A Walking Tour of the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Founded in 1801, the Brooklyn Navy Yard was once the nation's premier naval shipyard, building, repairing and outfitting vessels from the War of 1812 through the Cold War. Today it is a working industrial park of more than 450 businesses employing over 11,000 people, mostly off-limits to casual visitors, which is why the tours Turnstile Tours runs in partnership with the Yard are worth booking. The Past, Present & Future walk visits Civil War-era machine shops, BLDG 92, the Yard's museum and visitor center, and an 1851 dry dock still used for ship repair.

The public walking tour runs on Saturday afternoons, lasts about two hours and covers roughly two miles, rain or shine. Advance tickets are required: $25 for general admission, $22.50 for seniors, students and veterans, and $12.50 for children 5 to 12 as of October 2026; children under 5 go free. Tours start and end at Building 77, 141 Flushing Avenue at Vanderbilt Avenue, about 15 minutes' walk from the nearest subway stations. Turnstile also runs World War II, architecture and urban-ecology tours of the Yard.