Historical Tours
4 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 94% of travelers
94% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$115
per adult
Welcome to Harlem
Welcome to Harlem
4.5
Historical & Heritage ToursLiterary, Art & Music ToursWalking ToursNight ToursBus Tours
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Full view
About
A full-service tour company operating since 2004, Welcome to Harlem specializes in the rich history and cultural diversity of Harlem. Over the years, we have collaborated with local business and organizations to bring special events to our clients. Our tours are designed for clients who expect the best: we pride ourselves on our extensive tour guiding experience and meticulously planned, smoothly run tours. We provide custom tours, educational tours, and weekly live jazz and annual gospel concerts. We can arrange tours for groups of all sizes. We LOVE Harlem and are VERY PROUD of our neighborhood, and this is what differentiates us from the rest.
Tours and Tickets by Welcome to Harlem
Theater Shows
1 hour
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$28
per adult
Historical Tours
3 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 94% of travelers
94% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$82
per adult
Historical Tours
3 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 93% of travelers
93% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$82
per adult
Historical Tours
3–4 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 91% of travelers
91% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$66
per adult
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
249 reviews
Excellent
196
Very good
27
Average
6
Poor
7
Terrible
14
Meghan H
1 contribution
Mar 2024 • Family
We had the most amazing experience on this tour on Wednesday 27th March! Our tour guide was such a lovely woman, an amazing storyteller who was so knowledgeable about the history of Harlem, having lived there all her life! I am studying Civil Rights at school, and she went above and beyond to answer all of my many questions, and even went out of her way to give me more information! The lunch was also outstanding ! All in all I would highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to learn more about the history of Harlem and New York!
Written March 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John P
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Couples
Debbie was our tour guide and she was amazing. She is local to the area in Harlem and has a deep appreciation for its history, friendships with the locals, and a passion for storytelling. On the day we went, the line for the church service was very long with guests waiting to enter. Debbie leveraged her connections and got us right in without a wait! I highly recommend.
Written August 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Evert J
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Solo
Went on the Harlem Renaissance tour with delightful guide Doris Lango-Leak. She was extremely knowledgable and seemed to know everyone and everyone knew her.
Went to many historic sites or locations of former sites connected to the Harlem Renaissance, like the Cotton Club, the Savoy and the Apollo. Also after I expressed an interest in the 369th infantry, the 'Harlem Hellfighters', she took me up to see the armory.
Had an amazing time, a great experience and I learned many, many things.
I simply cannot recommend this tour enough.
Went to many historic sites or locations of former sites connected to the Harlem Renaissance, like the Cotton Club, the Savoy and the Apollo. Also after I expressed an interest in the 369th infantry, the 'Harlem Hellfighters', she took me up to see the armory.
Had an amazing time, a great experience and I learned many, many things.
I simply cannot recommend this tour enough.
Written August 23, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
francine c
Philadelphia, PA46 contributions
Feb 2020
what a wonderful day with Debi! She was so informative in a friendly, fun and interesting way. i was so glad my friend discovered this fabulous walking tour online and booked it for us as it wouldn't have been my first choice. But I highly recommend it. Go and learn about its history, present and future!
Written February 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jean c
1 contribution
May 2021
A group of us went on our second tour of Harlem with Carolyn. What a day we had seeing Astor Place, Stivers' Row, and so many more sights. We even got to visit a fantastic pre-school complete with its own vegetable garden. The walking tour was followed by a delicious Jamacian lunch. I can't recommend Carolyn highly enough!
Written May 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Floridaroadtrip
Orlando, FL89 contributions
My wife and I recently took the Welcome To Harlem Gospel and Brunch tour while visiting New York City. Harlem was one part of the city I had never visited so I took the opportunity to book this 4-hour walking tour. The Gospel and Brunch tour is offered on Sundays only (due to visiting a real church service).
The tour is led by Carolyn Johnson, the President of Welcome to Harlem, a business that operates a Visitors Center in Harlem and provides authentic walking and bus tours. Ms. Johnson is a graduate of the City University of New York and is a New York City licensed tour guide. Carolyn is also the author of the 'Harlem Travel Guide' which is the The definitive bible for all things Harlem. Needless to say, Ms. Johnson is a wealth of information on the area.
We took the Subway north from our Times Square hotel location to the Welcome to Harlem office located at 2360 Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue). The office is accessible by Subway taking the A, B, C, D, 2, or 3 trains or the hop-on/hop-off shuttle to Harlem. There is a sign above the location you will see when you arrive.
