Soul of Harlem: Striver's Row, Apollo Theatre & Gospel Heritage

Recommended by 96% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

New York City, USA

Popular pick

Booked 5+ times last week!

2 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

The best way to experience Harlem’s magic is by feeling its energy for yourself. This is a neighborhood that’s made significant contributions to American history as a hub for African-American art, literature, music, and social movements. Learn about the Harlem Renaissance, the civil rights movement, and the Black Lives Matter movement as you pass by jazz clubs and soul food institutions.

Visit beautiful row houses inhabited by figures such as Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
See historic sites including the Apollo Theater and Abyssinian Baptist Church
Learn about how the neighborhood has changed over hundreds of years
Sunday tours can enjoy a Gospel experience at a local church

What's Included

Led by local Harlem residents & Award winning Tour Guides
2 Hour Guided Walk through the History of Harlem
(SUNDAYS ONLY) Skip the Line Access to Gospel Experience at Local Church
Most immersive tour of Harlem

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

End points

This activity ends in a different location. See details below:

Itinerary

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Abyssinian Baptist Church

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Strivers' Row

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bill's Place

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Apollo Theater

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8

based on 75 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Great Guy and a Nice man.

Jason_B, Dec 2025

Ron is a great guide and a nice man. He made us feel welcome and treated us tit he hospitalality if Harlem. He delivered the insights and education in an entertaining and engaging way. I will absolutely book another tour with Ron next time I’m in the city.

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that Ron made you feel welcome and delivered an engaging and educational experience in Harlem. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to him. We can’t wait to welcome you back for another tour next time you’re in the city! 😊

Lady Altovise Made Our Day!

Lynn_R, Sep 2025

Lady Altovise is a fantastic tour guide. She has such a vibrant personality and a wealth of information. The only issue was I was told through Viator that we could meet our guide at the Apollo Theater and be taken to the first stop. Thankfully, Lady Altovise sent me a text, and because we were running late, I called her and told her we weren't going to make it to the Apollo by 1:30 pm. She informed me that the Apollo meeting site was not accurate and that I was the second person who was told that. She apologized and we were able to get to the Schomburg Center shortly after 2 pm and Lady Altovise welcomed us with exuberance. I would recommend this tour with the highest rating.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you for sharing this! We’re so glad Lady Altovise took such great care of you and made the tour so enjoyable. We’ll be sure to look into the meeting point issue—appreciate your feedback and recommendation!

Harlem walking & Gospel tour

Tony_L, Sep 2025

Great walking tour, & informative,our guide Altovise was very good. The gospel singing was great to see.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Wonderful to hear you enjoyed the walking tour! Altovise sounds like a fantastic guide, and the gospel singing must have made it extra special.

Seeing the Soul of Harlem

Tiffany_R, Jul 2025

Informative review of Harlem’s history and highlights! The tour takes you past many known sites and may introduce you to some that aren’t as well known. It weaves in social justice and the struggle for equality faced by Black Americans. Our tour guide Altovise was fabulous! Thanks for a great tour!!

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Thank you for the kind words! We’re thrilled you enjoyed exploring Harlem with Altovise—she’s wonderful at bringing the history and stories to life.

Fascinating!

Laurie_H, Apr 2025

I highly recommend taking the Soul of Harlem History and Heritage Walking Tour and then stay for soul food! Meredith described music, literature, art, social movements and made them come alive. I feel like I learned more in 2 hours than I had in school. If you're interested in topics like the civil rights movement or jazz or the Harlem Renaissance as a whole, definitely take this tour. It's riveting!

Response from Host, Apr 2025

Thanks so much for the kind words! We're thrilled you enjoyed the tour with Meredith—she’s amazing at bringing Harlem’s history to life. Appreciate the recommendation!

Soul of history and heritage walking tour

MaryJo_H, Dec 2024

I had signed up for the woman who got great reviews. Ron was personable but spent too much time showing pictures from a folder of info in very cold weather. We had to leave before it ended because we had a hard stop. We did make one stop for hot drinks that delayed us dome but it was too slow snd focused on the pictures.

Response from Host, Mar 2025

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about your recent experience. We sincerely appreciate you bringing your concerns to our attention. We understand your disappointment regarding the tour. We are sorry to hear that the tour, led by Ron, did not meet your expectations. We acknowledge your feedback regarding the time spent reviewing the picture folder, particularly in the cold weather, and understand how this impacted your overall experience. We also note your concern about the stop for hot drinks and the resulting delay. We strive to provide informative and engaging tours, and it's clear we fell short in your case. We will be reviewing our tour structure and content to ensure a better balance between information delivery and outdoor engagement, especially in challenging weather conditions. We will also address the timing and efficiency of any stops included in the tour.

100%

Stacy_T, Nov 2024

Our tour guide was great, you can tell he loves what he does!! I can’t recall his name but he rates high fives lol

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Thank you for the wonderful feedback! We’re glad to hear the tour guide’s passion made an impact – high fives all around!

Ordinary

Kimberly_F, Oct 2024

I look forward to learning about the locale and interesting history tidbits a long the way. The tour leader (Meredith) didn’t meet my expectations. It was a small group with only 7 participants but we covered very little ground and information in almost 2 hours. I was looking forward to learning more about Harlem and its occupants during the last century - the tour didn’t deliver.

Response from Host, Mar 2025

We're sorry to hear Meredith's tour didn't meet your expectations regarding the depth and breadth of Harlem's history. Meredith is a New York guide and knows Harlem very well. We have shared your feedback with Meredith to improve the tour's content and pacing. We strive to provide enriching experiences and learn from our guests like yourselves. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to enhance future tours.

Harlem blast from the past

Rachquel_M, Oct 2024

The tour was very informative and the guide mentioned some gems regarding Harlem history. However, I would love to see and hear different evolution in time period of Harlem history from past to future, old to modern. The tour guide Ron is very passionate about what he does and his of community. If I was to move to New York; Harlem will be the first choice! Shout out Mr. Ron.

Response from Host, Mar 2025

Thank you for this awesome, kind and generous review for our tour and our rockstar guide Ron! Wish you the best!

Despite the rain the tour...

Jesse_W, Sep 2024

Despite the rain the tour was very informative. The tour guide kept an upbeat positive attitude and kept everyone involved. Shout out to the Lady of Harlem for the great time.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Thank you for braving the rain with us and for the wonderful feedback! We're so glad Lady Altovise kept the energy high and made your experience enjoyable despite the weather!

Lady Altovise is the best !

G_B, May 2025

Le tour proposé par Lady Altovise était une vraie réussite. Nous avons beaucoup apprécié sa façon d'échanger avec le groupe, son engagement et les informations intéressantes et importantes qu'elle a partagées.