My wife and I had to delay our first tour due to illness, and so we signed up for this one on our return trip to New York, and it was not only a delight but a dream. Doris was a wonderfully thorough and astoundingly lovely tour guide. A true local, she led us around the neighborhood while greeting friends around Harlem and asking questions about us and our time in New York. She pointed out all manner of interesting locations; houses of Renaissance legends like Zora Neale Hurston and Marcus Garvey, the former locations of the Cotton Club and the Savoy, and current projects like the restoration of the Apollo and the Schomburg Center. Lunch was delicious, a soul food buffet with some of the best mac and cheese and collards I've ever had. We gratefully went an hour and a half over our expected time, and only had to cut _that_ short because of prior engagements. I feel very lucky to have met such a knowledgeable and charming person, and even luckier to have been given a glimpse into the history of one of the most dynamic and interesting places and times in America. We owe Doris a return trip to complete the second half of the tour, and I think it's well worth your time to take a trip yourself. read more

An eventful evening of amazing JAZZ music by talented musicians. I would recommend you take an evening and enjoy the ambiance of the beautiful church, and the rhythms that come together during the concert. read more

Harlem Jazz Series - Mount Morris Ascension Church. Great location to have a jazz concert. Acoustics in the church was pretty clear. Somewhat dim lighting and there was a flash photographer that was distracting during certain times. You can sit anywhere on the wooden pulpits and still see the stage performers. Sista Zock and her crew (keys, trumpet and drum) gave their current interpretation of how songs should last. It was 10-13 minutes of live playing. Have a long attention span as nowadays to enjoy this type of concert, as modern pop songs are only 3-4 minutes max. The jazz music was a pleasant way to end the week. Crowd was mainly tourists, learned about this from Go City Explorer Pass. read more

The tour was an extraordinary experience. I'm still amazed by Doris's knowledge and expertise--she's truly a walking encyclopedia of Harlem. I highly recommend this tour. We capped it off with an incredible jazz show right in the heart of the district. It was absolutely fantastic! Nothing feels more New York than that. read more

Fantastic! We saw John Cooksey and his band. So talented!! and the setting was great... small and intimate. It was one of our favorite things we did while visiting NYC! Highly recommend! read more

I had the chance to have a very good personalized walking tour in Harlem with amazing explanation and finished with a beautiful jazz concert in the church. I had a great morning with Harlem stories and the good music. Thank you "Welcome to Harlem" read more

Tour taken 3/23/13, used a living social voucher I throughly enjoyed this walking tour courtesy of Welcome to Harlem. Our guide Cheryl was informative about Harlem's history from the days of the Harlem renaissance up until today. She was also up to date on community news as a Harlemite herself. You could tell how much she loves the community and neighborhood and how active she is in it - taking advantage of cultural events offered. Both the historical facts and her own insight into modern day Harlem helped to contribute to a well-rounded portrait of the neighborhood -- a definite plus for this tour! The tour highlights the landmarks of 125th street and then travels into the Mount Morris Park neighborhood. This route shows the diversity of Harlem from the more residential sections to the more commercial areas. This tour is a great introduction to Harlem and its history. For more information (and some photos from the tour), check out my blog post: http://goo.gl/EybVq read more

Caroline was great! though it was her day off, she booked us for the day we were going to be in the city. There were six of us in the group and she did an awesome tour. It was hot and we walked a ton, but, we had a blast! Even better what's the restaurant we ate for lunch. read more

We attended the Welcome to Harlem evening jazz tour on 23 August 2018. Cheryl was a wonderful tour guide, although it seemed more like walking around with a friend. She was very knowledgeable about the history of Harlem and current events as well. She took us to a couple of jazz clubs which had a great ambiance and some great music. I would recommend going early and having dinner at one of the many restaurants close to the meeting point. I look forward to visiting some other clubs the next time I am in New York. read more

WOW!! Heard the Linda Oh show last night and she displayed why she is a first call bassist for jazz superstars (like Pat Metheny). I did not know she is an outstanding composer. Hearing her with a working band like this one is jazz at its highest level!! And the performers scheduled for this series reflect the august standing of the curator, Craig Harris, who plays his trombone around the world with jazz luminaries [how does he find the time?] And the church/venue on 1124th street has great acoustics, a fine piano (not all churches do) and comfortable pews. I will be back, this month in fact, for the Jonathon Finlayson and Roman Filiu shows. I might just become a regular at this Friday night series. Chris Beall read more

