if possible.
prospect park west entrance
These directions take you to the Cemetery’s PROSPECT PARK WEST ENTRANCE at 20th Street and Ninth Avenue/Prospect Park West in Brooklyn.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The closest subway station to Green-Wood’s Prospect Park West Entrance is the F or G train at 15 St/Prospect Park. It is an approximately seven minute walk from the station.
BY BUS
If you are using GPS: The entrance intersection is Prospect Park West and 20th Street.
From Lower Manhattan
Take either Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (Hugh L. Carey Tunnel), Manhattan Bridge, or Brooklyn Bridge. Continue on either I-478 or I-278 W until they merge. Use the left two lanes to take Exit 24 for Prospect Expy/NY-27 E. Then turn right onto Tenth Avenue and turn right onto 20th Street. The entrance to the Cemetery will be on the left.
From Long Island
Take I-495 West to Brooklyn, NY. Use the second from the right lane to take Exit 31 N-S toward Kennedy Airport. Merge onto Cross Island Pkwy. Take Exit 29 E for Grand Central Pkwy toward Triborough Bridge (Robert F. Kennedy Bridge). Keep left, follow signs for Grand Central Pkwy W and merge onto Grand Central Parkway. Keep left at the fork to continue on Jackie Robinson Pkwy/New York State Rte 908B W. Keep right to stay on Jackie Robinson Pkwy/New York State Rte 908B W, follow signs for E New York Ave. Continue onto Jamaica Avenue. Continue onto E New York Avenue. E New York Avenue turns right and becomes Pacific Street. Slight left onto Eastern Parkway. Use the right two lanes to turn slightly right to stay on Eastern Parkway. Keep left to stay on Eastern Parkway. Use the left lane to turn right onto Grand Army Plaza. Sharp left to stay on Grand Army Plaza. Use the right two lanes to turn slightly right to stay on Grand Army Plaza. Continue onto Prospect Park West. At the traffic circle, take the second exit and stay on Prospect Park West. Turn right onto 20th Street. The entrance to the Cemetery will be on the left.
From Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
Head northeast on I-278 East. Take Exit 24 for Prospect Expy. Continue onto NY-27/Prospect Expy. Take Exit 4 for 10th Ave toward 11th Ave/NY-27. Turn right onto 10th Avenue. Turn right onto 20th Street. The entrance to the Cemetery will be on the left.
Arrival Instructions
- Please enter through the Cemetery’s PROSPECT PARK WEST ENTRANCE at Prospect Park West and 20th Street in Brooklyn.
- If you need to reach Cemetery staff on your way here, please call 917-848-6226
- If school busses wish to remain in the Cemetery during your program, Green-Wood staff will direct them to an appropriate waiting spot.
- Please note that you will have access to a limited number of restrooms while at the Cemetery. Please encourage students to use the restroom before coming here, if possible.
Sunset Park entrance
These directions take you to The Green-Wood Cemetery’s SUNSET PARK ENTRANCE at Fourth Avenue between 34th and 36th Streets in Brooklyn.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The closest subway station to Green-Wood’s Main Entrance is the D/N/R trains at 36th Street. After exiting the train, walk north one block to Green-Wood entrance at Fourth Avenue between 34th and 36th Streets.
BY BUS
If you are using GPS: The entrance intersection is Fourth Avenue and Maple Avenue.
FROM MANHATTAN
Take I-478/Hugh L. Carey Tunnel to Hamilton Ave. Take exit 26 from I-478/Hugh L. Carey Tunnel. Continue on Hamilton Ave and then onto 3rd Ave. Make a left onto 31st Street. Make a right on 4th Avenue. Entrance is at 4th Avenue. Entrance is at 4th Avenue between 34th and 36th Streets.
FROM QUEENS
From I-495 W. Take I-278 W to Hamilton Ave in Brooklyn. Take exit 26 from I-278 W. Continue on Hamilton Ave and then onto 3rd Ave. Make a left onto 31st Street. Make a right on 4th Avenue. Entrance is at 4th Avenue. Entrance is at 4th Avenue between 34th and 36th Streets.
FROM STATEN ISLAND
Follow I-278 E to 38th St in Brooklyn. Take exit 23 from I-278 E. Turn left onto 4th Avenue. Entrance is at 4th Avenue between 34th and 36th Streets.
ARRIVAL INSTRUCTIONS
- Please enter through the Cemetery’s SUNSET PARK ENTRANCE at Fourth Avenue between 34 th and 36th Streets in Brooklyn.
- If you need to reach Cemetery staff on your way here, please call 917-848-6226
- If school busses wish to remain in the Cemetery during your program, Green-Wood staff will direct them to an appropriate waiting spot.
- Please note that you will have access to a limited number of restrooms while at the Cemetery. Please encourage students to use the restroom before coming here, if possible.