Alabama State Capitol Building with Dexter Avenue Church

Civil Rights Tour through Alabama

This, here, is definitely a must-do Road Trip for anyone interested in American history! The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the American Civil Rights struggles that shaped the world are what this tour's all about...

DAY 1

Arrive in Montgomery

Drive to Alabama’s Capital City, Montgomery, and check into one of its many welcoming hotels: from budget motels to luxury suites, there's the perfect choice for every budget and comfort level.
Kick back at one of the great bars or restaurants that the capital has to offer. Montgomery dining offers visitors amazing choice: fresh caught seafood restaurants, authentic Italian restaurants, tempting Asian cuisines such as Japanese and Chinese, bbq, upscale American dining...it's all here!

DAY 2

Historical Montgomery

Montgomery is a true Southern city; it's not only the capital city of Alabama, but a place where the Southern flavour runs as deep as the nearby Alabama River. Both Civil Rights and Civil War history was made here. It was in Montgomery that King came to preach and started the Civil Rights Movement in America.

Tour the Rosa Parks Museum, named after the infamous woman who refused to move to the back of a city bus because of her race. With the help of Dr. King and other Civil Rrights activists, there followed a year-long Montgomery bus boycott which in turn started the Civil Rights struggle in America.
Stand in the pulpit in the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where Dr. King preached as a full-time minister.
See the home where Dr. King and his family lived, and which was fire-bombed during the Montgomery bus boycott whilst King was preaching in church. Fortunately, His wife, young child and visiting neighbour managed to escape unharmed.
Visit the Civil Rights Memorial in downtown Montgomery. The names of 41 people are inscribed on the granite fountain as martyrs who lost their lives as part of the Civil Rights conflict between 1955 and 1968. Hour-long guideed tours are available.
Also downtown is the Alabama State Capitol where Jefferson Davis was shown in as President of the Confederate States of America and where, 100 years later, protesters marched to demand the right to vote. The Capitol has been restored to the Civil War era and sits next to the First White House of the Confederacy.
Walking along the downtown streets of Montgomery you will pass the Winters office building where the telegraph was sent to start the American Civil War. Also, you will see the Court Square Fountain, the site where slaves were sold at auction to plantation owners. Turning the corner, the buildings still have that old Southern charm but now house the museum dedicated to America ’s first country music superstar, Hank Williams. At the end of the street is the Alabama River and the Harriott II, a riverboat name after the first steamship to make the trip up the Alabama River to Montgomery .

DAY 3

Selma

Travel to Selma, another key Civil Rights destination...

Visit the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute which stands on the site of the horrific Bloody Sunday violence during the Selma-to-Montgomery Civil Rights March. Tour the Museum dedicated to the march, which was pivotal in the Civil Rights movement, before travelling to Birmingham to stay overnight.

DAY 4

Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama's largest city, with a population of nearly 1 million, is bursting with history...

Visit the historic 4th Avenue area of downtown: here you'll find the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute; the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four children died in a bombing; and the Kelly Ingram Park where many freedom rallies took place.
The Barber Motorsports Museum is perfect for all motorbike enthusiasts; it boasts the world's largest collection of motorcycles!
Drop by Rickwood Field, America's oldest baseball park - great for sports fans.
The 5 Points South is the dining centre of the town at one end of the 20th Street, while a new entertainment district sits near the other end of this main downtown street.

For further information, please do get in touch with our Alabama experts.