I got a tour guide from Neal. Neal is a Harlem native and is clearly knowledgeable and passionate about his borough. I took the multimedia tour, it lasted about two hours and I was learning about the history/ culture of Harlem from beginning to end. Harlem Heritage Tours is black owned & operated. read more

See all

Today my husband and I experienced the Civil Rights Tour of Harlem with Neal. I can't say enough about Neil and the breadth and depth of his knowledge and his PASSION for sharing his knowledge with his customers. We have visited NYC several times and this tour stands out as a highlight. Neil is a student and "professor" of the civil rights of Harlem. He is a storyteller at heart and I assure you you'll learn details you'd be hard pressed to discover so quickly through any other venue. read more

Neal gave a thorough and fascinating tour of Harlem's history, with a focus on sites from the Harlem Renaissance. He was great at engaging my group of students & they really loved it! He had a wealth of knowledge on various topics (rent control, gentrification, historical homes on Striver's row) & I'm excited to go back for another tour on a warmer day ! read more

Harlem Heritage Tours - Site of the former Savoy ballroom - Tours Near Me - New York, New York

See all

I have lived in New York City for more than a decade, but I embarrassingly have spent very little of that time exploring Manhattan. I live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan, and it's easy to get into a routine of commuting back and forth every day, only spending time in the small radius of your office and your apartment, and not taking advantage of all that this incredible city has to offer. The Harlem Heritage Tours are a perfect example of something I should have done years ago. What prompted me to get out of my bubble and explore Harlem was a book I had been reading, Manning Marable's Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. I am a dedicated but slow reader, and it took me months to read this wonderful book. When I finished, I realized that so much of Malcolm X's life (including his death) was in the very city that I lived in and I could probably go see some of the locations mentioned in the book in person not far from my home. A quick online search led me to the Harlem Heritage Tours, and specifically, in amazing serendipity, to a Malcolm X focused civil rights tour. I had astonishingly finished the biography of Malcolm X on the anniversary of his death, and in his honor they were doing the civil rights tour that day with a focus on him. I hightailed it up to Harlem just in time to take the tour and I'm so glad I did. The tour guide was Neal Shoemaker, who was born and raised in Harlem. I couldn't imagine a more well-informed tour guide on the subject. He not only seemed to know everything about Malcolm X and many other civil rights leaders who made a lasting impression on Harlem and the world, he had a personal history with the neighborhood, since it is where he lives and grew up. I went to the tour hoping to see the places where Malcolm X had been, and I did, but I also learned about many other civil rights leaders and important writers like James Baldwin; saw other famous sites of Harlem, like the Apollo Theater; and got a sense of the neighborhood as it is has evolved over the years from the unique perspective of a local. I can't recommend the Harlem Heritage Tours more highly. It was stunning to see videos and images of the people we were learning about standing in the places where we were standing. Walking around the neighborhood with Neal as our guide, the history I had been reading about for so many months was brought vividly to life. These tours are an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to learn more about a major part of New York City and its important place in world history. It doesn't matter if you're a tourist or an NYC resident, if you have the chance, put on your walking shoes and head up to Harlem for a tour! read more

