New York City

Harlem Wednesday Morning Gospel Tour

Badge of ExcellenceNew York City, USA

From $80.00

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

  • 4 hours
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover the vibrant history and musical legacy of Harlem on this exclusive insider’s gospel tour. Stroll past beautiful brownstones while learning about Harlem’s famous former residents and take part in an uplifting Wednesday morning service featuring the talented ARC gospel choir, which supports drug addiction recovery programs within the community. Upgrade to include lunch at Sylvia’s, a local eatery renowned for serving up some of the best soul food in New York.
  • Uncover the history and musical culture of Harlem with a guide
  • Stop at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
  • Enjoy a service with the ARC gospel choir
  • Additional soul food lunch upgrade available

What's Included

  • Gospel concert with the amazing Harlem Gospel Acapella Choir
  • Bus and Walking tour of residential sections of Harlem
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks (unless lunch option is selected)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • 690 8th Ave, New York, NY 10036, USA

    Near Times Square on Eighth Avenue

Start time

09:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Spend a morning immersed in the rich and eclectic culture of Harlem. Meet your guide near Times Square in the morning and board a comfortable coach for the drive north to Harlem. Admire the stately homes and historic buildings of Strivers Row and Sylvan Terrace, and cruise by musical landmarks like the Apollo Theater, which has hosted some of the hottest names in jazz and R&B throughout the decades.

Continue on to a local church to take part in an inspiring morning service featuring the soul-stirring vocals of the ARC gospel choir. This community choir helps support the drug treatment services of the Addicts Rehabilitation Center, New York State’s oldest drug-free recovery program.

If you select the lunch upgrade, enjoy a delicious meal after the gospel service at Sylvia’s restaurant. Founded by the ‘queen of soul food,’ this Harlem institution dishes up beloved southern-inspired specialties like fried chicken, spicy ribs, collard greens, and cornbread. 

At the end of your tour, you are dropped off back at the original departure point in the afternoon.

Harlem

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Apollo Theater

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not recommended for child aged 4 and under
  • Church services may be held in the Bronx, however the tour will still cover the Harlem itinerary
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Shorts and tank tops are not allowed to be worn on this tour. Harlem Spirituals Inc. reserves the right to refuse clients improperly dressed and will not refund the service
  • What is "Soul Food"
  • Near public transportation
  • Soul Food is traditional African American cuisine that originated in the South in the United States. Today it has become a highly sought after cuisine. It consists of spicy ribs, collard greens, fried fish and chicken, freshly cooked corn bread, and a few side dishes like black eye peas, okra, or macaroni and cheese to mention a few.
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Do the tours include walking?
  • Guests are invited to take walks through the neighborhoods visited. The average walk is about 15 minutes.
  • Are the tours wheelchair friendly?
  • With advance notice, wheelchair bound customers with some mobility can be accommodated in the front rows of the tour bus with their wheelchairs folded away in the luggage compartment. It is mandatory that someone accompany customers with special needs to assist them onto the coach.
  • For passengers with no mobility or a non foldable wheelchairs we recommend giving at least 3 weeks notice so that we can secure a coach with a wheelchair lift.
  • Wheelchair lifts are 49" X 28" and can carry a maximum weight limit of 700lbs. We kindly ask that you submit the dimensions and model of the chair as our lift may not be able to accommodate scooters and other large sized electric chairs. A maximum of one person in a wheelchair can be accommodated per bus.
  • Private tours are available with accessible ramp transportation.
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Many of the churches that we visit have steps. In order to accommodate their wheelchair bound congregation members churches use portable mobility ramps.
  • Masks are mandatory inside the church.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 55 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.