My eyes were opened to the beauty of Harlem on this great walking tour. We walked and learned so much about the the history of this rapidly changing area. We went to a gospel church service and also had lunch in a great little Harlem spot. Thank you so much to our wonderful tour guide. Your tours are doing great things for your neighborhood. Stay off the "hop on hop off bus". Put on your walking shoes and enjoy. read more

My fiance and I took the Welcome to Harlem tour this past Saturday with Carolyn and 2 other guests. I like that it was so few of us since it could be more intimate and personal. Carolyn was more than just a guide, she became more of a friend as the tour went on. Throughout the tour local residents greeted her and she them-- very cool. We learned so much about Harlem and are excited to come back and explore it bit by bit. We couldn't have asked for a better tour guide. This is by far one of our favorite tours we've ever done in NYC. read more

The tour was overpriced for the tour. It was lacking in historical content and information about Harlem I was disappointed. I would not recommend this tour read more

My kids and I went to the Harlem Gospel Holiday Concert at Mt. Olivet Church on Saturday. If the audience was looking for a slick, Broadway performance, then they left unhappy. But we were looking for a holiday concert with heart and meaning, and we got what we came for. Yes it started late, and the acoustics needed some work. But the hosts were warm and welcoming, and once the choir warmed up, they went all in, from an exhuberant Oh Happy Day to a meaningful Silent Night. We headed over to Melba's after the concert--a great way to celebrate the joy of the season. read more

Carolyn gives a truly fantastic tour. We had four people in our group and walked a storied turn about central Harlem. The gorgeous day certainly did not hurt, but the most valuable part was the information. Carolyn can answer any question you have. I'll be coming back to Welcome to Harlem for another tour sometime soon. read more

When a dear friend was in town, I arranged this tour with Carolyn (and we live in Harlem). It was money well spent. Carolyn's knowledge of Harlem and it's history (so many fun facts!) and her love for the community was evident--and increased our own affection, pride and gratitude for our neighborhood. We walked 125th (from Freddy Douglas east then north at Malcolm X Blvd). Man! There is so much richness in that very short distance! Then we headed to Astor Row, the Schomburg Museum, and Strivers' Row. We peppered Carolyn with questions about the past, present and future of Harlem. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting or living in NYC who wants to become more familiar with Harlem, is interested in history and who want's a glimpse of the community(and it's such a lively, bustling one) ---before HARLEM completely disappears as gentrification and corporate chains seen in EVERYWHERE, U.S.A. overrun the whole place! (We did the tour in April on a beautiful spring day and my husband and I plan on doing part 2 (south) in the future. read more

Attended the Harlem Gospel Holiday Celebration on Saturday, December 24 2016 @ 11:00am - 12:00pm at Mt. Oliver Baptist Church. My family, friends and I left convinced we'd been punked. Arrived 30 minutes early, large crowd. Staff still setting up. 45 minutes late, the "choir" started. Awful harmonies, musicians barely competent. Many people leaving early asking if it was all a joke. A sad Christmas Eve. read more

My Wife & I Attended the Harlem Safe House Jazz Parlor on 5-4-17 with the Oliver Lake Trio. It was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. Thank you to Craig & Diane for having us in their home & for being such amazing people. Thank you for bringing this amazing trio in your home to entertain us all. I would recommend this to ANYONE that loves Jazz & great people. read more

If you want to feel good about life, go to Harlem in May, befriend Caroline, and go sing in Church on a Sunday. This tour was so fun. I learned a ton about the history of NYC and Harlem. It's all there: Adam Clayton Powell, churches and mosques, Franco the artist, the Apollo theater, 125th St , Lenox Ave, lovely people in church and on the streets, the parks, and the food. Don't miss it. (Caroline Johnson is the best Ambassador that I have ever met) read more

Took this tour with Carolyn today, and it was phenomenal. She combined a deep knowledge of Harlem's history and development with an invaluable understanding of the neighborhood as it is today. Carolyn doesn't just know the neighborhood; she lives it. She can give a rundown of the various beautiful old brownstones and churches in the neighborhood, their histories, and the people that presently live there. What you get is a rarity-- a tour that combines a book knowledge of the area with a local's understanding of what it is today. Would definitely recommend! read more

