Georgia/Alabama

The Civil Rights Movement: Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham

At a Glance

Journey south into the heart of the civil rights movement to gain a deeper understanding of the historic and continued struggle for racial equality in the United States. Follow in the footsteps of the venerable Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legendary marches, and hear the moving story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott. Walk across the Selma Bridge with an activist who took part in the peaceful protest that devolved into unforgivable violence known as “Bloody Sunday.” Pay homage at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church as you learn the story of the victims of the 1963 KKK bombing. Study how these catalysts ignited a movement that would define this pivotal moment in American history, and discuss how they echo through the racial climate in America today.

Extend Your Adventure

This program offers an optional program extension.

Extension: Civil Rights in Memphis

Extend your civil rights studies as you visit some of the epicenters of black history in Memphis, from Beale Street to the Lorraine Hotel, where Dr. King was assassinated.

Activity Level

On Your Feet

This programs involves walking up to two miles daily over uneven terrain. Standing for lectures in museums up to an hour. Some historical structures have stairs/no elevator.

Best of all, you'll ...

Commemorate the central figures of civil rights on field trips to the Rosa Parks Museum, Carter Center and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.
Follow the path of heroic marches through Atlanta and Birmingham and from Selma to Montgomery, now a National Historic Trail.
Learn about the movement from an activist who was a witness and participant in some of America’s most significant civil rights battles.

Featured Expert

All Experts

Dianne Harris

Dianne Harris has received the Congressional Foot Soldier Medal and Certificate, as well as numerous other medals and awards for her ongoing fight for racial equality. She is an avid public speaker, appearing on NBC Today in 2015 and is often interviewed by newspapers, magazines and other media outlets for her unending vigil for justice. She remembers her involvement in the movement like it was yesterday. She particularly remembers listening to Martin Luther King and the events of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Camilla Comerford

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Larry Spruill

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Dianne Harris

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Linda Randall

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Suggested Reading List

View 13 books

The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement

by Taylor Branch

Courage to Dissent: Atlanta and the Long History of the Civil Rights Movement

by Tomiko Brown-Nagin

The Civil Rights movement that emerged in the United States after World War II was a reaction against centuries of racial discrimination. In this sweeping history of the Civil Rights movement in Atlanta--the South's largest and most economically important city--from the 1940s through 1980, Tomiko Brown-Nagin shows that the movement featured a vast array of activists and many sophisticated approaches to activism. Long before "black power" emerged and gave black dissent from the mainstream civil rights agenda a new name, African Americans in Atlanta debated the meaning of equality and the steps necessary to obtain social and economic justice. This groundbreaking book uncovers the activism of visionaries--both well-known legal figures and unsung citizens--from across the ideological spectrum who sought something different from, or more complicated than, "integration." Local activists often played leading roles in carrying out the integrationist agenda of the NAACP, but some also pursued goals that differed markedly from those of the venerable civil rights organization. Brown-Nagin discusses debates over politics, housing, public accommodations, and schools. She documents how the bruising battle over school desegregation in the 1970s, which featured opposing camps of African Americans, had its roots in the years before Brown v. Board of Education.

Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965

by Juan Williams and Julian Bond

From the Montgomery bus boycott to the Little Rock Nine to the Selma–Montgomery march, thousands of ordinary people who participated in the American civil rights movement; their stories are told in Eyes on the Prize. From leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., to lesser-known figures such as Barbara Rose Johns and Jim Zwerg, each man and woman made the decision that somethinghad to be done to stop discrimination. These moving accounts and pictures of the first decade of the civil rights movement are a tribute to the people, black and white, who took part in the fight for justice and the struggle they endured.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

by Bryan Stevenson

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever. Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.

Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror

by Equal Justice Initiative

Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror documents EJI's multi-year investigation into lynching in twelve Southern states during the period between Reconstruction and World War II. EJI researchers documented 4075 racial terror lynchings of African Americans in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia between 1877 and 1950 - at least 800 more lynchings of black people in these states than previously reported in the most comprehensive work done on lynching to date. Lynching in America makes the case that lynching of African Americans was terrorism, a widely supported phenomenon used to enforce racial subordination and segregation. Lynchings were violent and public events that traumatized black people throughout the country and were largely tolerated by state and federal officials.

Freedom's Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement

by by Lynne Olsen

A collection of profiles of some of the fearless, resourceful female leaders of the Civil Rights Movement documents the accomplishments of Ida Wells, who led the protest against lynching; Pauli Murray, who organized the first lunch counter sit-in; Jo Ann Robinson, who helped launch the Montgomery bus boycott; and others

Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama's Black Belt

by by Hassan Kwame Jeffries

Early in 1966, African Americans in rural Lowndes County, Alabama, aided by activists from the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), established an all-black, independent political party called the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO). The group, whose ballot symbol was a snarling black panther, was formed in part to protest the barriers to black enfranchisement that had for decades kept every single African American of voting age off the county’s registration books. Even after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, most African Americans in this overwhelmingly black county remained too scared even to try to register. Their fear stemmed from the county’s long, bloody history of whites retaliating against blacks who strove to exert the freedom granted to them after the Civil War.

