Paws, pop stars, ghosts & the mob: NYC’s quirkiest walking tours offer exercise and an eyeful
New York City's walking tours have taken a quirky turn, offering themed excursions ranging from feline history to rat-infested alleyways and Taylor Swift's favorite haunts. These niche tours blend entertainment, exercise, and local lore, attracting both tourists and locals. From mob stories paired with pasta to candlelit catacombs, the city’s unique offerings are redefining urban exploration.
- ▪The 'Cats About Town' tour explores NYC's feline history, including ship cats and bodega cat traditions.
- ▪Swifties can take a $40 tour tracing Taylor Swift’s NYC connections, including filming locations and lyric references.
- ▪The 'Garbage and Rats in NYC' tour, led by a self-described 'rat whisperer,' examines sanitation issues and rodent behavior for $45.
- ▪A mob-themed tour led by retired NYPD detectives includes Mafia stories and Italian food tastings for $79.
- ▪These tours reflect NYC’s eccentric culture, combining history, pop culture, and urban life in unconventional ways.
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Lifestyle exclusive Paws, pop stars, ghosts & the mob: NYC’s quirkiest walking tours offer exercise and an eyeful By Marissa Matozzo Published May 16, 2026, 7:00 a.m. ET New Yorkers will stand in line for anything — cronuts, cold plunges, chaos — so naturally, the city’s walking tours have officially gone off the rails in the best possible way. Forget the basic Statue of Liberty selfie circuit. Across the five boroughs, tourists and locals alike are shelling out to stalk celebrity hotspots, descend into candlelit catacombs, chase Broadway ghosts and even learn the intimate sex lives of rats. From mobsters and Marvel heroes to bodega cats and glazed doughnuts, these bizarre Big Apple excursions are turning NYC itself into the main character.
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