The Best of Brooklyn

Update: Registration for this tour will end by 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.

An independent city until 1898, Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with more than two and a half million residents. It’s also arguably the most historic and colorful section of the city and today is hipper than ever, filled with intriguing shops and restaurants and a booming cultural scene. On this two-day visit, arts journalist and former Brooklynite Richard Selden introduces you to several of Brooklyn's top attractions.

The itinerary includes the Brooklyn Museum; a concert performance at Bargemusic, a unique floating chamber-music venue; and a special look inside the cutting-edge Brooklyn Academy of Music. The group also visits the 52-acre Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Bridge, Olmsted and Vaux's Prospect Park, and other landmarks.

Participants stay in a hotel in the heart of Brooklyn and eat like locals with dinner at a charming Italian restaurant in Carroll Gardens and a visit to an authentic Turkish restaurant for lunch.

Know Before You Go

• Cost includes bus transportation, lodging, all activities, and the following meals: one breakfast, two lunches, and Sunday dinner.
• Tour departs by bus from the Mayflower Hotel, Connecticut Ave. and DeSales St., NW., with a pick-up stop at I-495, Exit 27 carpool lot at about 7:25 a.m.
• Single-room supplement $100 (factored into the Single Room Member and Single Room Non-Member pricing).
• Singles registering at the double-room rate are paired (on a nonsmoking basis) if possible, but must pay the single-room supplement otherwise.
• Detailed information is emailed to registrants about four weeks prior to departure.
• Participants are advised to purchase travel insurance for overnight and multi-day tours from a provider of your choice. Travel insurance provides additional coverage against unforeseen incidents that require last-minute cancellations.

General Information

• The tour departs by motorcoach from downtown Washington, DC with a designated secondary pick-up outside the city. Content delivered by the study leader on the way to the destination, after the secondary pick-up, is an integral part of the study tour experience. Meeting the group once the tour is en route is discouraged.
• Smithsonian is a mask-friendly environment. Masks are strongly recommended to be worn on buses at all times and may also be required at various indoor sites.
• For additional tour information:
• Study Tour Policies
• Refund/Cancellation Policy