Carolyn led a walking tour of about 8 of us around the historic streets of Harlem. Our tour began around 9:30am on a Sunday morning so an early start is neccessary for the Gospel and Brunch tour.
We began walking in the 30-degree temperature of Christmas week bundled up in coats, scarves and gloves. I understand the tour is operated in all conditions rain, snow or shine. We ignored the bitter cold while Carolyn entertained us with her personal knowledge of the history and evolution of Harlem.
The first stop on the tour was 125th Street and the amazing Apollo Theatre. This is the cultural center of Harlem. Just standing in front of the theatre you see the neighborhood's retail stores and real street life (vendors/people hanging out on the streets/people waiting on the bus) nearby. The tour does not include admittance into the Apollo as it is not open early Sunday morning. From there we crossed 125th Street and personally met 'Franco the Great' (Franco Gaskin) known as the 'Picasso of Harlem'. Franco's paintings are on virtually every metal gate on the storefronts of 125th street (unofficially known as 'Franco's Blvd.' for his contribution to Harlem). His work can be seen in Africa, Japan, France, Central America, Canada, Spain and Brasil.
Franco clearly loves his picture taken and the ladies too. He quickly grabbed my wife and paid her many compliments and flirted with her a lot. I thought he was going to kiss her at one point (see attached picture) LOL.
From there we continued eastbound on 125th viewing the Blumstein's department store building built in 1920. Blumstein's has a long history in Harlem as the store sold goods to area black residents but did not hire them. Finally in the 1930s after a boycott did the store begin to hire blacks in sales and clerical positions. Blumstein's went on to have the first black Santa Claus in 1943 and became the first company to use black models and mannequins.
The next major sight we saw was the The Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building is a nineteen story high-rise office building located at the intersection of 125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue). The building is named after Adam Clayton Powell Jr., the first African-American elected to Congress from New York, and was designed by the African-American architecture firm of Ifill, Johnson & Hanchard. It is the tallest building in Harlem. In front of the building is a famous statue of Adam Clayton Powell. The building was and remains controversial for its height and style.
Across the street from this office building sits the Hotel Theresa, a magnificent white brick building known as the "Waldorf Astoria of Harlem." From 1913 until 1940 the hotel accepted only white guests. After this the hotel hosted many black celebrities including Louis Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson, Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, Muhammad Ali, and Jimi Hendrix. Fidel Castro also stayed there renting 80 rooms in 1960.
Nearby, former President Bill Clinton's offices are visible in a building at 55 West 125th Street.
We continued walking turning south on Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue). This street offered some of the most visually appealling historic structures in Harlem including block after block of old and restored brownstones and many churches. The Mount Olivet Baptist Church (where the Denzel Washington movie 'American Gangster' was partially filmed), St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist Church (where the famous Harlem Boys Choir was founded), the ATLAH (All The Land Anointed Holy) World Missionary Church (former Bethelite Community Baptist Church) where Pastor James David Manning is noted for continual criticisms of President Obama, comparing him to Hitler among other things (see photo of church signage).
Other notable sights along Malcolm X Boulevard we saw were the James Van Der Zee Studio (G.G.G. Photo Studio) and the Masjid Malcolm Shabazz Mosque (formerly Mohammed Temple of Islam) at 116th Street. The building was originally opened as a mosque in 1957, led by Malcolm X. In 1965, Temple No. 7, as it was originally called, was firebombed and largely destroyed after the assassination of Malcolm X. Reopened in 1969, renovations had introduced the traditional features of middle-eastern architecture such as arches and the aluminum dome. In the late 1970’s, Temple No. 7 was renamed Masjid Malcolm Shabazz in honor of its first minister.
We arrived for morning church services at the Memorial Baptist Church, 141 West 115th Street. Our group and many other tourist groups observed the joyous gospel singing led by a choir and its director backed by an organist and a drummer sing song after song only interrupted by church Pastor Renee Washington Gardner offering praise, support and news about her congregation members.
We were seated amonst the church members front and center in the pews and participated in the standing, dancing and clapping for more than one hour. I enjoyed this and felt as if my wife and I were welcomed as members! It was a welcome relief from the cold and the walking although I did think we overstayed by 30-45 minutes.
After departing from the church it was time for lunch. I had asked Carolyn about good soul food in Harlem. She took us to Amy Ruth's on West 116th Street, a place popular with both locals and visitors. Be aware Amy Ruth's only accepts cash (no credit or debit cards). Carolyn was gracious enough to accompany me to a nearby ATM location to obtain cash so we could eat. Let me say the food at Amy Ruth's was simply incredible. I had the chicken and waffles and my wife had the honey-dipped fried chicken with fried okra and yams as sides. Each meal is accompanied by sweet southern cornbread served in baskets on the table for all to share.
