Civil Rights Road Trip with Kids

Civil Rights Road Trip in the South: 10 days of traveling through Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee with kids.

All students in the U.S. should travel to the South to delve deep into the history of why Black Lives Matter today and to learn from the longstanding courageous struggle waged by Black Americans for equity and justice. My family and I took the trip in July 2021 with two children, ages 10 and 7. I wrote down our itinerary to help guide other families who seek to do the same.

Planning: We used this great book by Deborah D. Douglas (2021) which I highly recommend. Here I include our itinerary with travel times by car.

Day 1-3: Arrive in Atlanta, GA

Day 3-5: (2 hours) Montgomery, AL

Day 5: (1 hour) Selma, AL & (1hour 40min) Birmingham, AL

Day 5-7: Birmingham, AL

Day 7: (3.5 hours) Jackson, MS

Day 8: (4.5 hours) Little Rock, AR

Day 9-10: (2 hours) Memphis, TN

Another excellent website with powerful graphics is the https://civilrightstrail.com/

Day 1: Arrive in Atlanta

We headed to the African-American Panoramic Experience (APEX) Museum for a visit which took about an hour. Although an older museum, it has vivid displays and provided a short but useful overview of kingdoms in pre-colonial Africa, the Atlantic slave trade, the commodities that drove it. Crucially, it is located on historic Auburn St in Atlanta, and the visit opens up with a beautiful video personifying the street - telling the story of "Sweet Auburn's" vibrant Black business and social life.

Door of no return in Ile de Gorée, Sénégal, APEX Museum

Africa the Untold Story at the APEX Museum

"This case remains empty in remembrance of the art stolen from Africa that now resides in museums in many countries around the world."

Ella Baker mural by Charmaine Minniefield. "Freedom cannot rest until it comes"

Women of Brewster Place Mural, by Malaika Favorite

In the afternoon, we walked to the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the King Visitor Center (National Parks), The King Center for Non-Violent Change (privately owned by the King family) and MLK's birth home, recently purchased from the family by the federal National Park Service. We ended our day driving to Ponce City Market (10 min from downtown), newly renovated food and shopping in the historic Sears and Robuck building. The Food Hall offered mouthwatering options for kids. We especially loved the stuffed Indian Fusion sandwiches from Botiwalla!

The Beloved Community & Principles of Non Violence at the King Center for Non Violent Change

Ebenezer Baptist Church plaque

Mt. Auburn St

Birth home of MLK Jr. Mt Auburn St.

Day 2: Atlanta. We visited the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. Note: visitors can only purchase tickets booked in advanced online. The kids learned a lot from the exhibits. One of the exhibits was an experiential audio recreation of the Lunch-counter sit-ins, the struggle to desegregate the counters. This was recommended for children ages 13+ and after having listened to it, we agreed this caution was important.

From museum, we walked (35+ min) to eat soul food at the famous Paschal's Restaurant.

Mural in Civil Rights Museum

Entrance to Civil Rights Museum

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world"

Civil Rights Museum, Atlanta

Coca Cola Museum on the other side of the esplanade

ISCream Rolls!

Our walk back from Paschal's to downtown (30 minutes) was motivated by an ice-cream rolls stop at the amazing ISCream Rolls. A must stop for adult and kids alike!

Day 3: Montgomery, AL (2.5 hour drive from Atlanta). We had booked tickets in advance to the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration, part of The Equal Justice Initiative's (EJI) & Bryan Stevenson's project. This was a powerful and difficult experience - a most important narrative that traces the legacies of enslavement, Jim Crow, lynchings, and segregation to today's mass incarceration, radically contrasting with the other civil rights museums which end the story in the 1970s. Pictures are not allowed. After bringing our 10 year old and 7 year old to this museum, we wish parental cautions had been made explicit and we would recommend that children be 13 and above. For adults and youth who are prepared, this is a must-see museum.

Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church

A whitewashed history of Montgomery (AL plaque). Contrast it with the plaque from the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) below.

AL State House, where a confederate monument still stands.

Day 4. Montgomery, AL

After the Legacy Museum and other sightings and plaques around town, we visited the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, also known as the Lynching Memorial, which commemorates thousands of lynchings across 12 states.

The pictures speak for themselves.

Note: timed tickets are required for the museum.

Civil Rights Memorial Center. "Until Justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream" - Dr. M.L. King

Day 5. Selma, AL & Birmingham, AL

We decided to drive through Selma on our way to Birmingham. The drive from Montgomery, AL to Selma lasted one hour. We stopped by the (in)famous Edmund Pettus Bridge and learned that Pettus was a KKK member. After all these years, from the march in 1965 to today, the name has remained. We drove by the Brown AME church which was under renovation, then headed from Selma to Birmingham, which was about 1h40 minutes away. Here are some photos from Selma.

Edmund Pettus Bridge, ground zero of the voting rights movement

Day 7. Birmingham, AL

We took the Civil Rights Tour Birmingham offered by Red Clay (one which had been recommended to us was the Black Socialism tour!). Red Clay came has highly recommended and we were not disappointed. Led by Clay's father, the tour spanned wide areas of the city, providing an urban analysis of the "magic city" - or more accurately "Bombingham."

Birmingham City Hall

Red Clay Tours are highly recommended!

Angela Davis' childhood home

Bethel Baptist Church

The powerful statues of Kelly Ingram Park across from 16th St Baptist Church:

Day 8. Birmingham to Jackson, MS

View of the interactive central landing area in the amazing Civil Rights Museum, Jackson, MS. All exhibits provide access to this central space. The lights activate when people are present and moving in the middle of the room, and the powerful civil rights museum gets louder. A beautiful rendering of the importance of community and music in fueling the struggle.