New York City: Roosevelt Island Walking Tour with Tram Ride｜United States

Join a walking tour of the residential community of Roosevelt Island, the former site of prisons, poor houses, and hospitals that has been transformed into a mix of parks and historic landmarks. Take a tram ride for sweeping views of Manhattan's East Side and Roosevelt Island.

Hop on the Roosevelt Island Tram, the first commuter tram in the United States, and enjoy amazing views of the East River, the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, and Roosevelt Island. Follow your local guide, a Roosevelt Island resident, as he shares his observations and experiences on the Island with you.

Then, head to Cornell Technion Institute, a humming center of creative thinking and research, and see its innovative flood-resistant and energy conservation architecture. Hear about its mission to help develop high-tech start-up companies.

Find out about the history of Roosevelt Island and its original purpose to incarcerate the city's criminal population at Blackwell's Penitentiary and to isolate smallpox patients at the Smallpox Hospital. Hear the tragic story of how administrators neglected the health and safety of inmates.

Continue to the Four Freedoms State Park near the southern tip of Roosevelt Island for panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline. Celebrate President Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 Four Freedoms Speech and view FDR's impressive facial sculpture.

Admire the Blackwell family's colonial-era farmhouse (1796).

Next, learn about the planning and development of the “New Town” community (1969 - 1973) that consists of low-moderate income housing and luxury rental and condominium apartments, where Roosevelt Island's residents live side-by-side.

See the Octagon Condominium Apartments, the original location of the New York City Lunatic Asylum. Learn how investigative journalist and activist Nellie Bly exposed the systemic mistreatment of female patients by the Asylum's staff during the late 19th century.

Pay tribute to the journalist at The Girl Puzzle Monument honoring Nellie Bly. View 5 sculptures of women's faces that resemble pieces in a puzzle in honor of Nellie Bly's accomplishments in advancing women’s rights and her advocacy for the Lunatic Asylum's female patients' rights.

End the tour at the 50-foot high Blackwell Island Lighthouse, a New York City and National Landmark that was built for East River ship navigation in 1872.