THE ADVENTURE COLLECTIVE® · Independent discovery and booking for outdoor travel
Discover Washington Heights through a compelling walking tour blending street art and nature. Learn about endangered birds and visit Audubon’s resting place with Untapped New York.
Discover Washington Heights through a compelling walking tour blending street art and nature. Learn about endangered birds and visit Audubon’s resting place with Untapped New York.
Book with Untapped New York
Verified experiences and guided adventures in the surrounding area.
Operated by Untapped New York · New York, New York
Washington Heights, a vibrant enclave in northern Manhattan, stands apart from the city’s usual tourist trails with streets steeped in culture, history, and now, captivating murals that spotlight nature in an urban landscape. Untapped New York’s Audubon Mural Tour presents a unique intersection of art, environmental awareness, and local history framed within this dynamic neighborhood.
This roughly two-hour walking tour, led by expert guide Beth Goffe, brings the Audubon Mural Project to life. Originating as a public art initiative supported by the National Audubon Society and Avi Gitler, this project transforms street walls and storefront gates into sprawling canvases depicting North American birds at risk from climate change. As you walk Washington Heights’ streets, Beth’s insight as both a seasoned NYC guide and birdwatcher enriches the experience, offering detailed stories about the species portrayed and the artists behind the work.
Along the route, the tour pauses at the striking mosaic created during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and includes a visit to the Trinity Cemetery, where John James Audubon—the famed naturalist and ornithologist—rests. This blend of ecological education, public art, and local heritage makes the tour a standout way to engage with New York City beyond the usual skyline views.
Untapped New York’s focus on smaller, off-the-beaten-path adventures complements Washington Heights’ emerging reputation as a cultural destination that values history and nature amid urban grit. For outdoor and art enthusiasts alike, this tour offers a fresh look at an often-overlooked neighborhood, revealing how city walls can tell urgent stories about climate and conservation in a compelling, visual language.
easy.
2 hours.
Suitable for most fitness levels; involves steady walking on flat urban terrain.
The tour begins at The Chipped Cup Cafe in Washington Heights.
While no minimum age is set, the tour covers about two hours of walking and focuses on art and nature education.
The tour is ADA accessible, but covers a significant distance on city streets. Contact [email protected] to discuss accommodations.
Tips are not mandatory but are always appreciated by your guide.
Yes, the guide is an experienced birdwatcher and shares detailed information about each species featured.
Bookings can be made via Untapped New York’s FareHarbor link provided in the listing.
Washington Heights holds rich immigrant heritage and is the final home of John James Audubon, who revolutionized American natural history.
The Audubon Mural Project highlights the threats climate change poses to native bird species while raising community awareness through street art.
Untapped New York is a specialist tour operator based in Jersey City, New Jersey, offering immersive, history-focused experiences across the New York metropolitan area. The company curates guided walking tours, hard hat access trips, private tours, and urban exploration itineraries that reveal hidden architecture, abandoned spaces, and lesser-known cultural stories. Signature experiences include private tours of remnants of Old Penn Station with photographic documentation from noted photographers and railroad historians; Secrets of Grand Central led by award-winning guides; and multiple Ellis Island Hospital hard hat tours that explore century-old contagious disease wards, autopsy rooms, and JR’s "Unframed" exhibition. Other offerings include underground subway explorations, Gilded Age mansions walks along Fifth Avenue, and thematic cultural routes such as NYC’s Irish History Tour. Tours are presented as focused, small-group experiences—private and public—designed for visitors and locals who want deep historical context and rare access. Untapped New York highlights tangible artifacts and architectural remnants, combining storytelling with visual materials to enrich each tour. The company works with specialist guides, photographers, and historians to document locations factually and compellingly. Booking options include private tours and scheduled public departures for select trips. Whether exploring abandoned hospital wards, hidden stations, or the opulent façades of Millionaire’s Row, Untapped New York emphasizes archival research, expert-led narration, and unique on-site photographs to convey the layered history of New York’s built environment. Scheduled experiences feature Remnants of Penn Station, Secrets of Grand Central, Ellis Island Hospital Hard Hat Tours, NYC’s Underground Subway Tour, Fifth Avenue Gilded Age mansion walks.
Book with Untapped New York