Harlem Central Historic Walking Tour
Founded in 1660, Harlem originates from Dutch colonists who named the North Manhattan village after a country in the Netherlands (Haarlem). This tour will explore the many different cultural groups and their influence to present day Harlem, including: the early origin of the Dutch colonies, the suburban lifestyles of New York’s elite, and the great migration, the Harlem Renaissance and the African-American experience.
Meeting Location: The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (515 Malcolm X Boulevard)
Estimated Duration: 1.5 – 2 hours
Hamilton Heights-Washington Heights Historic Walk
Named after the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton and known as “Sugar Hill” by the locals, this neighborhood was the dwelling place for the Black Elite. Many notable African-Americans resided in Sugar Hill at the start of their careers before becoming the legends they are today, including Thurgood Marshall, Duke Ellington, Ralph Ellison and many others.
Meeting Location: St. Nicholas Park (141st Street and St. Nicholas Avenue)
Estimated Duration: 2 hours
Greenwich Village Historic Walking Tour
Greenwich Village has been known throughout its existence as an artist’s haven and a place that celebrated liberation and freedom. An often forgotten but important element of Greenwich Village’s trailblazing narrative, however, is the extraordinary role “The Village” played in African American history.
The neighborhood was home to North America’s earliest free Black settlement in the 17th century (New Freedom Land and Little Africa), to some of America’s first black churches in the 19th century, and to many pioneering African American artists, civil rights leaders, and organizations in the 20th century.
Meeting Location: Father Demo Square (Bleecker Street and the Avenue of the Americas)
Estimated Duration: 2 hours
Origins of Lower Manhattan Walking Tour
The winding streets of the current day Financial District was where the colonial Dutch settlers founded New Amsterdam in the early 1600s. Before their arrival, it was a hunting ground for the Lenape Native Americans and the only street of existence was Broadway which was often used as a tribal warpath.
Lower Manhattan is historically documented as a location of many firsts in American History, including:
- The burial site of the original African slaves that arrived in New York
- The place where George Washington was inaugurated as president
- The place where countless immigrants began their American dream
Meeting Location: Museum of the American Indian – 1 Bowling Green
Nearest Subway: 4 or 5 train to Bowling Green
Estimated Duration: 2.5 hours
Lost Inwood Historic Walking Tour
Inwood is the northernmost area in Manhattan. This historically sound neighborhood in New York City was home of the original settling families: The Dyckmans, Nagles and Ishams.
From Inwood Hill Park (the location where the purchase of the Island of Manhattan took place) to the architectural remains of the Billings and Seaman family estates which reflects the grandeur of what this area used to be.
Throughout the 1900s, this area rapidly developed into a neighborhood of working class immigrants of various cultural origins who sought better living conditions and greater opportunities of livelihood.
Sites on this tour will reveal historic sentiments and origins of the area including Fort Tryon Park, The Dyckman Farmhouse and Inwood Hill Park.
Meeting Location: Anne Loftus Playground
Nearest Subway: A Train to Dyckman Street
Estimated Duration: 2. 5 hours