The cost of the meal was not included in the tour price, which was known in advance and ok with me. This caused a delay in serving individual checks to all tour guests at the conclusion of the meal but nothing major.
After we ate we chose to leave the tour as we had other places to visit for the afternoon. By this time it was nearly 1:30pm. We had planned to be complete by 1:00pm so we ran late. This was ok as its better to receive more than less on a tour.
I cannot recommend Welcome to Harlem and Carolyn Johnson enough. She took time to answer all questions and is a resident of and an enthusiastic supporter of Harlem. I've read in other reviews that Carolyn actually takes tour groups occasionally into her personal brownstone residence (we didn't do that on our tour however).
If you want to experience a day in Harlem this is the tour for you. Thanks again Carolyn!
The tour is led by Carolyn Johnson, the President of Welcome to Harlem, a business that operates a Visitors Center in Harlem and provides authentic walking and bus tours. Ms. Johnson is a graduate of the City University of New York and is a New York City licensed tour guide. Carolyn is also the author of the 'Harlem Travel Guide' which is the The definitive bible for all things Harlem. Needless to say, Ms. Johnson is a wealth of information on the area.
We took the Subway north from our Times Square hotel location to the Welcome to Harlem office located at 2360 Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue). The office is accessible by Subway taking the A, B, C, D, 2, or 3 trains or the hop-on/hop-off shuttle to Harlem. There is a sign above the location you will see when you arrive.
Carolyn led a walking tour of about 8 of us around the historic streets of Harlem. Our tour began around 9:30am on a Sunday morning so an early start is neccessary for the Gospel and Brunch tour.
We began walking in the 30-degree temperature of Christmas week bundled up in coats, scarves and gloves. I understand the tour is operated in all conditions rain, snow or shine. We ignored the bitter cold while Carolyn entertained us with her personal knowledge of the history and evolution of Harlem.
The first stop on the tour was 125th Street and the amazing Apollo Theatre. This is the cultural center of Harlem. Just standing in front of the theatre you see the neighborhood's retail stores and real street life (vendors/people hanging out on the streets/people waiting on the bus) nearby. The tour does not include admittance into the Apollo as it is not open early Sunday morning. From there we crossed 125th Street and personally met 'Franco the Great' (Franco Gaskin) known as the 'Picasso of Harlem'. Franco's paintings are on virtually every metal gate on the storefronts of 125th street (unofficially known as 'Franco's Blvd.' for his contribution to Harlem). His work can be seen in Africa, Japan, France, Central America, Canada, Spain and Brasil.
Franco clearly loves his picture taken and the ladies too. He quickly grabbed my wife and paid her many compliments and flirted with her a lot. I thought he was going to kiss her at one point (see attached picture) LOL.
From there we continued eastbound on 125th viewing the Blumstein's department store building built in 1920. Blumstein's has a long history in Harlem as the store sold goods to area black residents but did not hire them. Finally in the 1930s after a boycott did the store begin to hire blacks in sales and clerical positions. Blumstein's went on to have the first black Santa Claus in 1943 and became the first company to use black models and mannequins.
The next major sight we saw was the The Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building is a nineteen story high-rise office building located at the intersection of 125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue). The building is named after Adam Clayton Powell Jr., the first African-American elected to Congress from New York, and was designed by the African-American architecture firm of Ifill, Johnson & Hanchard. It is the tallest building in Harlem. In front of the building is a famous statue of Adam Clayton Powell. The building was and remains controversial for its height and style.
Across the street from this office building sits the Hotel Theresa, a magnificent white brick building known as the "Waldorf Astoria of Harlem." From 1913 until 1940 the hotel accepted only white guests. After this the hotel hosted many black celebrities including Louis Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson, Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, Muhammad Ali, and Jimi Hendrix. Fidel Castro also stayed there renting 80 rooms in 1960.
Nearby, former President Bill Clinton's offices are visible in a building at 55 West 125th Street.
We continued walking turning south on Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue). This street offered some of the most visually appealling historic structures in Harlem including block after block of old and restored brownstones and many churches. The Mount Olivet Baptist Church (where the Denzel Washington movie 'American Gangster' was partially filmed), St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist Church (where the famous Harlem Boys Choir was founded), the ATLAH (All The Land Anointed Holy) World Missionary Church (former Bethelite Community Baptist Church) where Pastor James David Manning is noted for continual criticisms of President Obama, comparing him to Hitler among other things (see photo of church signage).
