The Green-Wood Cemtery is a 478-acre cemetery, arboretum, historic landmark and public art space. Founded in 1838 Green-Wood offers unique, standards-based programs that will captivate students in grades 3K through 12 in Brooklyn’s most unique outdoor classroom!
Bring your class to the gravesites of influential, fascinating, and unsung witnesses to history; explore trees and wildlife environmental education programs; or sketch and analyze the distinctive art and architecture that covers our grounds.
Programs Overview
Green-Wood school programs take place at the Cemetery and are led by experienced Green-Wood educators. Programs include discussion, inquiry-based exploration, and/or a hands-on component. All programs are tailored to specific grade levels and support a variety of DOE and other curriculum-based standards. We conduct walking programs and ones using our historical trolley.
Each guided Green-Wood school program can accommodate a group size of up to 35 students and their adult chaperones. We follow DOE guidelines as to required student to adult chaperone ratios.
Walking programs range from 75-90 minutes and take place completely outdoors, rain or shine. Walking programs can be scheduled Monday through Friday starting at 10:00am, 11:30am or 1:00pm. We can accommodate up to three groups per walking program timeslot every weekday. Note that none of Green-Wood’s walking programs are ADA compliant; however, we will do our best to create mobility aid-friendly program routes whenever possible
Trolley programs last 90 minutes to two hours and take place partially outside and partially on the trolley, rain or shine. We are only able to offer one trolley program per day starting at 10 am. Occasionally, the trolley can be booked again at 11:30 or in the afternoon. The trolley is ADA compliant. Please reach out to us with any information about access needs to help us make your program a success.
Prices:
Walking Programs: Title I public-$120; other public: $180; private/non NYC: $250
Trolley Program: Title I public-$250; other public: $325; private/non NYC: $400
Though picnics are prohibited for the general public, school groups may arrange to eat lunch to eat on our grounds at the time of booking. School groups eating lunch at Green-Wood must respect our space and keep it clean.
Please note that we do not have picnic tables, and 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.
Programs begin and end from one of Green-Wood’s four entrances; each entrance has a limited number of bathrooms available for visitors. Students are highly encouraged to use the bathroom before coming to Green-Wood, if possible.
ADA bathrooms are located at Green-Wood's Main entrance and Fort Hamilton entrance only. All-gender bathrooms are located at all entrances.
If you wish to cancel your program and not reschedule it you must submit a notice of cancellation by email to education@green-wood.com. Please do not text or call, as we need a written record of the request to avoid scheduling confusion. Only cancellations submitted by email will be eligible for full or partial refunds.
If you cancel a program with at least 48 hours notice, (or before 5 pm on the THURSDAY before a program the following Monday) you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel a program between with fewer than 48 hours notiice (or after 5 pm on the THURSDAY before a program the following Monday) before a scheduled program, we are not able to offer any refund.
Reschedule Policy
Green-Wood always wants to accommodate schools and meet their needs. At the same, there are limits to our ability to reconfigure our programming schedule after we have confirmed programs.
If you wish to reschedule your program for any reason, you must submit a request by email to education@green-wood.com. Please do not text or call, as we need a written record of the request to avoid scheduling confusion. Please note that rebookings are subject to availability.
If you request to reschedule a program up to 48 hours before a scheduled program (or before 5 pm on the THURSDAY before a program the following Monday), and we can accommodate you, we will rebook you at no extra charge.
If you request a reschedule within 48 hours of your scheduled program (or after 5 pm on the THURSDAY before a program the following Monday), this is considered a cancellation, and we will have to charge a full program fee to rebook you.
Weather Policy
Green-Wood school programs take place outdoors or on our trolley. We will not cancel or refund programs unless weather conditions are severe. We will proceed with walking and trolley programs during light to moderate rain, temperatures within 40-90 degrees, or winds under 25 miles an hour. If you are concerned about weather for your program, please check the forecast and make a decision 72 hours before the program so that you may reschedule if you wish free of charge.
To prepare for your program in rain, cold, wind, or heat please note:
- Students should wear close-toed shoes and weather-appropriate clothing.
- Green-Wood has water bottle filling stations near the main entrance and Fort
Hamilton entrance. Students are encouraged to carry water bottles during programs.
- Green-Wood can provide to students, upon request:
o disposableponchos
o coolingtowels(pleasearrivetenminutesearlytoactivatethese)
- Green-Wood's trolley has heat and AC.
