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Offered languages
- English
- French
The tour is conducted by a New York City licensed tour guide. We offer this tour in French or English. Our tour guides are native speakers if each languages. In this tour we will visit 9 landmark sites which include the first Black Episcopal, Methodist, Pentecostal, and Baptist churches. We will examine their history, their leaders, and their role in the anti-slavery movement as well as the civil rights movement. This tour also looks at the role of Gospel music in the history of the Black church. We will study its growth from the ring shout (the foundation of all African American music), to the Spirituals, the role of the Protestant hymnals, ending with what became known as Gospel Blues, today simply called Gospel music. The tour ends with a visit to a church service where we will listen to a live Gospel choir, it is not a concert but a real church service.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Take the #2 or #3 train to 116th Street stop. Walk North on Malcom X Boulevard/Lenox. There are other tours companies, do not go to any tour guide. Our guides, Sylvie, Kent or Pascal will come and pick you up.
The Abyssinian Baptist Church
Itinerary
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1
Mt. Olivet Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist church that has faithfully ministered and served our local community for over 200 years.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2
The address refers to a section of Malcolm X Boulevard (formerly Lenox Avenue) in Harlem, New York City, specifically between 118th and 120th Streets. This area falls within the 10027 zip code. Malcolm X Boulevard runs north-south through Harlem, and the specified section is in the heart of the neighborhood.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
3
Malcolm X Blvd & W 124th St New York, NY 10027 USA. Harlem Renaissance
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4Apollo Theater
The iconic, world famous theater where countless musicians, comedians have performed.
5 minutes • Admission ticket not included -
5
Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd & West 133rd Street, New York, NY, USA
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
6
Lenox Ave & West 135th Street, New York, NY, USA Songbird
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
7
Our licensed tour guide will share with you the history of this church. "The Freedom Church" was formed in 1796 by African-American members of the predominantly white John Street Methodist Church. Although that church was abolitionist in its orientation, racial segregation was still enforced in other ways. As one A.M.E. Zion historian described it: The colored members were not permitted to come to the sacrament (Holy Communion) until all the white members, even children, had communedhe first church foundation stone was laid in 1819, and the first rector, serving from 1826 to 1840, was the Rev. Peter Williams, Jr., a leading abolitionist and the first African-American Episcopal priest in New York. He was one of three blacks who served on the first executive committee of the American Anti-Slavery Society
20 minutes • Admission ticket free -
8Abyssinian Baptist Church
Our license tour guide will share with you the history of this church. Founded in 1808, Abyssinian Baptist Church is one of the oldest African-American Baptist churches in the United States. Housed in a landmark Gothic- and Tudor-style building in Harlem, Abyssinian embraces a rich history of worship, spiritual leadership, social activism and community service.
20 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
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Additional info
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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