As a history nerd, i really like taking a deep dive into a destination’s past. I’m a firm believer that if you don’t understand where people have come from, you’ll never understand where they're now. It’s an enormous reason why i really like museums such a lot.

As one of the oldest cities within the country, ny City features a lot of history.

First settled by the Dutch as “New Amsterdam,” the Dutch the town surrendered to English in 1664. the town was a serious trading center located at the mouth of the Hudson . After the Revolution, ny was the hub of America’s power and government, officially becoming the nation’s capital in 1789 when Washington was sworn in. While it’s not the nation’s capital (it moved to Philadelphia the subsequent year then to Washington, DC in 1800), NYC was still the beating heart of the country.

Since i really like adding “themes” to my travels, an excellent theme for your visit to ny is colonial history – and far of the city’s colonial history remains present today.

Most of the sights are located within the financial district (one of the foremost underappreciated parts of NYC), so it’s easy to go to everything during a day. Here’s what to see:

1. The Battery (aka Battery Park)



The Battery aka Battery Park in ny , USA within the summer

Located on the southern tip of Manhattan, this park is where the Dutch built Fort Amsterdam in 1625 to defend their settlement. British took the world over in 1664 and eventually renamed it Fort George. The fort’s cannon battery wasn’t used until 1776 when American forces took it over after declaring independence. While the fort was mostly destroyed during the Revolution, the battery was expanded after the war’s end.

Today, there are over 20 monuments and plaques within the park, covering everything from the Revolutionary War and therefore the War of 1812 to immigration and far more. you'll wander round the fort then stroll through the encompassing park and absorb the gorgeous waterfront views of the harbor, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island .

2. Fraunces Tavern



The historic Fraunces Tavern building in ny , USA

This is the oldest bar in ny City, having been converted from a home (built in 1719) to a tavern in 1762. before the Revolution, the Sons of Liberty (a secret anti-British organization founded by Samuel Adams) would meet here to debate their plans and philosophies.

During the war, the building was damaged when Hamilton stole British artillery, provoking a response from British navy than sent a cannonball through the roof. After the war, Washington said farewell to his officers and troops of the Continental Army here.

As the war was ending, meetings between British and Americans were held here to debate slavery. The US insisted that no slaves freed by British could leave US soil (many had already been sent to freedom in what's now Canada). (It wasn't one among our finest moments as a rustic .)

Today, on the primary floor, there’s a reasonably decent restaurant (slightly overpriced though) and a bar with an excellent selection of draft beers. The tavern also hosts historical talks, also as events like trivia nights. it's also home to alittle museum on the second floor, which incorporates all types of historical documents and objects. For the 300th anniversary of the building’s construction in 2019, a replacement exhibition chronicling its history was created to spotlight the pivotal events that happened here.

54 Pearl St, +1 (212)-425-1778, frauncestavernmuseum.org. Open Monday-Friday 12pm–5pm and Saturday-Sunday 11am–5pm.

3. Bowling Green



Bowling Green Park in ny , USA

This public park is that the oldest in NYC. During colonial times, British installed a 4,000-pound gilded lead statue of King George III on horseback. it had been repeatedly vandalized leading up to the war, forcing British to create a fence round the park (the one that also stands today) and make anti-vandalism laws.

After the Declaration of Independence was read in 1776, the statue was toppled and dismembered. The head, allegedly, was mailed to England. The body, therefore the story goes, was melted down into bullets for the Continental Army .

Today, the world remains a park and there’s a plaque on the fence with a quick historical overview.

4. Trinity Church



The historic Trinity Church surrounded by skyscrapers in ny , USA

Built in 1698, the first Trinity Church was alittle parish church constructed by the Church of England. When British seized ny after George Washington’s retreat, it had been used as a British base of operations.

The original church was destroyed within the Great Fire of 1776, a huge blaze that exhausted upwards of 25% of the town (the Americans blamed British for starting the hearth , while British blamed the revolutionaries). The new building, facing Wall Street, was consecrated in 1790. Washington and Hamilton regularly worshipped here. The church was expanded in 1839 into its current form.

The graveyard dates back to the 1700s and has many an famous American there, including Hamilton and his wife Elizabeth, Francis Lewis (signatory on the Declaration of Independence), John Alsop (Continental Congress delegate), Albert Gallatin (founder of NYU), Horatio Gates (Continental Army general), John Morin Scott (general and first secretary of state of latest York), and Lord Stirling (Continental Army general).

75 Broadway, +1 212-602-0800, trinitywallstreet.org. Tours of the cemetery are available for the asking . there's also a self-guided tour app you'll download from the web site .

