Things to Do in Harlem, New York: Music, Gospel and Food

Harlem is an iconic New York neighborhood up in uptown Manhattan. It is packed with history, music, art, and the culture of the communities that have made it home.

It went from Dutch colony to the heart of New York's African American community and of many Latin American communities too. Today its buildings and streets are being modernized as young professionals and families arrive looking for better rents, and gentrification is in full swing.

Here are the spots in this beautifully mixed New York neighborhood that I recommend you visit:

What to See in Harlem

A good itinerary through Harlem's most important attractions starts at the north end of Central Park, which is exactly Harlem's southern border.

This is a route you can easily do on foot, which lets you soak up the vibrant scene of one of Manhattan's most iconic neighborhoods.

Harlem technically begins north of the park, at 110th Street, but I'll include a few nearby places you can see before heading straight into Harlem.

Conservatory Garden

Northern Central Park gets few tourists, and it really shouldn't. It's gorgeous!

Take the Conservatory Garden, an oasis of landscaping and European-style ornamental gardens.

During a New York summer it's a fantastic place to cool off by the fountains and enjoy the show the rose bushes put on in bloom.

Enter the garden through the extremely elegant Vanderbilt Gate on Fifth Avenue at 102nd Street. You'll feel like you've stepped into New York's Gilded Age.

The closest subway station to the Conservatory Garden is 103rd Street on the 4 and 6 lines.

Museum of the City of New York

Visiting the Museum of the City of New York, on the Museum Mile in the Upper East Side, will deepen your relationship with this metropolis we're all fascinated by.

The Museum of the City of New York is an institution that celebrates the culture, history, architecture, and the artistic and social movements that gave today's New York its character.

After visiting the museum you'll have a much better grasp of the unique character of this city that brings so many others together in one place.

Highly recommended! It sits on Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street, right across from the entrance to Central Park's Conservatory Garden.

Harlem Meer in Central Park

Closer to Harlem, at the very north end of Central Park, you'll find the Harlem Meer (Central Park North 110 St station, lines 2 and 3).

One of its most recognizable sights is the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, once a boathouse and today a community center (there are public restrooms if you need them).

From there you can keep walking north along Malcolm X Blvd or Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Harlem's two main avenues, both full of shops and activity.

Harlem's Brownstones

As you walk the main avenues heading north through Harlem, you'll notice another of its signature features: beautiful streets lined with unbroken rows of brownstones, those attached homes of four stories max with stoops out front that we always see in the movies.

A great place to see these classic buildings is the Mount Morris Historic District, which stretches between 118th and 125th Streets and between Adam Clayton Powell Jr and Marcus Garvey Park.

Marcus Garvey Park

Marcus Garvey Park, set on Mount Morris hill, has plenty of history. In colonial times it was a strategic lookout used by the patriots during the fight for independence from England.

The centerpiece of the park is the Mount Morris Watchtower, built in 1840. It's an observation tower with an enormous bell that was part of New York's 19th-century fire alarm network.

From the top of this green, leafy park you'll get panoramic views of Mount Morris, a historic district of Harlem.

Apollo Theater

Another defining trait of Harlem is its starring role in the music scene, particularly in jazz, hip-hop, and pop, as the emblematic Apollo Theater attests.

Read why it's worth visiting the Apollo Theater, the stage where stars like Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, the Jackson Five, and Stevie Wonder took their first steps.

As you approach the entrance, under the marquee, look down at the sidewalk for the Apollo Theater Walk of Fame. These are plaques honoring African American music legends like Billie Holiday, The Temptations, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Charlie Parker, Prince, and Celia Cruz, plus the ones I already mentioned.

Gospel Service in Harlem

The truth is that many of us come to Harlem for its music and religious scene, and the latter is genuinely impressive. Especially drawn by the chance to attend a live gospel service.

Harlem has the highest concentration of churches in New York, more than 400 congregations! Among them are Baptist churches where you can hear gospel music in New York.

What is a gospel service?

Gospel services in the United States are religious ceremonies with African American roots. Since Harlem is home to one of New York's largest African American communities, it's the perfect place to take part in this joyful celebration.

During a gospel service, readings from the Bible alternate with choirs and vocalists who are so good they'll give you goosebumps. At various points everyone is invited to sing and join in. Tourists included! The joy is contagious and there's a very special sense of connection, whether or not you're a believer.

Gospel services are held on Sundays and they're long, between 2 and 3 hours. There are lengthy sermons and testimonies from members of the congregation, so don't imagine it's all singing and dancing.

If you're short on time, aim to be there for the start of the ceremony, which opens with powerful choir singing. You can then slip out quietly. Nobody will make you stay to the end.

How to attend a gospel service in Harlem

The largest Baptist churches are the ones that allow tourists in. They occupy huge theaters, as is the case with First Corinthians Baptist Church (1912 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd) and Bethel Gospel Assembly (26 East 120th St).

To attend a service at Bethel Gospel Assembly you need to register in advance on their website, where you can also check service times.

First Corinthians Baptist Church, meanwhile, sits in a beautiful theater and for many people feels more like a Broadway musical than a religious experience. They even run commercial announcements during services 😮.

But they do let us in. Just get there early and join the tourist line. Even if it's a less authentic experience, it gives you a sense of the gospel spirit. You can find more information on their website.

There's no charge to attend the services, but halfway through the ceremony envelopes are passed around for donations to the church, like the collection at a Catholic Mass. Nobody will check how many dollars you give, or whether you give anything at all.

Harlem Tours That Include a Gospel Service

If you're tight on time and want a sure thing for a gospel service, there are a couple of guided tours in Spanish that include entry to a Baptist church. On those tours the guide handles the coordination with the church and you don't have to worry about a thing:

• New York Contrasts Tour plus Gospel Mass: a 7-hour Sunday tour that combines iconic spots in Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Harlem with entry to a gospel service.
• Harlem Tour with Gospel Mass: a 4-hour Sunday outing through the most emblematic parts of Harlem, like the Apollo Theater, plus a visit to a gospel service.

Listening to Jazz in New York

Harlem is also known for its jazz clubs, including the famous Cotton Club, where Duke Ellington played.

If the history and culture around jazz interest you, you can visit Harlem's National Jazz Museum, dedicated to preserving, promoting and appreciating jazz.

Admission is by suggested donation, so you can pay what feels right. There's plenty of music to listen to across the different exhibits, so don't forget to bring your own headphones 🙂

If you want even more jazz, you have to visit the Louis Armstrong House in Queens.

Attractions near Harlem

When you visit Harlem, take the chance to see Morningside Heights, the neighborhood west of Harlem where Columbia University sits (and where one of my favorite movies filmed in New York opens: Ghostbusters 👻)

Morningside Heights is home to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Along with St. Patrick's Cathedral, these are the two most important churches in New York, but from my point of view this one is even more interesting than St. Patrick's.

For starters, this cathedral in Uptown Manhattan is enormous and still unfinished. Although it follows the Anglican tradition, it welcomes people of any belief. It's a church for the city's residents more than for one particular creed. I felt New York's cosmopolitan spirit come alive there.

I also recommend seeing East Harlem, the neighborhood east of Harlem, where Manhattan's Latino heart beats.

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Address

Harlem runs between 110th and 155th Streets, from the East River to the Hudson River.

How to get there

Subway 2, 3. Stations between 110th and 140th Streets