Welcome to Harlem, a Black- and woman-owned tour company that offers an immersive experience for visitors to the community, has been ranked the #6 best history tour in the United States in the USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Participants are encouraged to experience Harlem’s rich cultural history and landmarks while coming away with a deeper understanding of the area. The company offers a variety of public and private walking tours, school tours, as well as weekly live gospel and jazz performances. Owner Carolyn Johnson started the tour company in 2004, and has been educating about Harlem’s history and enriched culture through the tours since.
“The overall goal of our tour has always been to give an authentic true history of Harlem, because a lot of people, when they come up here, they have these preconceptions about Harlem.” said Johnson.
Johnson also created an educational board game, Harlem-opoly, and a kids’ podcast, the Harlem Time Trotters, all of which are resources to help individuals develop a deeper understanding of the community.
“Harlem is only 5.2 miles, 5.3 miles. No place in the world can compete with us to contribute to American history and world history,” she said. She recalls feeling surprised and filled with gratitude for the recognition. The company views the honor as a community effort.
USA Today Best 10 highlights the best experiences in categories pertaining to travel and lifestyle. Nominees are selected by a mix of experts, public voters, and USA Today Best 10 editors.
“When they first contacted me, I was like, ‘Oh my God, somebody is watching what we do,’” Johnson said. “We just like to make sure when people come here to take a tour with us that they are getting a true picture of the community, that they enjoy themselves, and that they leave with a better understanding of who we are.”
Harlem is a staple to New York. I can’t wait to take a tour.