The charm of Harlem lures tourists in droves

Decades of African-American history have made Harlem one of America's most famous neighborhoods. It's also an essential destination for visitors to New York, offering art, architecture, restaurants, shopping and more.

Attendance at Harlem's Studio Museum has soared from 63,298 in the 2009-10 fiscal year to 111,086 in 2013-14. Restaurants like celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson's Streetbird Rotisserie are giving out-of-towners and locals a reason to head uptown for a meal. And Harlem is the second most requested neighborhood in Manhattan after midtown at Big Apple Greeter, which connects tourists with volunteers for free neighborhood visits.

Even the Museum of Modern Art, located in midtown, is encouraging trips to Harlem with an online self-guided walking tour inspired by a MOMA exhibition, Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series paintings. Lawrence painted scenes of African-Americans from the rural South moving to Northern cities in the early 20th century. The free tour highlights Harlem locations where Lawrence studied art, did research and found inspiration.