The Soul of Harlem Walking Tour in New York
Description
Our 10,000-step journey will begin with a bird' s-eye view of 125th Street, Harlem's most popular street. The main themes we will discuss are the Harlem Renaissance and gentrification. We walk by and discuss these famous places: - The world's famous Apollo Theater - Sylvia's Soul Food Restaurant - The home of Langston Hughes - Astor's Row - Several iconic murals This tour is based on a book I have written, "You Are Here: A Geographic History of Enslaved and Free Africans in Manhattan from 1613 to 1865." I will use my tour guide experience (I have given over 700 tours) to make this a fun-filled tour. Best of all, you will have a Harlem experience—see the friendly culture, people, and places of Harlem. If you are behind schedule, please get in touch with me ASAP. I will have a 5-minute grace period. Afterward, I will proceed to our first stop—the Metro-North Railroad (above-ground train station) directly across the street from the Ginjan Cafe on Park Ave.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Get a View of Harlem's Famous 125th Street at the Metro-North Train Station Platform. Also view art works describing Harlem's history.
Along with the listed attractions, We will see and discuss the history of the Metro-North train station, Astor's Row, The "White House" in Harlem, The YMCA, several famous murals in Harlem, Lenox Terrace, Harlem Hospital, Harlem State Office Building, and Blumsteins Department store - the place where MLK almost lost his life, walk the streets of Harlem to get a true sense of the culture and people in the neighborhoods.
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, one of The New York Public Library’s renowned research libraries, is a world-leading cultural institution devoted to the research, preservation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences.
Langston Hughes House is a historic home located in Harlem. Mr. Hughes is an iconic figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes will be a major topic during the tour.
The Museum is open only Thursday- Saturday. Review famous Jazz Musicians associated with the Harlem Renaissance, see current exhibits, vintage jazz photos, maps, books, etc.
The World Famous Apollo theater is a mainstay in Harlem. We will discuss the "Walk of Fame" in front of the theater, as well as the many stars that performed there.
The Theresa Hotel. We will walk by the hotel and discuss its rich Harlem history.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(230)
We had an excellent experience with Denis!
Larry was a fantastic tour guide who gave us a ton of great information in an inviting and engaging manner! I highly recommend this tour!
Our guide was very knowledgeable and informative but not at all dry and boring. We had a wonderful time and learned a lot.
The Soul of Harlem Walking Tour was one of the highlights of our trip to New York City! I can't recommend it highly enough. Larry is an exceptional guide—knowledgeable, engaging, and a wonderful teacher. My daughter and I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of Harlem's rich history, culture, and significance, and this tour exceeded all of our expectations. What made the experience especially memorable was that Larry took the time to ask what we were hoping to learn and then tailored the tour to those interests. His passion for Harlem is evident, and he shared so many fascinating stories and insights that brought the neighborhood to life. Beyond his incredible knowledge, Larry is warm, kind, and very approachable. He made us feel welcome from the moment we met him. If you're visiting New York City and want an authentic, informative, and meaningful experience, don't miss this tour. We would absolutely recommend Larry and The Soul of Harlem Walking Tour!
This tour was fantastic, and Larry was very knowledgeable, personable, and enthusiastic. It was was one of the best tours we have ever taken, and encourage anyone to book this. It was so informative, and we learned so much.
Our Tour Guide Larry was personable, knowledgeable, and funny. He made us feel the soul of Harlem. And took us to amazing locally owned coffe shops with great ambiance & pastries.
What an amazing experience! Our guide, Larry, was informative, funny, answered everyone's questions, and he set a good pace so that we could see everything, get our photos. Learning about the history of Harlem from someone who lives there and is so obviously in love with his neighborhood was such a treat. I cannot recommend this tour enough!
This was an amazing walking tour. We throughly enjoyed ourselves. Larry was very knowledgeable and engaging. We learned so much about the beautiful community of Harlem. We felt at home here and were pleasantly surprised with the guest appearance from Harlem artist, Paul Deo! Awesome experience!
This is a fun, interesting and well worth the time tour to take. The immigration, cultural and overall changes over time are fascinating. Larry knew so many cool things about architecture, writers, poets, owners of buildings; architecture and lifestyles!
The guide, Larry was knowledgeable, personable, and definitely known in the neighborhood. The size of our group was perfect. We were all pretty sad when it came time to say goodbye.
