Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (125th Street), Harlem’s main thoroughfare, holds many of the area’s top attractions including the Apollo Theater and the Studio Museum in Harlem. But to really get to know this part of Upper Manhattan, explore in the company of a tour guide. Walking tours focus on different aspects of its musical heritage—think hip-hop, Harlem gospel, and jazz—as well as Harlem’s history.
Other Harlem tours revolve around food, movie and TV filming locations, and the district’s swing-dance scene. Many tours make stops at notable religious structures, including the as-yet-unfinished Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the lively Abyssinian Baptist Church, and the Rockefeller-built Riverside Church.