Sundays are usually reserved for laundry and life admin, but locals in the city that never sleeps have other ideas (funny, that). Consider this tour your ultimate guide to Sunday-ing the fun way, with lotsa booze and bites in the diverse, creative borough of Brooklyn.

The afternoon will go like this: you’ll meet a small group of like-minded travellers and an in-the-know local guide in Williamsburg; you’ll follow said guide to the cool breweries and bars, food joints, boutique shops and markets that are popular among Brooklyn’s hip crowd; and you’ll try some of each place’s best offerings. We’re talking southern-style BBQs, deliciously odd ice cream, proper hot sauce, cocktails and locally-brewed craft beer – a real mixed (tastings) bag. It’s a whopping itinerary, but your guide makes sure there’s still time to sit and chill at each venue and take in the atmos with your new pals. If you’re not familiar with Williamsburg or Brooklyn at all, this tour’s a relaxed, merry way to find out more about this intriguing New York borough; its history, its communities – both old and new – and the creative scenes that thrive here today. So go on, throw caution to the wind and get out there and explore this Sunday – day of rest be damned.

  About your guide 

Like A Local does just what it says on the tin. The company connects travellers with keen local guides, who, in turn, show said travellers around the city, their way. Expect to discover something new and unseen by the masses on these tours.

Here’s the plan…  

Meet your guide at Williamsburg Mini Mall, where your group adventure begins. Across the next three hours, with your guide leading the way, you’ll visit a series of local venues: all are independent (no big chains here) and all bring something diverse and exciting to the creative scene that’s been carved out in Brooklyn over the past few decades.

First up is Brooklyn Brewery, a microbrewery that produced its first round of beers back in the ‘80s at the founder’s apartment, and today has a cult following round the world. At Brooklyn Brewery HQ, you’ll get to see where the magic happens and try some of finest craft beer out there. Also on the agenda food and drinks-wise is a hot sauce shop where you’ll battle it out to survive all the hottest flavours; a southern-inspired BBQ joint where you’ll dapple in some delicious meats and cocktails; an ice cream parlour with some peculiar, delicious flavours; a chocolate factory and a few other cool local spots. You’ll also visit some outlandish fashion boutiques and markets, where you’ll get a handle on the local style (eclectic) and perhaps get your mitts on a cute keepsake. Between stops, you’ll check out the area’s plentiful murals and street art as well as the old, industrial architecture. Your guide will fill you in on Brooklyn’s past and the remarkable ways the borough has both changed and stayed the same through the decades.   

A trot down to the waterfront provides striking views of the city skyline before the final tipple of the afternoon. This is truly a Sunday well spent.