New York Harlem 3hr self-guided walking tour and scavenger hunt

Looking for things to do in New York Harlem district? Our 3-hour self-guided walking tour takes you through this neighborhood. Learn about its history and discover all of the attractions. Solve challenges at each step along your way, to find your next destination and have fun.

You will walk from Marcus Garvey Park to the Apollo Theatre, the National Jazz Museum, by way of Morningside Park, and many churches and monuments, taking you back to the start. As you discover the neighborhood, you’ll pass by various parks, museums, and monuments.

4.7km
2.9mi

32
Sites

25
Challenges

Try for FREE

What You'll See

Marcus Garvey Park
Sylvia’s Soulfood
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem
Monument to Adam Clayton Powell
Apollo Theater
Swing Low: Harriet Tubman Memorial
Morningside Park
The Studio Museum in Harlem
Lafayette and Washington Monument
Houdini House
and much more!

This scavenger hunt is to be tested at the end of summer 2022.

Specifications & Requirements

Starting Location: Near the SummerStage, at Mt Morris Park W, New York, NY 10027, United States
Distance: 4.7 km / 2.9 mi
Time: 3 hours
Method: Walking
Required: Fully charged Smartphone with internet access (data plan, Wifi is not sufficient).
Suggested:
- Bottled water
- A local street map

History

Harlem’s History

The original inhabitants of this area of Manhattan island were the Wecquaesgeek, a Native American tribe. The Dutch arrived and started settling Haarlem in 1637-1639, naming it after a city of the same name in the Netherlands.

During the American Revolution, the British burned Harlem entirely. It was slowly rebuilt, growing slower than the rest of Manhattan. Its first economic boom came after the American Civil War in 1868.
This area has known major economic swings of boom and bust. Ethic populations have moved in and out with these cycles. In the 19th century, it was mostly occupied by Jewish and Italian Americans. African-Americans arrived with the Great Migration from 1910 through the 1970s.

Harlem began to grow again after the 1990s. It has been undergoing a long process of gentrification ever since.