Further Refund Policies:
Green-Wood strives to offer the best school programming possible. If you are not satisfied with your program, please contact education director Rachel Walman at 718-210-3060 or rwalman@green-wood.com to discuss your experience. Refunds will be issued as deemed appropriate by the education director.
In addition to policies stated above, program fees also will NOT be refunded if:
You fail to arrive on the date of your program
You receive a shortened program due to late arrival or arrival at a different entrance
to the Cemetery than was agreed upon
You arrive for your program during a different time slot than you scheduled and we
are unable to accommodate you. We will make every effort to accommodate you, but
we cannot guarantee it.
You request to reschedule a program for the second time. Due to our complicated
schedule of programming and limited staff, we will have to regard such a request as an entirely new program booking and charge the full program price.
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See all tipsExplore the colors, shapes, composition and more in the iconic stained glass windows that adorn Green-Wood's stately mausoleums, chapel and other buildings. Designed by masters of the art form, including Louis Comfort Tiffany, Otto Heinigke, and Helen Maitland Armstrong, this program sheds new light on why and how stained glass is such an important aspect of funerary art.
art, visual arts, history
field trip
$400.00 per Group for Non City School
$400.00 per Group for Private School
$325.00 per Group for Public School
$250.00 per Group for Title I School
Green-Wood's landscape preserves some of the original topography of Brooklyn as it looked 18,000 when the Wisconsin Glacier hit its terminal moraine across the middle of the cemetery and began to recede. In this program, students learn about to spot signs of the glacier's spread and how it affected the land as they stand atop the highest natural point in Brooklyn, walk the moraine's border, and find boulders the glacier pushed across Green-Wood's grounds. As the explore, students begin to make connections between natural climate change thousands of years ago and human-caused climate change today. This program can start at any of Green-Wood's four entrances. Please indicate your preference at the time of booking.
ecosystems, earth's systems, geology
field trip
$400.00 per Group for Non City School
$400.00 per Group for Private School
$325.00 per Group for Public School
$250.00 per Group for Title I School
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 on weathering, and learn about the history and environmental toll of rock quarrying.
This program can start at any of Green-Wood's four entrances. Please indicate your starting point of choice when you book.
science, biology, earth's systems, the scientific method, botany
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
Students learn where to find and how to safely interact with insects and other arthropods that live at Green-Wood, from introduced invasive insects to predatory insectivores to true bugs. As they explore, students consider insects varied roles in the ecosystem.
This program can start at any of Green-Wood's four entrances. Please indicate your preference at the time of booking.
This program can start at any of Green-Wood's four entrances. Please indicate your preference at the time of booking.
science, biology, earth's systems, weather and climate, life sciences
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
Students will explore Green-Wood’s Level III Accredited arboretum to learn about how trees cool cities, the challenges trees face in different urban environments, and how trees create habitat for wildlife.
Starting location: Gothic Arch at Green-Wood's Main Entrance at 500 25th st. and 5th Avenue
science, ecosystems, earth's systems, weather and climate, adaptation, botany
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
Through structured observation in Green-Wood’s featured wildflower meadow and close up inspection of pollination in action, students learn the process of pollination and its importance to life on earth, plant adaptations that attract pollinators, and habitat needs of pollinators. A special fall activity includes wildflower seed collection and processing.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34th Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
science, biology, ecosystems, adaptation, the scientific method, botany
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
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.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34th Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
science, biology, ecosystems, animals, adaptation, conservation
field trip
$400.00 per Group for Non City School
$400.00 per Group for Private School
$325.00 per Group for Public School
$250.00 per Group for Title I School
Young birders meet some of the 125+ bird species that frequent Green-Wood, including common city birds and rare migraters. Through guided observation, students learn basic field marks, how external anatomical features differ from bird to bird, and how birds communicate, survive, and thrive in an urban green space.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34th Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
science, biology, ecosystems, animals, adaptation, conservation
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
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.
Starting Location: Main Entrance
patterns, science, biology, adaptation, sustainability, speaking & listening
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
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.