Grand Master Flash says New York New York, Big City Of Dreams Might Get Fooled if You Come From Out of Town I'm Down by Law, I Know My Way Around I admit it.. I'm jealous. But then Grand Master had an advantage - he lived in New York, my wife and I only visit for a couple of days a year. Down by law we aren't, but on our last trip a walking tour of Harlem offered by the Harlem Heritage and Cultural Center put us at least a few small steps closer. - Summary If you love history, culture, or music you've got to see Harlem. You may or may not want to do it the way we did. - Seeing Harlem: Resources The Harlem Heritage and Cultural Center, reviewed below, offers a ton of walking tours. http://www.harlemheritage.com/events.shtml If you prefer to explore on your own, this article does a fantastic job of laying out key sights http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-planet_harlem_rc_pmoct21,0,1451340.story http://www.harlemonestop.com/feature.php?id=1 is also really useful, and of course Wikipedia can be counted for a great, compact history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem One piece of advice: do not sign up for any walking tour over two hours. If the tour is good you'll get overloaded (and tired), if the tour is bad you'll get bored (and tired). - Harlem Impressions The American melting pot but painted in African colors. We loved it. I just wish we could have spent more time there. Beautiful houses and condominiums, many way north of $1.5 million (sorry... five years ago you could have made a fortune flipping houses in Harlem, not so much now) sit next to burned out buildings, presumably torched in the 70s or 80s for insurance. The majestic Sugar Hill section, where life was sweet for elite residents of all races, still stands as does the not-so-nice Bradhurst section. Gentrified 125th street is a perfectly modern and unremarkable home to The Body Shop, Marshall's, Old Navy, Ben & Jerry's (apparently staffed exclusively with former homeless) and ex-president Bill Clinton's office. African restaurants serving food from places like Senegal and Uganda do business right next to African-American run restaurants offering soul food. Right next to 125th street is Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard (be honest: did you know ACP was the senator from Harlem who drove legislation integrating schools and the military?), where rows of vendors more rooted in past then present sell extremest religious and political tracts. Harlem is home to more than 400 churches and 18 of the 25 charter schools operating in Manhattan, but also the scene of five major riots. There is poverty in parts of Harlem, and magic in the theaters and ballrooms where Michael Jackson, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and many, many others got their start. It may be predominantly African-American but a white guy and an Asian women walking hand-in-hand didn't raise an eyebrow. - Harlem Heritage and Cultural Center Walking tour Review This is a tough one. I thank them for showing me Harlem and teaching me about its history. I just wished the tour could have been a little shorter and tighter. Then again, we did sign up for a special tour, and they may well do better with the tours they are more used to conducting. Guide knowledge and passion: 4 stars Clarity and information density: 3 stars Organization: 3 stars Overall: 3 stars read more

See all

My parents, two year old daughter, and I had a very enjoyable tour of Harlem with our tour guide, Andy. Andy told us right off the bat that he is 88 (we NEVER would have guessed), and it was all we could do to keep up with him as we walked through the streets of Harlem! I can only hope to be in as good a shape as him when I am 88! His love and knowledge for Harlem clearly showed as he took us around. Our tour began at the Apollo Theatre where we had learned about the history of the theatre and even got to perform a little something on stage if we felt so inclined! My two year old enjoyed showing off her dancing skills. After the Apollo, we walked around stopping at the most famous restaurants, and other landmark buildings along the way. There is a lot of walking involved in this tour, and because our time at the Apollo had extended a bit longer than usual, the tour ended up being a bit over 4 hours - I think normally it is supposed to be a 4 hour tour. Overall we had a very enjoyable day in Harlem, and I would recommend this tour to anyone, especially if you get Andy who was just a delight to spend the afternoon with! read more

Harlem Heritage Tours - Apollo Theatre - Tours Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Neal was an incredible tour guide. A true local, his knowledge and passion around the history of Harlem was extremely evident. He made the tour fun, made us laugh, and knew close to 75% of the people we walked by the entire tour hahah which further solidifies his presence in the area. Would 10/10 recommend him for anyone wanting to see the true side of Harlem! read more

Harlem Heritage Tours - Tours Near Me - New York, New York

See all

What a awesome afternoon we had with Neal - and his other guests. Neal's a funny guy who takes his job seriously. He told us a lot about Harlem's history, about the black people's fight for equal rights, about the music during these times. He's full of stories and tells them with great enthusiasm. He seems to know all of the people in Harlem :) The trip ended in the great Apollo theatre with mr. Apollo himself. Administration could be improved, like clear address directions. read more

Harlem Heritage Tours - On the Harlem Heritage Tour - Tours Near Me - New York, New York