Other notable sights along Malcolm X Boulevard we saw were the James Van Der Zee Studio (G.G.G. Photo Studio) and the Masjid Malcolm Shabazz Mosque (formerly Mohammed Temple of Islam) at 116th Street. The building was originally opened as a mosque in 1957, led by Malcolm X. In 1965, Temple No. 7, as it was originally called, was firebombed and largely destroyed after the assassination of Malcolm X. Reopened in 1969, renovations had introduced the traditional features of middle-eastern architecture such as arches and the aluminum dome. In the late 1970’s, Temple No. 7 was renamed Masjid Malcolm Shabazz in honor of its first minister.
We arrived for morning church services at the Memorial Baptist Church, 141 West 115th Street. Our group and many other tourist groups observed the joyous gospel singing led by a choir and its director backed by an organist and a drummer sing song after song only interrupted by church Pastor Renee Washington Gardner offering praise, support and news about her congregation members.
We were seated amonst the church members front and center in the pews and participated in the standing, dancing and clapping for more than one hour. I enjoyed this and felt as if my wife and I were welcomed as members! It was a welcome relief from the cold and the walking although I did think we overstayed by 30-45 minutes.
After departing from the church it was time for lunch. I had asked Carolyn about good soul food in Harlem. She took us to Amy Ruth's on West 116th Street, a place popular with both locals and visitors. Be aware Amy Ruth's only accepts cash (no credit or debit cards). Carolyn was gracious enough to accompany me to a nearby ATM location to obtain cash so we could eat. Let me say the food at Amy Ruth's was simply incredible. I had the chicken and waffles and my wife had the honey-dipped fried chicken with fried okra and yams as sides. Each meal is accompanied by sweet southern cornbread served in baskets on the table for all to share.
The cost of the meal was not included in the tour price, which was known in advance and ok with me. This caused a delay in serving individual checks to all tour guests at the conclusion of the meal but nothing major.
After we ate we chose to leave the tour as we had other places to visit for the afternoon. By this time it was nearly 1:30pm. We had planned to be complete by 1:00pm so we ran late. This was ok as its better to receive more than less on a tour.
I cannot recommend Welcome to Harlem and Carolyn Johnson enough. She took time to answer all questions and is a resident of and an enthusiastic supporter of Harlem. I've read in other reviews that Carolyn actually takes tour groups occasionally into her personal brownstone residence (we didn't do that on our tour however).
If you want to experience a day in Harlem this is the tour for you. Thanks again Carolyn!
Written December 30, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jaja000
Breda, The Netherlands389 contributions
May 2011
Carolyn gave us a great tour of Harlem historial district, took us to an amazing gospel church. A fantastic way to see Harlem and get insights from a local.
Written May 22, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Genise Cushman
Denver, CO3 contributions
Jul 2011 • Solo
Welcome to Harlem is a great tour company! I learned so much on our walking tour of Harlem. I also ate the best cupcake I've ever had! She took me to a cupcake place near the Lenox Lounge, tiny little place but fantastic! Carolyn is from Harlem and knows EVERYONE! I met lots of people during the tour. She had great tips for where to eat and so forth while in Harlem. I can't wait to go back and would recommend her to everyone.
Written July 15, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tony V
San Francisco, CA56 contributions
I enjoyed my walking tour of Harlem with my WONDERFUL guide. I had many questions, and she had all the answers. This was no college student working a summer job. This lovely lady was born in the neighborhood and knew ALL about the neighborhood from her many decades there. In spite of wind and rain we made our way through many historical sites and sights. AND UNLIKE SOME TOUR OPERATORS, this company didn’t cancel my tour because I was the only person who signed up for the tour.
A wonderful and memorable experience.
A wonderful and memorable experience.
Written February 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
baroness12345
Valdosta, GA4 contributions
Dec 2016 • Couples
After a very disappointing experience on Christmas Eve I gave a scathing review about the Mt Olivet Gospel concert. On Christmas DAY Carolyn, the president of Welcome to Harlem, not only promptly refunded our money she wrote emails of apology and offered to give us complimentary tickets to another concert. We have left the city and cannot take her up on her thoughtful offer but we want her and everyone to know how much we appreciate her hard work and dedication to Welcome to Harlem . She deserves a hearty pat on the back ! Happy New Year, Carolyn ! Best wishes
Written December 26, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hola! Participe en la misa Gospel del 31/03 por pascuas y quiero saber dónde veo los VÃdeos que hicieron ese dÃa.
Gracias!
Written April 16, 2018
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