Starting Location: Main Entrance or Prospect Park West Entrance. Please indicate your preferred Brooklyn is remembered today.
starting location at the time of booking.
colonial times, revolutionary war, slavery, 18th century, native americans, women's history
field trip
$400.00 per Group for Non City School
$400.00 per Group for Private School
$325.00 per Group for City School
$250.00 per Group for Title I School
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 Starting Location: Main Entrance or Prospect Park West Entrance. Please indicate your preferred Brooklyn is remembered today.
starting location at the time of booking.
colonial times, revolutionary war, slavery, 18th century, native americans, women's history
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
Ride our historic trolley to explore the lives and legacies of people who changed the world. Visit the monuments of some of the visionaries interred at Green-Wood and discover their impact on American social and political movements, technology, and culture.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34th Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
industrial revolution, 19th century, 20th century, the civil rights movement, african american history, women's history
field trip
$400.00 per Group for Non City School
$400.00 per Group for Private School
$325.00 per Group for Public School
$250.00 per Group for Title I School
Ride our historic trolley to explore the lives and legacies of women who both defied and embodied the times in which they lived: suffragists, spiritualists, actresses, authors, activists, and more. Participants will visit multiple monuments to discover how these women made their mark- and consider how they are memorialized today.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34th Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
industrial revolution, immigration, african american history, women's history, westward expansion, social justice
field trip
$400.00 per Group for Non City School
$400.00 per Group for Private School
$325.00 per Group for Public School
$250.00 per Group for Title I School
Ride our historic trolley to visit the monuments of immigrants 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.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34th Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
industrial revolution, immigration, 19th century, 20th century, modern history, cultural connections
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
Green-Wood is a permanent residence for more than 5,000 Civil War soldiers and tens of thousands more 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.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34th Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
civil war, industrial revolution, immigration, slavery, 19th century, african american history
field trip
$400.00 per Group for Non City School
$400.00 per Group for Private School
$325.00 per Group for Public School
$250.00 per Group for Title I School
Ride our historic trolley to 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 their gender expression and sexuality impacted their lives and legacies.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34th Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
immigration, 19th century, 20th century, the civil rights movement, african american history, women's history
field trip
$400.00 per Group for Non City School
$400.00 per Group for Private School
$325.00 per Group for Public School
$250.00 per Group for Title I School
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.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34th Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
20th century, african american history, modern history, world war i & ii, women's history, government & civics
field trip
$400.00 per Group for Non City School
$400.00 per Group for Private School
$325.00 per Group for Public School
$250.00 per Group for Title I School
In this program, students visit the monuments of both famous and unknown historical figures who identified (or would 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.
Starting Location: Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance
industrial revolution, 19th century, 20th century, the civil rights movement, african american history, women's history
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
As New-York’s first premier cemetery, Green-Wood is the permanent home to thousands of people who changed the world over the past four centuries. In this program, students will visit the monuments of some of the visionaries interred here 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.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, or Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
industrial revolution, 19th century, 20th century, the civil rights movement, african american history, women's history
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
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.
Starting Location: Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance.
revolutionary war, civil war, industrial revolution, 19th century, 20th century, women's history
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
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.
Starting Location: Main Entrance or Prospect Park West Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
industrial revolution, immigration, 19th century, 20th century, african american history, women's history
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
Ride our historical trolley to 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 Ride our historical trolley to d discover the lives and work of fascinating Black New Yorkers who lived? How are they memorialized?
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34 Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
slavery, 19th century, 20th century, the civil rights movement, african american history, women's history
field trip
$400.00 per Group for Non City School
$400.00 per Group for Private School
$325.00 per Group for Public School
$250.00 per Group for Title I School
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?
Starting Location: Fort Hamilton Parkway entrance.
slavery, 19th century, 20th century, the civil rights movement, african american history, women's history
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
In this program, students become cemetery sleuths. They learn 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.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34th Street Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
18th century, 19th century, 20th century, social studies, cultural connections, design thinking
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
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.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, or Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
industrial revolution, 19th century, ancient history, cultural connections, design thinking, art
field trip
$250.00 per Group for Non City School
$250.00 per Group for Private School
$180.00 per Group for Public School
$120.00 per Group for Title I School
Ride our historic trolley to discover how cemeteries are like miniature cities, full of unique architectural wonders. Participants will study and sketch masterpieces of nineteenth- and early- twentieth-century architecture at Green-Wood. Through our wide array of structures, students will learn to identify popular styles from these eras, and put their newly-gained skills to the test during a scavenger hunt!
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34th Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
19th century, 20th century, social studies, cultural connections, design thinking, art
field trip
$400.00 per Group for Non City School
$400.00 per Group for Private School
$325.00 per Group for Title I School
$250.00 per Group for Title I School
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 heroes.
Starting Location: Main Entrance, Prospect Park West Entrance, Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance, or 34th Street Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
social studies, government & civics, cultural connections, my community, social justice, art
field trip
$400.00 per Group for Non City School
$400.00 per Group for Private School
$325.00 per Group for Public School
$250.00 per Group for Title I School
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.
history, science, primary sources, other
field trip
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.
history, science, primary sources, other
field trip