Welcome Families!
Experience one of New York City’s most fascinating American-Jewish landmarks, the 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue.
Bring Your Family to the Museum at Eldridge Street for Programs like Preservation Detectives
 
What To Expect When You Bring Your Family to the Museum at Eldridge Street
Our National Historic Landmark is a portal into the life of Jewish immigrants of 120 years ago. The synagogue’s uplifting architecture, juxtaposed against its tenement neighborhood, will delight and inspire.
  • A hands-on experience. The Museum is not a traditional gallery — we want our visitors to physically experience this magnificent space.
  • Award-winning interactive exhibits. Games and activities make history fun and accessible.
  • Discover your family stories as you learn about the immigrants who settled here.
  • Create art inspired by the history and architecture of the synagogue.

The Museum at Eldridge Street is accessible by guided tour only.

Our Preservation Detectives Family Program is perfect for families with children ages 5-10. Families with children ages 10 and older will enjoy our standard guided tour.

Explore The Lower East Side

A visit to the Museum would not be complete without a walk through our dynamic Lower East Side-Chinatown neighborhood. Download our Neighborhood Activity Guide(.pdf) with food, parks and other neighborhood attractions, as well as fun facts and suggested activities.

See a Google Map of the Lower East Side's family attractions. »

 
Family Tours and Events

Preservation Detectives

Hunt for history in the 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue in a fun-filled family program. Become a Preservation Detective and use a magnifying glass, binoculars and notepad, along with your ingenuity and imagination. Families will sleuth their way through our historic landmark and discover the past through interactive activities and art making. Each month features a different theme and reveals the mysteries of architecture, history, and Jewish culture.

Admissions
Every Sunday at 1:00 pm.
Recommended for ages 5-10
$15 per family.

Tickets
Purchase tickets at the Museum's gift shop on the day of your visit. Advance reservations required for groups of 10+.

Monthly Themes

Preservation Detectives focuses on a different theme each month.

June: Architecture Adventure
How does a building become a community center? Investigate the many ways Eldridge Street’s magnificent space was utilized throughout the last 100 years. Explore architecture and design your own unique three-dimensional community space.
June 6, 20 & 27 at 1 pm

July & August: All of a Kind Family Fun Walking Tour
Explore childhood turn-of-the-century style. Follow in the footsteps of Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, and Gertie, the beloved sisters depicted in Sydney Taylor's children's classic All-of-a-Kind Family. Take to the streets on this neighborhood walking tour and discover where these immigrant girls lived, shopped, prayed, played and went to school.
July 11, 18 & 25, August 1 & 8 at 1 pm

 

Great Reads

Each of these great books is available at the Museum's gift shop. To order, please call 212.219.0327.

All-of-a-Kind Family series
by Sydney Taylor

All of a Kind Family
Share the adventures a of a lively, Jewish immigrant family living in the Lower East Side on the eve of WWI in this time-honored classic.
 

If You Lived 100 Years Ago
by Ann McGovern

If You Lived 100 Years Ago
Enjoy this illustrated guide to how both the rich and poor dressed, traveled, dined and entertained in New York City at the turn of last century.
 

The Castle on Hester Street
by Linda Heller

Castle on Hester Street
Hear the tale of a grandpa’s journey from Russia to New York , including his widely imaginative encounter with a flying goat, buttons the size of sleds, and even a castle on Hester Street.
 

When Mindy Saved Hanukkah
by Eric Kimmel

When Mindy Saved Hannukah
Meet the Klein family- little miniature people living behind the walls of the famous Eldridge Street Synagogue at the turn of the century- in this spirited and beautifully illustrated story.