A MUST See if you are in NYC! I really didn't know what to expect but a few friends from work were going to go and invited me so I joined them and I had the BEST time!! Neal is Amazing. He did a great job sharing the history all around Harlem and the Canaan Baptist Church Service was full of the spirit and joy overflowing. They were so welcoming and you could see the effect they have and have had on the community. Such a blessing to experience. Please take the time to plan a visit on your next trip, it will not disappoint. read more

Did the tour with Neal, all I can say is that he gave us an absolutely amazing authentic Harlem Experience...He has lived and breathed Harlem and really made it a special tour. What a legend and a great way to experience the area with a true passionate local! 6 Stars from me!! read more

This is a must see if ever in Harlem. Mr. Andy Owens is truly a national treasure, and a rare gift to the legacy of black history in Harlem. We spent the afternoon on a magnificent walking tour learning the open and the hidden richness of the history of this rich cultural community. And oh, thanks for the dinner recommendation, it was phenomenal. read more

Harlem Heritage Tours - Mr. Andy Owens, National Treasure - Tours Near Me - New York, New York

Hey there yelpers, If you would like to experience Harlem from the ground up, learn about the culture, civil rights movement, why it has the flavor it has then, I recommend you take a tour with Neal Shoemaker who singlehandedly runs the Heritage Tours in the streets of Harlem and get to know it like a friend. Ideal for tourists even locals and if you want to support community based organisations this is the best 25USD you can spend. If you want you more info on tours: http://www.harlemheritage.com/. read more

I had really terrible experience. I called in advance to confirm the upcoming tour. Neal told me there will be a tour on December 25 at 1:00pm. The next morning I called to the office to confirm the tour and again I was told to come . So we came all the way from Brooklyn to Harlem for the tour. To our frustration, there was no tour guide waiting for us and the office was closed. We were waiting for 30 minutes, but no one show up. It was really upsetting. read more

My nephew Josh and I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with Neal on the food tour. What an amazing time we had. It is Neal that makes the history and atmosphere of Harlem come to life. Josh and I learned so much from him, and felt we really got to see the man behind the tour as well. If you like regimented, scripted, over organised, timed to the minute tours, then this might not be for you. If you want to meet a great human being who has so many amazing insights and experiences to share and who will go at your pace then this is for you. Will definitely do more tours when the weather turns warmer. read more

Andy is /was an awesome tour guide! We learned so much about Harlem and was surprised to learn he was 87 I believe at the time. I was surprised to learn that the Cotton Cub, is Not the original and Andy pointed that out to us right away! So glad he did because the owners /mangers of Cotton Club did not! The only other slight was the Apollo tour person, who sold his books for $20 (sort of felt he was taking advantage of the tourists) and he talked more about himself that was necessary. Overall, as for Andy and the other parts of the tour, Fabulous!!!! read more

I wasn't sure what to expect, but this tour has inspired me to continue my self-education into Harlem in the 20th Century. Thank you, Neal, for your professional presentation, your enthusiasm, and your insight. Your tour was the best part of our multi-city trip. read more

We had the pleasure of spending a thought provoking, interesting and fun afternoon with tour guide and Harlem historian, Andi Owens. He was informative, interesting and entertaining. Highly recommend this tour run by Harlem locals... not outsiders. Well done... I will be taking other tours they offer. read more

This was the best tour I have taken in a while. Neil was knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about his city and that rubbed off on everyone else. Why pay $75 for a bus our of the city, when for a low price you can walk and explore the heart of Manhattan. There was so much history I learned and as a teacher a lot of the information he provided us with I can pass onto my students. I recommend this to anyone in New York who wants a real tour and to get out of Times Square. When I go back I want to do the Harlem Renaissance tour! read more

