Gowanus Walking Tour
We offer guided walks around the Gowanus Canal and the neighborhood for groups! Tours are offered for 6th graders through adults.
School Tours (Grades 6-12)
Gowanus Green Infrastructure Walking Tours
Walking tours for students focus on the environmental and community benefits green infrastructure provides to the canal and surrounding community. Students will see examples of green infrastructure such as rain gardens/bioswales, permeable pavement and Sponge Park. They will see how green infrastructure is engineered to reduce the combined sewer overflow (CSO) that pollutes the canal and mitigate climate impacts such as increased precipitation and urban heat island effect. Students will learn how green infrastructure is cared for and how they can be stewards and advocates for green infrastructure in our city.
Request a tour for 6th-12th grade students on Explorable Places. Additional tour dates and times may be available; inquire with education[at]gowanuscanalconservancy.org.
NYC Title I public schools or schools that demonstrate at least 50% economic need (DOE index) – $95; other NYC public schools – $125; NYC private schools – $150.
Maximum group size for tours is 35. Walking tours are led by GCC staff, with 1-1.5 miles of walking, mainly on public sidewalks, with some uneven terrain and street crossings. Note: tours will start and stop in different locations. Restrooms are not readily available during the tour; if facilities are needed, please email us for accommodations.
Adult Tours
Learn about the Gowanus Canal as a former salt marsh ecosystem that became a polluted waterway through a long history of industrial pollution and ongoing combined sewer overflow (CSO).
Over the last decade, the Gowanus Canal and neighborhood have been rapidly changing through the forces of development, gentrification and a neighborhood rezoning. A Superfund cleanup of the canal is on pace to remove historic industrial waste from former manufactured gas plants, and brownfield cleanups are removing contaminated soil from the land.
GCC is leading Gowanus Lowlands, a master plan that envisions a network of parks and public spaces centered on the Gowanus Canal and connected to the surrounding watershed. Learn more about GCCs mission and the work we’re doing in the neighborhood with community stewards, youth and community members to achieve a vision of a Gowanus Canal and surrounding urban environment that is clean, resilient, diverse and alive.
Email education[at]gowanuscanalconservancy.org to request a tour and fee information for your group.
Public colleges/universities and other groups – $250; private colleges/universities – $500. A sliding scale is available.
Self-Guided Tours
Take a socially distant walk using this handy walking tour guide! Learn about the past, present, and future of Gowanus and dig into some of the most pressing environmental issues in the neighborhood, along with the most innovative solutions. You can also learn more by following along with the video below:
