Special Access Guided Group Tour - Van Cortlandt House Museum
Description
Experience the Van Cortlandt house in a special all access tour that takes you into the bedchambers, parlors, and private living quarters of one of New York’s most prestigious and well-connected families. With their beginnings in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, the Van Cortlandts built, bartered, and traded their way to a sizeable family estate including the mansion and plantation in today’s Bronx. Visit the enslaved servants' quarters and learn about the Africans and Native Americans that provided the skill and manpower to run the plantation. Explore the house museum’s vast collection of authentic period furnishings and Georgian vernacular architecture with an expert guide. Learn how the family navigated the American Revolution with their holdings intact by hosting generals from both armies and how the family’s burial vault became part of a covert mission to hide sensitive documents from the enemy.
Offered At
The Van Cortlandt House Museum
The Van Cortlandt House Museum in The Bronx was built in 1748 for one of New York Colony’s elite families, the Van Cortlandts. But it was also home to generations of enslaved people, who operated the plantation that surrounded the house. The museum's educational programs use the objects in our collection and the lives of its historic inhabitants to make the world of 18th century New York come alive.
FAQ:
Where do buses drop off?
School buses park on Broadway by the entrance to Van Cortlandt Park. The entrance to Van Cortlandt Park is opposite 6035 Broadway. Typing “6035 Broadway, Bronx” into your GPS device will take you there directly. The museum is the stone building that is visible from the park entrance and is only a 1-2 minute walk from where buses drop off.
Is the museum accessible by public transportation?
Yes, there are several ways to get to the house by public transportation:
By subway: #1 train to 242nd Street Station
By bus: Bx9 to West 244th Street
BxM3 Express Bus to 244th Street - from mid-town Manhattan with a stop at the Museum's entrance to Van Cortlandt Park
Metro-North Hudson River Line to Marble Hill Station, transfer to the Bx9 bus or #1 subway as above.
Is there a gift shop?
Yes, Van Cortlandt House has a Museum shop stocked with colonial toys, games, pencils, rulers, gifts and postcards. We also sell cold beverages.
Details
Subjects
History, Colonial Times, Revolutionary War, Slavery, 18th Century
Capacity
30 students
Duration
120 min.
Activity
College Tour
Grades
Adult, Postsecondary