The New York City Parks Department will begin offering tours of Hart Island, the city’s public cemetery, starting next week.  

New Yorkers will get the chance to visit and learn about the history of Hart Island firsthand. Groups will board a ferry from City Island to the largest public cemetery in the United States.  

“It’s our hope that our ranger tours will also serve to reduce historical stigmas surrounding the island’s past and educate the public about its important role going forward,” said Due Donoghue, commissioner of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.  

Hart Island serves as a final resting place for over 1 million New Yorkers and has remained an active burial site since 1869.  

The Parks Department will offer two public tours per month. Click here to register for the lottery system for the tours.