Good tour but not great. It didnt mention or (mentioned briefly) key aspects of Harlem history - like Harlem Renaissance, Sugar Hill, Marcus Garvey, Malcom X's home/stomping ground, or hip hop legends like Kool Moe Dee. location of but included current events - like Obama, automobile industry, things that could have been excluded to focus on more of Harlem's history. Focused a lot on churches. Would have been great if it had given a better overview of Harlem's general history and famous Harlemites and maybe where they lived, etc. Tour guide was witty, charming and delightful. If you know very little about Harlem, it may be a good tour because it's a very high level intro. If you love history and Harlem and want to dig deeper and put a visual with what you know, it's probably not a good tour as it's very basic and leaves a lot unmentioned. Very glad the tour was offered. Hopefully they will add another option thats more comprehensive. I also appreciated the ease of booking the tour - paid online the day of. Didnt have to plan days out. read more

My first tour was in November of 2011, when I came to visit my son who was working for the Clinton Foundation in Harlem at the time. Mr. Neil Shoemaker gave the tour and it was excellent! All I could think was that I had to bring some students from Baxter Community Centers Mizizi Maji Mentoring Program in Grand Rapids MI on a trip to Harlem and two years later we made it! This past June myself (Program Director), two parents and five students made the trip! Everyone was extremely impressed with the tour, learned a lot and we will be coming back next year with another group! All the students talked about how important it was to them to have that hands on experience with history and they really wished our schools did a better job in school teaching about places like Harlem and the people that made it all happen. Someone in the group even suggested that teachers should go on the tour so they could begin to learn more themselves and begin to teach Black history better, more in depth and more accurately. I have to agree with our students! Thanks for what you do Harlem Heritage Family! read more

Great tour of Harlem! Neal I will always remember the experience, and your description of your life in Harlem. I wish you well as one of the ambassadors of this fine community. Good luck in the future. read more

A Walking Tour Full of Fun Surprises My husband and I travel to NYC a lot. He has even done research at the Shomburg Center's Library in Harlem. But, we had never taken a good look at Harlem, the neighborhood. We were fortunate to have Neal Shoemaker, owner of the company, as our guide. He made the tour fun and informative. He was flexible in answering our questions and changing the itinerary to fit the interests of our group of 11 tourists. We took the "Taste of Harlem" tour and were treated with the different tastes and textures of the African diaspora in the Western Hemisphere. Neal explained how the people of color who make up Harlem and Spanish Harlem are adjusting to the recent influx of well heeled New Yorkers who are moving in and changing the traditional character of the neighborhoods. All the while, the landmarks of the Civil Rights movements; the landmarks of the creation of urban American music; the landmarks of literature, theater, dance and art continue to survive and prosper. As we tasted four cuisines of Harlem, Neal Shoemaker made certain we understood the dynamic nature of the history of Harlem and its central place in the American mosaic. read more

Neil - if your viewing this now. There are 12 of us who've been waiting for 30 minutes for the 915 Sunday morning heritage tour. We've tried ringing with not response. We are all annoyed. We all wished we'd believed the negative reviews. If you're going to cancel, at least send someone to advise rather than leave paying customers waiting around in the cold. Never again. DO NOT use Harlem Heritage Tours. read more

I Went on the tour this March and have been telling everyone about it. Everyone encouraged me to post this although I don't do the social media thing. I surprised my wife with the tour. it was easy to book, easy to get to and fun. Our tour guide(Neal) was very personable and it was like getting a tour from a neighborhood celebrity. He knew everyone from business owners to politicians and even took us into the Apollo theater. What I liked the most was thathe tailored the tour to what we wanted. our interest in BGLO history, Jazz and the Nation of Islam were all catered to. By far the best tour I have taken in any city. read more

Don't go!! I was so excited to do this and had booked and paid in advance. When i got there the place looked deserted! Will ask for my money back when i get back home as I didn't need the hassle during my vacation... In the end I googled some places and just had a little walk around myself. read more

We took the history tour one recent Monday. We met in front of their storefront which is so full of stuff that one cannot enter. Our guide was 15 minutes late. The 2 hour tour took 3 hours with no consideration for our time. It was informative but hardly structured. I would not recommend this company to others. read more

