« return to listing
Field Trips
Walking in their Footsteps
Teaching children about America's Civil Rights Movement: Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma
| Day 1 | ||
| Morning | Arrive Birmingham | Birmingham, Alabama's largest city, is served by the Birmingham Airport (BHM). Three Interstate Highways: I-20, I-59 and I-65. Amtrak. |
| Noon | Dine at any of the restaurants making this city a culinary destination | Select from dishes ranging from She-crab Soup at Cobb Lane to barbecue pork at Jim 'n Nick's Bar-B-Q. They are two of the delectable delights listed in "100 dishes to eat in Alabama before you die," a free brochure available from the Alabama Tourism Department. |
| Afternoon | Tour Birmingham's Civil Rights District | Birmingham Civil Rights Institute – drinking fountains marked "colored" and "white " are the first exhibits that lead you through a journey of the segregated South. On street corners opposite the Institute are the 16th Street Baptist Church that was bombed in the 1960s (four young girls died) and Kelly Ingram Park, where protestors gathered. A few blocks away is the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, where visitors learn how musicians coped with the race barrier. |
| Evening | Relax at your hotel | Birmingham has many hotels, ranging from off-the-interstate convenience to historic downtown. Choose from historic hotels downtown such as The Tutwiler or The Redmont (famous as the last hotel where Hank Williams slept), or the luxury golf resort and spa of Ross Bridge on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, about a 15-minute drive from downtown. They are all listed in the Alabama Vacation Guide. |
Day 2 |
||
| Morning | Sloss Furnaces | Birmingham was built upon the steel industry and the backs of the strong men – many of them African-Americans – who endured the dangerous working conditions. This landmark tells the story. |
| Lunch | Select an area restaurant. | |
| Afternoon | Some fun things that children would enjoy | - McWane Science Center – located in an old department store downtown - Ruffner Mountain Nature Center – a hidden gem - Birmingham Zoo – fun for all ages - Vulcan Park – world's largest cast iron statue - Alabama Adventure – theme park open April – Oct. |
| Evening | Overnight Birmingham | The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau has information on area lodging. |
Day 3 |
||
| Morning | Drive to Montgomery (90 miles) | Spend the day visiting:
- Rosa Parks Museum and Children's Wing – downtown. This building was constructed on the site where Rosa Parks was taken off the Montgomery City bus after refusing to relinquish her seat. - Alabama State Capitol – downtown. This national landmark is where two pivotal events in American history occurred: the vote to form the Confederacy and the ending point of the Selma-to-Montgomery march. - Dexter Ave. King Memorial Baptist Church – downtown (exterior only). This is the church, just a block from the Capitol, where a young Martin Luther King launched the Civil Rights Movement. - Civil Rights Memorial Center – downtown. Operated by the Southern Poverty Law Center, this center deepens a visitor's understanding of the sacrifices made by those killed in the struggle for equal rights. - Alabama Dept. of Archives & History – downtown. The oldest archives department in the nation is building a new museum wing, which will open in 2009. The current museum contains many artifacts. - Dexter Parsonage Museum (a short drive) – this is the home where Dr. King lived with his family in the 1950s. It has been furnished to look as it did at that time. |
| Lunch | Ride the Trolley Express | When it's time for lunch, ride the Lunch Trolley Express, a replica trolley with 30 restaurants on its downtown route. |
| If time allows | Some fun things that children would enjoy | - Old Alabama Town – downtown. A collection of restored buildings covering six blocks, reflecting different aspects of Alabama's past – from rural pioneer life to elegant townhouse. - Montgomery Zoo – 10 min. from downtown. See the animals in habitats built to resemble their natural homes. - Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts – located in Wynton Blount park along with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival Theatre. There is a special interactive art gallery for children |
| Evening | Overnight in Montgomery | Stay at a luxury hotel in downtown Montgomery, the Renaissance, a historic building the Hampton Inn downtown or Embassy Suites. All are located in the heart of downtown within walking distance of each other. |
Day 4 |
||
| Morning | Travel to Selma (50 miles) | Stop en route to visit the Lowndes County Interpretive Center in Hayneville. |
| Mid-day | Arrive in Selma | Visit: - Old Depot Museum – see hospital ER record of those treated for injuries sustained on Bloody Sunday; photographs of plantations taken c. 1875-1900. - Martin Luther King Jr. Street Historic Walking Tour – this follows the path taken by marchers from Brown Chapel AME Church to the bridge. - National Voting Rights Institute – a small museum, it has a big impact with pictorial history of the march. - Edmund Pettus Bridge – walk across this historic bridge where the confrontation occurred. |
| Lunch | Select a restaurant in Selma. | The Selma Chamber of Commerce maintains a list of restaurants, from fast food to dine-in establishments. |
| Afternoon | Either return to Birmingham for departure or extend your stay for a visit to Tuskegee to see Tuskegee Airmen Museum | The hangar used by the Tuskegee Airmen is now a museum, which opened October 2008. The museum is about a 45-minute drive west of Montgomery on I-85. Spend the night in either Tuskegee or Montgomery; then return to Birmingham for flight departures on Day 5. |