How did people meet and mingle 100 years ago? Did they confess their love in letters? Go to a matchmaker? Meet at work on a factory floor?

As immigrants wrestled with new American ways and their old traditions, the Lower East Side was home to family-arranged marriages as well as young people mixing freely at dance halls and making their own matches. We’ll visit sites where love once blossomed, including the former site of a popular dance hall, Seward Park, and Seward Park Library, as well as bustling streets, stoops, and shops. You’ll also hear accounts from 19th- and early 20th-century novels, newspapers, and a Yiddish love-letter writing manual that draw a vivid portrait of turn-of-the-20th century wooing, love, and marriage.

The museum at Eldridge Street Walking Tours is only available to small groups (20 people max). This tour is available to both individual ticket holders and families and includes admission to the Museum.

The safety of our visitors and staff is our priority. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we are monitoring the situation closely and following guidance from the CDC and local health officials. We will require the use of face-covering at all times covering nose and mouth, social distancing and maintaining 6-feet from others, and regular hand washing and hand sanitizing using alcohol-based hand sanitizer. More details about where you will be meeting, and other safety guidelines will be available in your email confirmation.