Historic Harlem Walking Tours

Harlem is a fascinating place, but its really enthralling if one knows its history. This was farmland originally settled by the Dutch, and inhabited by Italians, Germans and some Irish before 1700. But it began to grow as a sort of bedroom community to the New York City inhabitants in the early 1800s. People who wanted to escape the city's concrete and heat retreated to country homes they'd built to the north in what is now upper Harlem during the building boom of the late 1800s. Unfortunately, the city wasn't stopping and it followed them. Poor speculation in building led to property owners making deals to have tenants inhabit their vacant buildings after the slowdown in rentals. Phillp A. Peyton obtained leases for black tenants who began to be moved into the area and this began the transformation of Harlem into the center of America's "Black Rennaissance." Through this, the following war, the depression and into riots and later protests of the 1960s, Harlem evolved into the vibrant north Manhattan community it is today. With each succeeding generation a new layer was added to it's rich tapestry of history. It has been rediscovering the best parts of its past recently and a new real estate revival and interest in the culture is growing steadily.

http://www.harlemheritage.com/home.shtml
Harlem Heritage really just focuses on the history of Harlem that ushered in the Jazz period and the influx of a vibrant middle- and lower-middle class black population around the turn of the century. These tours range from $25-$40 and take visitors to the Apollo Theater, to Hamilton Heights, through a Gospel history area, and into a culinary path through the wonderful restaurants and grocers of Harlem. There is even a Jewish Harlem walking tour that takes people through the areas of the city that were historically influenced the most by its Jewish population. To book, just click the links in green.

http://www.bigonion.com/description/index.html
Big Onion runs tours all over the city, and Harlem is one of the featured areas. This tour takes visitors past the "Abyssinian Baptist Church, Striver's Row, Hamilton Heights, and sites associated with the Harlem Renaissance, Madame C.J. Walker, MarcusGarvey, Malcolm X and many others." The web site gives times for the Harlem tours for each month up through July. There are several tours here each month. They don't require pre-payment for the tours; just show up at the assigned place at the right time and you're set. The walking tours cover about 1 1/2 miles and last about two hours, so be sure to have comfortable walking shoes on when getting ready. Tours cost $15 for adults and $12 for seniors. Other discounts are in effect also. Call the tour hotline at 212-439-1090 to get the scoop on it.

http://www.beyondtimessquare.com/harlem.htm
This is a professional tour that delves into the deep history of Harlem, with a focus on the effect of the African-American Renaissance on Harlem and also on the entire city of New York. Call 800.999.8160 or send them an email to info@btsq.com with time date and the number of people going. It is not an inexpensive tour, but sounds like it may be a winner. Four people will pay $38 a person and the charges go lower as the groups grow larger. People can request a brochure and also sign on to the newsletter from Beyond Times Square.