Memphis, Atlanta, Birmingham & Montgomery – 5 Days

Today you’ll start your adventure and travel to Atlanta, your first stop on your Civil Rights history trip. Upon arrival in Atlanta, you’ll meet your Tour Manager who will guide and educate you throughout the trip.

First, you’ll visit The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, a museum dedicated to the achievements of both the civil rights movement in the United States and the broader worldwide human rights movement. The Center hosts a number of exhibitions, both permanent and temporary, that tell the history of the civil rights movement in the United States and how that period is related to contemporary human rights struggles around the world.

After lunch, you’ll visit the World of Coca-Cola where you’ll see the fully-functioning bottling line. View more than 1,200 never-before displayed artifacts, share a hug with a 7 foot tall Polar Bear and more!

You’ll have dinner and then head to the hotel for the night.

This morning, you’ll visit the home of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth, hear his story, see where he played as a child, walk in his footsteps and hear his voice in the church where he moved hearts and minds. It’s an experience to remember as you visit the places where Dr. King was born, lived, worked, worshipped and is buried.

You will visit The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum. Located in Atlanta, Georgia the Library and Museum houses President Jimmy Carter’s papers and other material relating to the Carter administration and the Carter family’s life. The library also hosts special exhibits, such as Carter’s Nobel Peace Prize and a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, including a copy of the Resolute Desk.

After lunch, you’ll begin your adventure to Montgomery, Alabama.

This afternoon, you’ll take a guided tour of the Civil Rights Memorial and Center where you’ll learn about sacrifices and achievements of the Civil Rights movement, confront facts of contemporary injustices, hear stories of hate crime victims and examine your own biases.

After dinner, you’ll arrive at your hotel in Montgomery, Alabama and rest for the evening.

After breakfast, you will visit the Rosa Parks Museum and Children’s Wing in Montgomery, Alabama. On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Parks refused to give up her seat on the Montgomery City Bus to a white man sparking the 381 day Montgomery Bus Boycott that fueled the Civil Rights Movement. Troy University has dedicated the Museum and Children’s Wing to Rosa Parks, the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” In the museum you’ll go back in time on the Cleveland Avenue Time Machine to discover all of the people, like Rosa Parks, who made a difference in the world we live in today.

Next, you’ll take a guided tour of the Freedom Rides Museum where you’ll learn how 21 young people helped change our nation’s history using nonviolent protest. Black and white, male and female, none of them were older than 21. They stepped off of a bus at this station on May 20, 1961. They knew they might be met with violence, and they were. They had written out wills and said goodbye to loved ones. Their goal was to help end racial segregation in public transportation and they did. This museum explores this compelling American story. It uses artworks as well as quotes, photographs and architectural elements.

In the afternoon, you’ll take a guided tour of the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Parsonage Museum where you’ll experience the actual residence where Dr. King and his young family lived between 1954 and 1960; an Interpretive Center, and the King-John’s Garden for Reflection.

In the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, a National Historic Landmark, you’ll see the modest pulpit where Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. first preached his message of hope and brotherhood. This church was also a center point of the Montgomery bus boycott. A large mural in the church depicts King’s civil rights crusade from Montgomery to Memphis.

This afternoon, you’ll begin your adventure from Montgomery to Birmingham.

Upon arrival, you’ll take a tour of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, the first black church in Birmingham. The church became central to the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a frequent speaker here. In September of 1963, the church was the target of a racially motivated bombing that killed four girls. The church was rebuilt with the help of donations and reopened in June 1964.

This evening, you’ll arrive at your hotel in Birmingham and rest for the days ahead.

To start the day, you’ll visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, a cultural and educational research center that promotes a comprehensive understanding and appreciation for the significance of civil rights developments in Birmingham with an increasing emphasis on the international struggle for universal human rights. BCRI is a “living institution” that views the lessons of the past as crucial to understanding our heritage and defining our future.

This afternoon you’ll drive to Memphis, Tennessee, have dinner, and check into your hotel for the night.

In the morning, you’ll visit the National Civil Rights Museum. The Museum exists to assist the public in understanding the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement and its impact and influence on human rights movements worldwide. Through its collections, exhibitions, research and educational programs, you’ll have an inside view of this time in our nation’s history.

You’ll end your trip with a tour of the famous Sun Studios. Reputedly the first rock-and-roll single, Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats’ “Rocket 88” was recorded here in 1951 with composer Ike Turner on keyboards, leading the studio to claim status as the birthplace of rock & roll.

This afternoon your Civil Rights journey comes to a close as you depart for your trip home.