Make a day out of ‘Hamilton’ in New York City

Fans of the multi-Tony Award-winning musical, which sets American history to hip-hop music, will enjoy these cultural attractions, activities, and bars.

Joe DziemianowiczAugust 13, 2024, 04:00

Hamilton is a landmark Broadway musical, and it’s got the Tony Awards and Pulitzer Prize to show for it. Through a captivating blend of hip-hop, R&B, and old-school musical theatre, the show covers the life and times of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as he shaped the early years of America.

Alongside Hamilton’s personal journey, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2015 masterwork captures the spirit of New York, celebrating it as a hub of innovation, opportunity, and, as one lyric goes, “the greatest city in the world.” Some things never change.

For before and after the show, we’ve curated a New York itinerary of attractions, watering holes, and parks for Hamilton fans. Come check them out when you’re in the city where it happens.

Get Hamilton tickets now.

Hamilton Grange National Memorial

Talk about being in the room where it happened. Built in 1802, this federal-style house in (fittingly) Manhattan's Hamilton Heights neighborhood is the home Hamilton owned in New York City. The "$10 Founding Father" lived there for two years before his untimely death in a duel with Aaron Burr.

Originally situated on a 32-acre plot, the house has been relocated twice and is now managed by the National Park Service. You can get a peek inside the house through ranger-guided tours. The visitor center is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours are free and on a first-come, first serve basis.

Address: 414 W. 141st St.
Price: $

Fraunces Tavern

Raise a glass to freedom – and to a great time downtown in one of New York City’s oldest bars. Established in 1762, Fraunces Tavern was a go-to hangout for American patriots. It is also, notably, where George Washington said farewell to his officers in 1783 — an event partly dramatized in the Hamilton song "One Last Time."

Enjoy all kinds of libations – cocktails, beer, whiskey, cider, and soft drinks – in rooms with historic names like Lafayette’s Hideout Bar. You can hear jazz in the Piano Bar, where there’s a $30 food and drink minimum, on weekends. There’s also a mix of music in the Independence Bar Tuesday through Saturday.

Time your visit right, and you can check out the museum on the second floor ($10 admission), open daily from 12-5 p.m.

Address: 54 Pearl St. at the corner of Broad Street
Price: $-$$$

New-York Historical Society

History is happening in Manhattan — always. This Upper West Side museum has a collection of portraits and artifacts from early American history, and rotating exhibits spotlight significant historical figures and events. Past exhibit topics range from the Salem Witch Trials to Jewish delis to Frederick Douglass and much more.

The ongoing exhibit “Meet the Presidents and the Oval Office” features artwork and objects tracing the evolution of the presidency. Highlights include the actual Bible used during George Washington’s inauguration in 1789.

Visit between 5-8 p.m. on Friday for pay-as-you-wish admission.

Address: 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street
Price: $-$$

Metropolitan Museum of Art

When Hamilton unfolds on stage, the audience experiences dynamic, three-dimensional renderings of figures from history. These include George Washington, who led the Revolutionary War, shaped the new nation’s government, and knew when it was time to leave his post as America’s first president.

Visual artists have also celebrated Washington. At the Met, Washington can be found cast in bronze, looming large in a striking 1795 portrait supposedly painted during his life (he died in 1799), and towering even larger in an 1851 depiction of him crossing the Delaware River on December 25, 1776. That’s just a sample of what’s on view about Washington and the era of the Founding Fathers.

Address: 1000 Fifth Avenue Price: $$

Lafayette Square

Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat and general, played a crucial role in advocating for American independence. In Hamilton, he’s a fast-rapping, charismatic, can’t-take-your-eyes-off-him character you always want to see more of. Happily, you can.

Leafy Lafayette Square, in Manhattan's Morningside Heights neighborhood, is home to “Lafayette and Washington,” a bronze monument by 19th-century French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi (who designed the Statue of Liberty). The statue depicts the uniformed figures shaking hands with the French and American flags behind them.

The square is inspiring spot to savor the concept of solidarity over a coffee or snack.

Address: W. 114th Street and Manhattan Avenue Price: Free

Trinity Church

Who lives, who dies, who tells your story? The end of Hamilton’s life story is told in perpetuity at this architecturally eye-popping Episcopal parish at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway downtown. Consecrated in 1846, the church stands on the site of an earlier one founded in 1697.

Hamilton was shot on July 11, 1804 and died the next day. As a member of Trinity Church, his last rites were performed here before his funeral was held on July 14. Visit his gravesite and that of his wife, Eliza, in the churchyard cemetery, open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. His final resting place is on the south side of the churchyard under an attention-getting white marble pyramid tomb.

Address: 89 Broadway Price: Free

Hamilton

Satisfied? After savoring NYC sights, sounds, and sips tied to the tale of Alexander Hamiton, you will be. Now, it’s the perfect time to experience the musical.

At the storied Richard Rodgers Theatre, the musical begins with a question that ingeniously sets the stage for sharing an eye-opening, ear-tickling story of Alexander Hamilton’s rise from humble beginnings to nationwide prominence. You’ll want to be in this room when that happens.

Learn more about Hamilton on Broadway.