Purefinder New York Walking Tours
“Each tour peels back the layers of city mythology to reveal what actually happened, using public records, archival research and a tone that gently reminds you this was never the land of moral high ground.”
Purefinder New York leads historical walking tours through the city’s darker chapters and overlooked origins. Our experiences are grounded in archival research, public records, and documented history, focusing on the stories most guidebooks leave out.
Our public tour schedule changes seasonally, and not all tours run at the same time of year. However, all tours are available year-round as private experiences for groups, institutions, and special events.
Winter 2026 Tour Schedule
January to March 15, 2026
Every Sunday this winter, Purefinder New York presents a limited-run walking tour:
The Cold Tour
Surveillance, Propaganda & Control in Midtown Manhattan
A winter walk through Midtown Manhattan exploring how surveillance, propaganda, and quiet systems of control shaped public life in the twentieth century.
Available via Airbnb Experiences
Two Purefinder New York tours are currently available exclusively through Airbnb Experiences.
NYC’s Top Ten Hidden Stories Tour
Discover ten hidden stories in Central Park, Harlem, and the Upper West Side, from Houdini to the Titanic, uprisings, tunnels, and strange landmarks, on this tour available exclusively through Airbnb Experiences.
The Dutch Are Still Here
A Dark History of NYC
Discover the Dutch colony beneath Manhattan, where tolerance masked control and fortunes were forged in fur, faith, and servitude, on this tour available exclusively through Airbnb Experiences.
Death in New York
Extended Daylight Tour
Immerse yourself in New York’s rich history of death, burial, epidemics, and execution on this in-depth 2.75-hour tour.
The Psychiatric History of New York
Take an analytical stroll through the evolution of psychiatry on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Oppenheimer in New York
Walk through the mind of a man—J. Robert Oppenheimer—the making of an era, and the streets that shaped them both.
Twilight Tour
Death in New York
Explore stories of burial grounds, executions, and forgotten dead as the city transitions from day to night.
Hell Gate
Explore the treacherous waters of Hell Gate, a notorious one-mile stretch of the East River—between Manhattan and Astoria, Queens—that has claimed countless ships with its deadly currents, jagged reefs, and legendary whirlpools.
Central Park
Scandal & Vice
Discover the secrets hiding in plain sight inside New York City’s most iconic park.
The Outlaws Who Built NYC
Scandal. Subterfuge. Street-level rebellion. The real architects of New York City weren’t saints. They were schemers.
The Dark Christmas Tour
Explore how faith, folklore, and unrest shaped the city’s idea of Christmas in this 90-minute walk through Lower Manhattan.