Museum exploring the history of a 19th-century African American community in Brooklyn.
At a glance
#65 of 156 Tourist attractions in BrooklynLocalGuideWorld score: 4.60
Rating breakdown
-
5 ★78%
-
4 ★15%
-
3 ★5%
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2 ★1%
-
1 ★2%
Quick facts
- What is the rating of Weeksville Heritage Center?
- Weeksville Heritage Center is rated 4.6 out of 5 based on 729 reviews.
- How does Weeksville Heritage Center rank in Brooklyn?
- Weeksville Heritage Center is #65 of 156 Tourist attractions in Brooklyn by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
- Where is Weeksville Heritage Center located?
- 158 Buffalo Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213, United States — 4.7 km from the center of Brooklyn.
- How can I contact Weeksville Heritage Center?
- Phone: +1 718-756-5250 · Website: weeksvillesociety.org
The Black Veg Fest was awesome!!
The vendors were amazing!
I loved being educated while enjoying the fellowship of the community.
The vendors were amazing!
I loved being educated while enjoying the fellowship of the community.
Visited the site of Weeksville Heritage Center on a Saturday in 2023, the first day of the Juneteenth Food Festival that was taking place on the site. Though my husband and I knew that the center would be closed for tours that day, We were looking forward to familiarizing ourselves with the center's location and the houses on the site, with the intention of returning for a tour in the future.
We arrived just after noon, as the Food Festival published hours were "12-7." However, nothing was really ready at that time, and at least half of the food vendors still weren't ready to sell food by 12:35pm.
Since we had to wait for the food vendors to open, we decided to check out the 'Welcome Center.' We quickly learned that the name is a misnomer, as the center is not very welcoming. There were no signs on the center saying it was closed, so we walked in to the main entrance. I didn't walk more than 10 feet into the door, was looking at the information about the center on a shelf, and a woman came running up to me to ask me 'if she could help me.' I mentioned that we were here for the food festival and would like information for a future tour. Though she answered my questions politely, the feeling I got was clearly that I had done something wrong, and was not welcome. I signaled to my husband and we quickly left the building. Again, there were no signs saying the building was closed.
Since the food vendors were mostly still not ready to serve, my husband and I walked down and sat on the edge of the wooden ramp that runs down into the yard. There were other people sitting there too. We had read the FAQ mentioning to bring lawn chairs to sit on the lawn, but we weren't planning to stay for too long so we planned to just wait there while the food vendors opened. Not a few minutes after we sat down, a man came and somewhat rudely told us all to get up, as we 'weren't allowed to sit on the ramp.' We completely understand that there might be access rules, or reasons why it might not be safe to have people on the ramp, but again, there was no sign indicating that sitting on the ramp was not allowed, nor was this in the event FAQ. And the event person could have been less brusque about running people off since there was no sign. I'm sure they must have had to do this all day long.
Since we now had no place to sit, and the food vendors weren't yet ready, we decided to wander over by the houses, and tried to walk down a path that led past the garden, to what we thought might be another area where vendors were set up (we had seen this from Bergen Street while approaching the venue). The same man who ran us off the ramp told us that were 'weren't allowed to walk there." This we found very strange, as later when we again looked at the other vendor area through the fence on Bergen St, it seemed that path was the only way to go there. We don't know how people were supposed to get back to that other vendor area, and were also quite disappointed not to be able to even get near the historic houses on the property to view the outsides.
In summary we were 'pushed off' of three areas of the center within about 15 minutes of arriving. We understand this was a special event, but all of this has given us quite a negative impression of the center, and we are not eager to return. At the very least, the center missed a HUGE opportunity to showcase the center as an interesting, fun, and welcoming place to visit. Additionally, we felt that the event could have used improvement in some basic areas of execution including things like posting opening hours that actually match the event readiness. Meaning, don't post that your hours are 12-7 when the event isn't fully ready to go until at least 1pm.
We arrived just after noon, as the Food Festival published hours were "12-7." However, nothing was really ready at that time, and at least half of the food vendors still weren't ready to sell food by 12:35pm.