5. Federal Hall National Memorial



The exterior of Federal Hall in NYC featuring a statue of Geore Washington

This national memorial has served as New York’s hall and therefore the us Custom House, also because the site of the primary Congress of the us and George Washington’s presidential inauguration. it had been also where the Continental Congress of 1765 met to debate the Stamp Act , a tax imposed by British crown.

The current structure, inbuilt 1812, features a small museum that sheds light on the origins of America. a part of the balcony and railing where Washington was inaugurated are still on display also . It’s one among my favorite spots in ny — and a method too often overlooked by visitors!

26 Wall St, +1 (212) 825-6990, nps.gov/feha/index.htm. Open daily 9am–5pm. Admission is free. Free guided tours are available several times per day (check the web site for hours).

6. St. Paul’s Chapel



The exterior of St. Paul's Chapel in ny City, USA

Just up the road from Trinity Church (and officially a part of its parish) is that the oldest surviving church in Manhattan. inbuilt 1766, the Hearts of Oak (a student militia from Kings College) used the church’s grounds for drill practice during the Revolutionary War. Hamilton was a politician within the unit. After Washington became the primary president of the US in 1789, he attended services here, making the chapel his home church.

Today, it’s a National Historic Site, having survived the good Fire of 1776, the Revolutionary War, and 9/11. The chapel may be a simple hall decorated in pale colors. Glass chandeliers hang from the flat ceiling. It’s not particularly ornate, having a more modern and minimalist design (they use moveable chairs rather than pews to permit for more flexibility in what events are often held here).


209 Broadway, +1 212-602-0800, trinitywallstreet.org/about/stpaulschapel. Tours are offered every Sunday at 11:15am after service. Admission is free. Dress respectfully, as this is often an area of worship.

7. hall Park



Green grass at hall Park in ny City, USA

This park is where New Yorkers held rallies both before and through the Revolutionary War, including a rally against the Stamp Act in 1765. When the Act was repealed the subsequent year, a replacement flagpole was built here — referred to as the freedom Pole — which waved a flag that said “Liberty.” People also gathered here to listen to Washington read the Declaration of Independence in 1776; the spot is marked by a plaque from 1892 (another marks the situation of the freedom Pole).

During the war, British converted it into a jail to carry American prisoners of war, where over 250 Americans were executed. In 1783, when the war was won, Washington raised an American flag over the park.

Nowadays, it’s a reasonably park with a fountain and benches to relax on. You’ll see tons of individuals here during lunch. (Well, a minimum of you probably did pre-COVID.)

8. African cemetery memorial



The African cemetery memorial in ny City, USA

During the War of Independence, approximately 25% of the population of latest York City was enslaved Africans or people of African descent. Over 40% of the population owned slaves, and therefore the success and development of the town relied heavily on the work of enslaved men and ladies .

Once referred to as the “Negroes cemetery ,” this is often the most important colonial-era cemetery for both free and enslaved Black Americans. Studies estimate that upwards of 15,000 people were buried here within the 17th and 18th centuries.

The site may be a US memorial also as a National Historic Landmark. A monument and a visitor’s center were inbuilt 2007 to make sure that this important piece of history isn't forgotten. Inside the visitor’s center are several exhibitions, films, and dioramas highlighting the lifetime of slaves within the city. Visitors can find out how slaves were brought over by the Dutch, what their funerals were like, how they survived the tough conditions within the city, and what archeologists learned once they exhumed the bodies from the world before building the monument.

290 Broadway, +1 (212) 238-4367, nps.gov/afbg/index.htm. Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am–4pm. Free tours are available from the visitor’s center. Check the web site for dates and times.

9. Van Cortlandt House Museum



The exterior of the Van Cortlandt Museum in ny City, USA

This is the oldest building within the Bronx and one among the oldest surviving buildings within the entire country. inbuilt 1748 by African slaves, the property was used during the Revolutionary War by the Comte de Rochambeau, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Washington (who had his headquarters here during the ultimate years of the war).

It’s one among the oldest historic museum houses within the country (the fourth oldest to be precise), and far of the furniture and items on display are from the colonial era. Today, you'll tour the house to ascertain what life was like during the war.

6036 Broadway, Van Cortlandt Park, +1 (718) 543-3344, vchm.org. Open Tuesday-Friday 10am–4pm and weekends 11am–4pm. Admission is $5 USD.

Bonus Sites!

On Staten Island , you’ll find The conference center , where Ben Franklin led a peace delegation in 1776 (it failed). The house has been refurbished and does events throughout the year. It’s open now by private booking.

On the corner of Pearl and Broad, you’ll find the brick outline of Stadt Huys, the primary hall also some glass portals that look right down to remnants of the colonial city that were found within the 1970s.

You’ll also find bricks that show you where the old shoreline wont to be during colonial days. (Everything from Broad down is landfill designed to expand the town because it became a much bigger and larger shipping hub.)