Traveler Photos

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Reviews

4.5
289 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 289 reviews
Worthy experience when visiting NY city
Isidro_A, Apr 2024
I like the social work done by the group beyond the singing i.e. helping people with alcohol or drug problems
Our guide tried very hard...
Bernadette_M, Apr 2024
Our guide tried very hard to work with the awful weather. She spoke 2 languages which added to her challenges. I got a little tired of her telling the driver off. In addition, if there are guests with awful colds ? Covid, they should be asked to wear masks. Hoping I don’t get sick too
Amazing experience
Linda_N, Dec 2023
The Gospel Choir. Amazing voices, amazing harmonies, so powerful brought a tear to my eyes. A fantastic experience i would 100% recommend. Loved it 😍
Wow what an amazing and beautiful experience
Janie_M, Dec 2023
I will definitely recommend to people Such a moving spiritual experience Would definitely re visit and do this again
Superb. I would only add a lunch visit to Sylvia's
Elaine_B, Dec 2023
The genuiness of the experience. Also, the knowledge of the tour guide. I felt like I went to Church.
Simply a lovely experience
Gillian_B, Nov 2023
A fresh perspective of Harlem and the joy of the gospel choir. Appealed to a wide age group. Highly recommended.
Incredible experience
Rob_C, Nov 2023
Loved the concert, it was amazing. Everyone was clapping and singing. Wish it had of gone longer. Alvin was great!
Harlem and gospel choir morning
Christopher_D, Sep 2023
A great overview of the history of Harlem, and the choir was incredible. I highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting to get a taste for Harlem. Our tour guide was also amazing and made this tour lots of fun
Harlem Choir singing...
anna_y, Aug 2023
Harlem Choir singing amazing. You have to see it for real. Very emotional. Can’t stop smiling. People lovely
Uplifting
Faranaaz_V, Aug 2023
The Gospel Choir was as good as can be. Highly recommend the tour. Loved being in Harlem and seeing a part of New York filled with so much history and culture.
Great introduction to Harlem!
Janice_B, Aug 2023
Patty was an amazing guide, full of interesting information about what we were seeing. The choir was fabulous! Our driver was so calm, I don't imagine driving a tour bus in NYC is easy!
The soul of Harlem
RobertShotliff, Jul 2023
From the first harmony this group held us with its repertoire of loved and new songs. The power, vitality and versatility from the rich bass to exquisite soprano harmonies brought everyone to their feet. I’d see them again and again.
Beautiful experience
Michelle_C, Jun 2023
Amazing! Informative guide, the gospel choir brilliant and moving experience. Highly recommend this tour.
Brilliant
Toby_P, Jun 2023
Very memorable experience. The Harlem Gospel choir was amazing. Highly recommended. The tour guide was fantastic and kind.
Totally Enjoyable
Audray_L, Jun 2023
I was just expecting a group to do some singing, but I was pleasantly surprised and the experience that was shared with us. It was very uplifting.
Great day with the Harlem spirituals
Paul_S, May 2023
Had a great time , from the concert at the church ( which was fantastic ) to the company securing me a reservation and delivering us to the local restaurant . I would highly recommend a day out with Harlem Spirituals to anyone
Blessed
Debbie_S, May 2023
Our guide grew up in Harlem so had the inside story. I learned so much and really appreciate the Harlem experience. The gospel choir was sensational and with praise comes blessings. So uplifting.
The gospel singers were...
Alison_S, Apr 2023
The gospel singers were fantastic and sang for a whole hour.. very professional! The rest of the bus tour was quite average with only a couple of minutes in the Bronx and we were shown very little of how life is or was in Harlem or the Bronx.. mainly just shown rich peoples homes, and the guide pointed out several homes where famous people had lived.. not what we thought we’d be seeing at all! The areas we went through were far better than in Brooklyn where we are staying in Airbnb!
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Thank you for your feedback . We are glad you were able to enjoy this new Harlem renaissance and the amazing gospel choir we feature. The tour includes various neighborhoods in Harlem and based on traffic, our tour directors schedule the lengnt of each stop, We do not go to the Bronx on this tour. we hope you are able to enjoy Brooklyn and wish you a good stay.
The most important part...
Mario_D, Dec 2022
The most important part of the experience is the gospel concert, even though I would have preferred a real gospel mass, which I thought to be assisting to. Interesting the tour and the explanation of Harlem history.
Wonderful Harlem Gospel Tour!
Janan_G, Dec 2022
Warm bus, excellent and entertaining guide fluent in two languages, calm safe bus driver. Loved hearing the music history, visiting Alexander Hamilton home, and the highlight was the amazing singing of the Harlem Gospel choir. Fabulous day!
...

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