The concert was not good. It was supposed to start @ 11 am. At that time they were still setting up the speakers on stage and the program did not begin until 11:30 am. However, it did not actually start then, they just started a song and then said it was a test. It actually went downhill from there. As the concert progressed people continued to walk-out. By the time we finally walked out, I would say that half the audience had already left while the concert was happening. A total disaster, and we should all have our money refunded! read more

I visited New York with my three teenagers, and this was our outing on our first day. What a way to start our trip! Our guide was caught in traffic that morning, so one of the other women generously gave us our tour, and Carolyn did another tour of the highlights after the jazz. She was a delightful and knowledgeable tour guide and I am so thankful that she was able to give us the time. The jazz--knocked our socks off! We heard David Murray in a comfortable little church in the neighborhood, very welcoming, comfortable and he and his team (including his son on guitar) rocked!!! read more

While I thoroughly enjoyed learning from our knowledgeable tour guide who took her time to walk us through the many landmarks and historical sights on or near 125th St, this was not what was advertised on their web site. I purchased three tickets for the Harlem Renaissance Tour, which according to their website is said to go between 125th and 139th St and include information about people like Jacob Lawrence, Madam CJ Walker and Duke Ellington, etc. This did not happen. She did cover James Van Der Zee but the majority of the tour was just related to 125th St. Also, their $15 lunch option is very, very vague. Tour taken on 8/6/15. read more

Authentic Harlem jazz in a concert setting. The musicianship is outstanding, and the price can't be beat. I don't understand why there isn't a line down the block for each performance. It's one of the best kept secrets. read more

Carolyn was an excellent tour guide. She gave us a personal tour since we were the only guests. We felt at home as we got a feel of the past and present history and culture of the neighborhood. The best part was ending at a local jazz club where there was great music, great people, and great home cooked soul food. She was even nice enough to catch the local subway with us to make sure we got back ok. I would take a tour with her again. read more

Everything I hoped for and more! We did the Renaissance Tour with Cheryl. There were 5 people total, which made it a very personal tour. We used a Groupon certificate and I was a bit nervous that we would get an abbreviated tour, but that, thankfully, did NOT happen. We actually spent a solid 3 hours with Cheryl as opposed to 2, which is just a testament to her passion, knowledge & information about the history, buildings, a so many other facets of Harlem that we never knew. Can't wait to do her Mount Morris Park tour!!!! read more

I was fortunate enough to attend a retired teacher afternoon of jazz at the Rendall Memorial Presbyterian Church on 137th St and Malcolm X Blvd. All I can say is WOW! The music-Tulivu on vocals, rod Williams on piano, Rachiim Ausar-Sahu on bass and Mark Johnson on drums was out of this some of the best music I have ever heard. In addition, the price is better than right, $10, seats are comfortable and the people who run the concert and the church members are so welcoming. The area is beautiful to stroll in after or before. Go see it on Tuesday afternoons. Harlemjazzboxx.com read more

Recently purchased Welcome to Harlem's "Harlem Travel Guide". The guide is a treasure, for residents of the community, for foreign visitors, anyone in the NY metropolitan area and beyond who likes to spend time in one of the most vibrant communities in Manhattan. The guide will make the reader an instant authority on Harlem from which there is much to learn. Educational, religious institutions and their history;museums, fine arts galleries, landmarks, maps as well as the restaurants, night life, parks and recreation venues, all are featured with indepth information. There is also a calendar of annual events to make planning trips to the area more organized. Whether much time has been spent in the community or a first time visit is planned, this guide will make navigating Harlem a pleasure. Kudos to Carolyn Johnson and Valerie Jo Bradley for their wonderful collaboration on this very handy guide. read more

I sooooo thoroughly enjoyed this tour. It was like touring with a walking history book, that you actually enjoyed reading. The tour guide was very knowledgable, friendly & delightful. I was completely unaware of how much rich history there was right in my own backyard. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone whether you're a visiting tourist or a native New Yorker. You'll be pleasantly surprised by what you learn. :-) read more

Great evening of jazz in a very welcoming and intimate setting. The hosts were very welcoming, prompt and professional.