"Best Place To Take Out Of Town Guests" - The Village Voice, 2014
"Great way to experience the city" - TripAdvisor Review, May 2016
"Best Place To Take Out Of Town Guests" - The Village Voice, 2014
"Great way to experience the city" - TripAdvisor Review, May 2016
Harlem is the center of African-American history and culture not only in New York City but in the entire United States. Our tour explores the history of Harlem, from its origins as a Dutch Village in the 17th century through its transformation into the “Capital of Black America” in the early 20th. We will place the evolution of Harlem into the context of American history by learning about how the Great Migration drove the neighborhood’s ethnic transformation through several incarnations before Harlem finally became the Black metropolis we think of today.
Our tour emphasizes the artistic, literary, and musical flowerings of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. We will learn how this period laid the intellectual foundation for the early Civil Rights movement. Stops could include the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Striver’s Row, the Apollo Theater, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Hotel Theresa, and sites associated with W.E.B. DuBois, Madame C.J. Walker, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Carl van Vechten, and many others.
Health & Safety Guidelines
For our in-person walking tours, see our FAQs below for information regarding our Stay Well NYC Pledge.
Give a Big Onion Gift Certificate!
Give an experience they'll remember! All tours are available as gift
certificates.
Purchase This Tour As A Gift Certificate
Big Onion requires all walkers to reserve and pay in advance. Prepayment helps us determine group size and appropriate guide numbers.
NOTE: You will select your date in the next step.
Whether you are looking to integrate a tour into your academic curriculm or entertaining out-of-towners, a Big Onion walking tour is a great way to experience the city.
For more information, or to arrange, please call (718) 499-3001 or email info@bigonion.com.
Location:
Northwest corner of 135th Street & Lenox (Malcolm X) Avenue – in front of the Schomburg Center.
Subway Trains
2/3 to 135th Street.
Social Distancing
On in person tours, Big Onion will follow the current recommended outdoor social distancing protocols.
Contact Tracing
Big Onion will securely retain client contact information for one month, for contact tracing purposes, if necessary.
Guides
The finest group of tour guides anywhere. Most of us are full-time graduate
students researching and writing doctoral dissertations in history passionate
about the history, architecture and people of New York.
More about our guides.
Finding Your Guides
All guides carry an 8×11 sign that says “Big Onion Walking Tours”.
Time & Distance
All tours last approximately two hours. We start on time and walk between one
and two miles at a moderate walking pace, stopping at various sites along the tour.
Rain/Inclement Weather
Big Onion generally presents tours rain or shine. In the event of inclement
weather please check our home page for notifications or call our hotline
[(888) 606-WALK (9255) ext. 1], to confirm our schedule.
Tips
Gratuities are always appreciated, but never expected.
Reschedule Policy
With 24+ hours prior to a walking tour, Big Onion offers a full credit for the value of the booking. Credits will be given as Gift Cards in dollar amounts. Gift Cards are good for two years and can be used on any Big Onion outing. Cancellations with less than 24 hours prior to the tour or no shows cannot be credited.
Walks are held rain or shine, but may be cancelled for severe weather or if museum is closed. In the event of a Big Onion cancellation or museum closure, full refunds or rescheduled tickets will be offered.
More Questions? Check out How it Works for more details.
Helpful Links
Local weather forecast
NYC Subway Map
Weekly Service Advisories
Subway Fares
