New York has plenty of ways to take a trip back in time, but this one involves boarding a subway car that’s nearly a century old and heading to one of Brooklyn’s most historic destinations.
This Saturday, October 3, 2026, the New York Transit Museum is kicking off its Fall Nostalgia Rides with a rare afternoon excursion to Brooklyn’s sprawling Green-Wood Cemetery. Instead of swiping into a standard MTA car, visitors will arrive in style aboard the Museum’s beautifully preserved 1930s IND R1/9 subway cars.
Here’s everything you need to know to catch the New York Transit Museum’s Fall Nostalgia Ride.
🚇 What to Expect on the Green-Wood Cemetery Nostalgia Ride
The Green-Wood Cemetery Nostalgia Ride is basically a history buff’s dream day out: you’ll board a vintage subway train in Manhattan, ride through the city aboard cars dating back to the 1930s, and spend the afternoon exploring a National Historic Landmark.
The experience includes:
- A ride aboard the “Arnines”: The vintage train is made up of IND R1/9 subway cars from the Depression era, complete with old-school details that disappeared from the modern subway decades ago
- A cross-city trip: The ride departs from the 96 St–2 Av station in Manhattan and heads straight to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn
- A guided historic tour: Once you arrive, you can join a guided tour detailing the stories of the cemetery’s permanent residents, including famous actors, politicians, artists, inventors, and other notable New Yorkers
- Time to explore: Guests are welcome to pack a picnic and take in Green-Wood’s sprawling grounds, massive monuments, and rolling historic landscape
🚉 Meet the “Arnines,” NYC’s 1930s subway cars
You know those vintage subway cars that look like they came straight out of an old New York movie? These are the “Arnines,” and they’re the stars of this weekend’s nostalgia ride.
Built between 1930 and 1940 for the Independent Subway System (IND), the R1/9s feature a Depression-era Art Deco aesthetic. Step inside, and you’ll find rattan seats, paddle ceiling fans, incandescent light bulbs, and vintage roll signs.
These cars set the standard for years to come with wider doors that opened faster to accommodate rush hour crowds, inspiring Billy Strayhorn’s jazz classic “Take the A Train.”
They remained in service until 1977, and today, the Transit Museum preserves them to give New Yorkers the rare chance to actually ride them through the modern subway system.
🌳 Exploring Green-Wood Cemetery (NYC’s Most Underrated Landmark)
If you’ve never explored Green-Wood, it’s less like a traditional cemetery and more like a massive outdoor history museum hiding in Brooklyn.
Founded in 1838 as one of America’s first rural garden cemeteries, the 478-acre site was so popular that by the 1860s it was drawing roughly 500,000 visitors a year. It was actually the second-most popular tourist attraction in the United States, trailing only behind Niagara Falls!
Its massive popularity as an open green space directly inspired the creation of both Central Park and Prospect Park.
Today, Green-Wood contains Battle Hill (the highest natural point in Brooklyn) and is the final resting place of 580,000 permanent residents, composer Leonard Bernstein, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, political figure Boss Tweed, and Tiffany designer Louis Comfort Tiffany.
So yes, you’re technically visiting a cemetery—but you’re also wandering through nearly two centuries of New York history.
🎟️ Details & Tickets
- What: Fall 2026 Nostalgia Rides: An Afternoon Ride to The Green-Wood Cemetery
- When: Saturday, October 3, 2026 | 2–7 pm (rain or shine)
- Departure Point: 96 St–2 Av station in Manhattan
- Tickets: $60 adult / $40 child; $50 member adult / $30 member child
- Now on sale through the New York Transit Museum
- Note: Children 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult, and children 2 and up need their own ticket