The tour of Harlem through its gospel roots was a big disappointment. The experience at Canaan Baptist church was the real deal, but the tour itself, while led by super friendly Neal, had very little content and the same few facts were repeated over and over. My suggestion is read a good book on the history of Harlem, go to a service at the Canaan church and then go enjoy a great brunch! read more

Definitely recommend the Gospel Walking Tour, allows you to skip the enormous line for the church and get a great spot. The walking tour afterwards is really informative .... great way to experience Harlem. read more

We took the Music/Apollo Tour, and it was INCREDIBLE! Mr. Andy, our tour guide was charming....such an engaging and knowledgeable guide. He made a cool and rainy day bright. Even though a cold rain fell and the wind blew, Mr. Andy never even considered cutting the tour short. He soldiered on.....did I mention that he is 88 years old?? My God, what an inspiration! He is also good friends with Mr. Billy at the Apollo, and I won't even tell you about our tour there, as I don't think it's the norm and I don't want to get anyone's hopes up. Would I do another tour? Probably so. My only reason for giving the tour less than 5 stars was a lack of communication...I had booked the tour a couple of weeks in advance and, as luck would have it, there was a 100% chance of rain on tour day. I began calling and emailing a day or so before to see if the tour would go on, rain or shine. My reason was that if the tour would be canceled for rain, I wanted to book a matinee play to keep my wife entertained. I never received a call or email from anyone. I've worked at the same "customer service" based company for 38 years, and our success is driven by good communication. Neal, please try to do better on communicating. One of your numbers just rings and never picks up. My fear of cancellation was based on the fact that last June, we scheduled the same tour and it was canceled at the last minute. read more

An awesome tour lead by Andy Owens, an elder who can walk you out of your shoes. It was raining and he didn't miss a beat. He was informative and engaging. He shared stories about his experiences in Harlem and history of notable figures in Harlem's history. We visited the Apollo Theatre and had a chance to meet Mr Apollo himself. He shared info about the history of The Apollo and impact the it has on entertainment and the local community. read more

The Harlem Heritage Tour is worth the price ....we got an interesting intro to Harlem history, architecture and some of the issues re today's Harlem. Our guide, Neal, was well-informed and lent a personal angle to the tour. Despite slogging through the worst snow storm in ages, he led us on in good cheer. read more

Some friends and family from South Carolina came up to visit and I was recommended Neal Shoemaker and what a great recommendation. This guy really has a lot of knowledge of Harlem. I've lived here in NY my whole life but I must say I learned a lot. I had toured through Harlem previously on a bus but that experience can hardly compare to Neal's personal walking tour of Harlem filled with lots of historical information and person anecdotes about Harlem. I highly recommend his tour to everyone read more

We had a very unfortunate time trying to go on tours with Harlem Heritage Tours. First we tried the Sunday Gospel Tour, were taken to the church, then left there -no-one came to tell us to the tour was continuing. We were at the end of a row and everyone else in our row was still there. Apparently others in our group did go on this tour but we didn't notice them leave. So, hint - watch for the moment the tour moves on. Neal then kindly offered to refund our money and go on another tour for free. I went along after 5 days to another tour but after waiting 15 minutes, no tour guide had turned up. Since our refund had also not turned up, I was exasperated and walked over to the office and spoke with Neal. Neal then took me to the bank with him and returned my money in cash. He is a friendly, pleasant guy but the whole experience trying to go on a Harlem tour with his group was very frustrating. read more

We just took our homeschool group of a dozen 7-10 year olds on the Harlem Renaissance walking tour last week. What a gem Neal Shoemaker is! He held the kids' attention for 90 minutes and even scored brilliance points for finding a fun way to engage one of our students who needed a little extra attention -- Neal made him the captain of a time machine! During the course of the tour he had the kids reading poetry, singing and dancing in the street, answered all their questions and made them feel validated. He was very knowledgeable and comfortable with the material and being in the neighborhood. I highly recommend this tour. It was a fun way to enrich our studies. read more