Since we had to wait for the food vendors to open, we decided to check out the 'Welcome Center.' We quickly learned that the name is a misnomer, as the center is not very welcoming. There were no signs on the center saying it was closed, so we walked in to the main entrance. I didn't walk more than 10 feet into the door, was looking at the information about the center on a shelf, and a woman came running up to me to ask me 'if she could help me.' I mentioned that we were here for the food festival and would like information for a future tour. Though she answered my questions politely, the feeling I got was clearly that I had done something wrong, and was not welcome. I signaled to my husband and we quickly left the building. Again, there were no signs saying the building was closed.
Since the food vendors were mostly still not ready to serve, my husband and I walked down and sat on the edge of the wooden ramp that runs down into the yard. There were other people sitting there too. We had read the FAQ mentioning to bring lawn chairs to sit on the lawn, but we weren't planning to stay for too long so we planned to just wait there while the food vendors opened. Not a few minutes after we sat down, a man came and somewhat rudely told us all to get up, as we 'weren't allowed to sit on the ramp.' We completely understand that there might be access rules, or reasons why it might not be safe to have people on the ramp, but again, there was no sign indicating that sitting on the ramp was not allowed, nor was this in the event FAQ. And the event person could have been less brusque about running people off since there was no sign. I'm sure they must have had to do this all day long.
Since we now had no place to sit, and the food vendors weren't yet ready, we decided to wander over by the houses, and tried to walk down a path that led past the garden, to what we thought might be another area where vendors were set up (we had seen this from Bergen Street while approaching the venue). The same man who ran us off the ramp told us that were 'weren't allowed to walk there." This we found very strange, as later when we again looked at the other vendor area through the fence on Bergen St, it seemed that path was the only way to go there. We don't know how people were supposed to get back to that other vendor area, and were also quite disappointed not to be able to even get near the historic houses on the property to view the outsides.
In summary we were 'pushed off' of three areas of the center within about 15 minutes of arriving. We understand this was a special event, but all of this has given us quite a negative impression of the center, and we are not eager to return. At the very least, the center missed a HUGE opportunity to showcase the center as an interesting, fun, and welcoming place to visit. Additionally, we felt that the event could have used improvement in some basic areas of execution including things like posting opening hours that actually match the event readiness. Meaning, don't post that your hours are 12-7 when the event isn't fully ready to go until at least 1pm.
Weeksville Heritage Center has fantastic programming, and their Juneteenth festivities are unmatched for reaching out to the community and supporting local businesses.
Finding hidden treasures in my neighborhood is like finding magical history. The piecing together of the history and how life could've been all while standing in "what used to be" will always be a surreal moment for me. It's like bringing history to your fingertips.
I'm doubtful that homeowners had the sign "Welcome" on their door - to further research
I'm doubtful that homeowners had the sign "Welcome" on their door - to further research
I took the guided tour and really enjoyed the view I got into history from the mid nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. The fight against slavery, the universal suffrage movement, Black nationalism and self-determination are all stories you'll hear about as you step through the homes of this historic community that was almost lost to time but for a few determined folks back in the sixties who discovered the history, unearthed the artifacts, and saved the historic structures. The guide had tons of knowledge to share and did a great job painting a picture of historic Weeksville and its inspiring residents. The tour ended in a well designed, interactive exhibit hall. I recommend a visit to anyone interested in the history of New York and lesser known American histories.
It's a great place to learn about the past and how black people were living, it's kind of a small place. But other than that, you could explore houses people lived in and surprisingly it's all saved. Also, the yard is very neat and clean. And there is a nice bridge to the houses which I think looks cute.
A Fun filled family Day at Weeksville. Kids enjoyed Minecraft, and B Scene Film screening along with Live DJ like, face painting, and more.
An amazing experience and history centered tour! We will continue researching Weeksville, just sad that we could not photograph or video our tour. However, the memories will forever inspire us!
The new modern facility is nicely designed with various cultural events and amazing history of Brooklyn's Weeksville African community.
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