Central Harlem African-American Culture Walking Tour

New York City, USA

2 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Harlem has long been an important center of African-American culture and history, as well as the heart of New York's Jazz scene. On this walking tour, dive into Harlem's rich heritage as you explore the area with a local guide. Admire the district's elegant brownstones, visit a local market in Little Senegal, and see landmarks such as Apollo Theater, Speaker’s Corner, and Hotel Theresa.

Discover Harlem like a local as you stroll around the historic district
Learn about Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance and Civil Rights era
Get an insider perspective from a local guide and Harlem resident
Visit sights such as Apollo Theater, Speaker’s Corner, and more

What's Included

Guided tour by licensed tour guide and Harlem resident

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

700 St Nicholas Ave, New York, NY 10031, USA
The tour guide will be in front of the Capital One Bank, 700 St Nicholas Avenue, on the NE corner. Directions to the meeting point: Take the UPTOWN A, B, C ,D subway lines to the 145th Street Station. Use the 145th Street to exit station.

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

Apollo Theater
253 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027, USA

What To Expect

Apollo Theater

Admission Ticket Free

Harlem (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
This is a walking tour. Wear appropriate clothing and footwear.
This tour focuses on neighborhood history. It does not include visit to church or music.
Not wheelchair accessible
Tour may be moderately difficult for the physically challenged.

Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

74 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 74 reviews

Somewhat disappointed

Tracy_t, Feb 2024

I was looking forward to this walking tour and I was somewhat disappointed though I would still recommend this tour. Pros: The tour guide was VERY knowledgeable and was able to give us lots of details about the areas of Harlem that we walked through. It was very educational and filled with local anecdotes and personal stories. I was travelling with my niece (17) and I wanted her to learn about African American history, especially history she may not learn in school and that was accomplished! Cons: Tour operator: I emailed the tour operator twice with questions and I never heard back The tour: We started late because we were waiting for people (who never showed up). The tour was supposed to be 2 hours. After an hour and half, our guide told us that he was running late and the tour would go long so if anyone had plans afterwards we were close to primary subway station and it would b a good time to leave. We had plans for another tour at 1:30 (tour was supposed to end at noon) with a 30ish minute train ride. I didn't want to miss any of the tour so this was really a disappointment. Our guide expected the tour would be an additional 45 minutes. We had to leave early so we missed the part of the tour that covered more recent history like civil rights movement and we missed the Apollo Theater. That was a big disappointment esp because of my (aforementioned) desire to teach my niece about history AND I was looking forward to learning more myself. I would still recommend this tour to others with the warning it may go long and not to plan anything tight after. I hope the tour operator will consider making changes to make this a 3 hour tour OR condense the material to fit within the 2 hour time frame. Also, I'd suggest making a hard start time and recommend people arrive before the start time to ensure us early birds aren't punished by late arrivals.

Keith our tour guide is...

LatoyaGay, Feb 2024

Keith our tour guide is super informative, he is literally a walking encyclopedia on Harlem, because of him my friends and I are coming back to see Hamilton on broadway! Definitely booking a tour again!

Harlem Feb 2024 tour

Percy_J, Feb 2024

Great!!! Our guide Dr Taylor did an excellent job of explaining, describing and showing our group the history of Harlem and the surrounding area

Didn’t happen

Pamela_B, Feb 2024

Well it was cancelled less than a hour prior to the tour. I decided to try and see some stuff for myself. Bottom line you really need a guide because Harlem is a bit scary but the people were friendly. I may come back in the summer. I should be getting a refund I was told.

Everyone should see Harlem

Janice_F, Jan 2024

Harlem is one of the most interesting areas in Manhattan and Hamilton Height and Sugar HIll are its most beautiful neighborhoods. The buildings are more magnificent than 5th Avenue (where most of the grand housing has been demolished). The Gothic campus of the City College of New York is a must see. Dr. Keith Taylor was the best of the best as our guide.

Harlem Walking Tour

Mary_D, Jan 2024

The tour was a comprehensive overview of the vibrant Harlem neighborhood. Our tour leader was excellent.

What a great tour! The best ever!

Maarten_W, Nov 2023

What a great tour! The best ever. Our guide, Dr. Taylor, was just perfect: telling the story of Harlem from the past to the present, walking us through the neighboorhoud with many great stories, and with such a great passion! We were a group students and professors of a European Conservatoire, and we got the best information we were all looking for. Great! This one we will remember for the rest of your life, for sure!

Incredible, intresting and fun tour of Harlem!

Shannon_P, Oct 2023

Dr. Keith Taylor gave us an incredible tour of Harlem! He wa so knowledgeable and the fact that he is a Harlem native with generations of history and ancestry made it even more rich.

Fantastic experience

Tod_S, Oct 2023

Excellent tour. A must if you love architecture and history. A New York I barely knew existed. Guide was amazing. Incredibly knowledgeable.

Good tour.

Terry_M, Aug 2023

Keith was an great tour guide with an in-depth knowledge of Harlem. It was a difficult task trying to squeeze a lot of info into such a short time, but he was able to cover a lot of bases.

Great introduction to Harlem

Nathalie_P, Aug 2023

A knowledgeable guide that makes everyone feel welcome and comfortable. Great insight into the life and history of the neighbourhood.

Highly recommended.

Richard_G, Jul 2023

Dr Taylor is a very knowledgeable and excellent tour guide. He added humor and took questions. Highly recommend for all except small children who would not be able to maintain interest.

Learning the history of Harlem

K_B, Jul 2023

Our guide was Keith, he was born and raised in Harlem and you could feel his love for his city. He was an excellent guide with, of course a ton of knowledge and historical facts about Harlem. He was enjoyable to listen to and we could have spent all day with him listening to his stories and tales. I highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting to learn about Harlem’s history.

Local knowledge makes for an excellent tour

Suzette_J, Jun 2023

Great tour with Jo - highly recommended. The tour was informative and engaging. Excellent value and great to be able to support the work of a local community organisation.

Great value

Sean_B, May 2023

Miserable day weather wise but Keith kept us enthralled with his knowledge and passion for the area.

Great tour

Dorene_H, May 2023

Keith is an enthusiastic guide with great knowledge of the Harlem and American history. I learned a lot.

Do this with our guide!

Rebecca_S, Mar 2023

The guide was wonderful, knowledgeable, well spoken, informative and very nice! We learned so much about Harlem its history and evolution. The guide was well spoken on all the topics discussed and queried. Recommend!

Highlghts of Black Harlem

AnnMarie_O, Jan 2023

This walking tour was an eye-opener, showcasing one of the foremost Black neighborhoods in America. It was important see visit Strivers Row, the Apollo Theater, Black churches, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Great Harlem tour

Cherie_P, Jan 2023

We thoroughly enjoyed the information shared by Jonathan, he was very knowledgeable about the history of Harlem.

Awesome

Lora_B, Dec 2022

We had a knowledgeable, passionate guide. His enthusiasm and love for his neighborhood was evident. Highly recommend the tour.