A Perilous Path: Talking Race, Inequality, and the Law

by by Bryan Stevenson, Loretta Lynch, and Sherrilyn Ifill

This blisteringly candid discussion of the American dilemma in the age of Trump brings together the head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the former attorney general of the United States, a bestselling author and death penalty lawyer, and a star professor for an honest conversation the country desperately needs to hear. Drawing on their collective decades of work on civil rights issues as well as personal histories of rising from poverty and oppression, these leading lights of the legal profession and the fight for racial justice talk about the importance of reclaiming the racial narrative and keeping our eyes on the horizon as we work for justice in an unjust time.

Selma, Lord, Selma: Girlhood Memories of the Civil Rights

by Sheyann Webb-Christburg, Rachel West Nelson Millhouse, Frank Sikorand

Sheyann Webb was eight years old and Rachel West was nine when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. arrived in Selma, Alabama, on January 2, 1965. He came to organize non-violent demonstrations against discriminatory voting laws. Selma, Lord, Selma is their firsthand account of the events from that turbulent winter of 1965--events that changed not only the lives of these two little girls but the lives of all Alabamians and all Americans. From 1975 to 1979, award-winning journalist Frank Sikora conducted interviews with Webb and West, weaving their recollections into this luminous story of fear and courage, struggle a

Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement

by John Lewis and Michael D'Orso

The award-winning national bestseller, Walking with the Wind, is one of our most important records of the American civil rights movement. Told by John Lewis, who Cornel West calls a “national treasure,” this is a gripping first-hand account of the fight for civil rights and the courage it takes to change a nation. In 1957, a teenaged boy named John Lewis left a cotton farm in Alabama for Nashville, the epicenter of the struggle for civil rights in America. Lewis’s adherence to nonviolence guided that critical time and established him as one of the movement’s most charismatic and courageous leaders. Lewis’s leadership in the Nashville Movement—a student-led effort to desegregate the city of Nashville using sit-in techniques based on the teachings of Gandhi—set the tone for major civil rights campaigns of the 1960s. Lewis traces his role in the pivotal Selma marches, Bloody Sunday, and the Freedom Rides. Inspired by his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Lewis’s vision and perseverance altered history. In 1986, he ran and won a congressional seat in Georgia, and remains in office to this day, continuing to enact change. The late Edward M. Kennedy said of Lewis, “John tells it like it was…Lewis spent most of his life walking against the wind of the times, but he was surely walking with the wind of history.”

While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement

by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

On September 15, 1963, a Klan-planted bomb went off in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Fourteen-year-old Carolyn Maull was just a few feet away when the bomb exploded, killing four of her friends in the girl’s restroom she had just exited. It was one of the seminal moments in the Civil Rights movement, a sad day in American history . . . and the turning point in a young girl’s life.

Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn: A Saga of Race and Family

by Gary Pomerantz

Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don't You Grow Weary

by by Elizabeth Partridge

An inspiring examination of the landmark march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this book focuses on the children who faced terrifying violence in order to walk alongside him in their fight for freedom.

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8 days

7 nights

17 meals

7 B 5 L 5 D

DAY

Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner

Atlanta, Georgia

Hyatt Place Buckhead Atlanta

Activity note: Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration: At 5:00 p.m. after you have your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar table in the conference room to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing an up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes, and to learn when and where the Orientation session will take place. If your arrival is delayed, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone with a warm welcome and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have. All lectures and field trips will be led by local experts unless specified otherwise. All transfers and transportation will be via motorcoach. Free time is reserved for your personal independent exploration. Please note that program activities, schedules, and personnel may need to change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: In the hotel conference room, we’ll have a welcome buffet, plus coffee, tea, water.

Evening: Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

DAY

MLK Site, Ebenezer, National Civil Rights, Carter Library

Atlanta, Georgia

B,L,D

Hyatt Place Buckhead Atlanta

Activity note: Walking up to 1/2 mile throughout the day with stairs in some historical locations. No elevator in some historical homes.

Breakfast: In the hotel conference room, we will have a breakfast buffet featuring a variety of items, plus coffee, tea, water.

Morning: In the conference room, start the morning off with an expert who will set the tone for your civil rights and freedom exploration in Georgia and Alabama. Continuing our studies we will travel by motor coach to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site with a local expert. Managed by the National Park Service, we’ll visit the Martin Luther King Memorial, Dr. & Mrs. King’s Crypt and the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church while our expert points out historical facts. The Ebenezer Baptist Church is where King was baptized and both he and his father were pastors. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s funeral was held in this church.

Lunch: Lunch will be at the Carter Center.

Afternoon: After lunch, we will explore the The Jimmy Carter Museum where highlights include a life-size replica of the Oval Office, a dramatic “Day in the Life of the President” presentation on 13 ft. screens, a walk-through cabin setting for the crucial Camp David Meetings exhibition, and an Interactive Map Table that takes you with the Carters to monitor elections and fight diseases. President Jimmy Carter championed racial equality stating "there's no difference with people in the eyes of God". The Presidential Library and Museum is nestled between two lakes on 30 acres of park land and provides a tranquil setting with a view of the Atlanta skyline. We'll then board the motor coach for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights Museum, dedicated to the achievements of both the civil rights movement in the United States and the worldwide human rights movement.

Dinner: Located in the heart of the Historic Castleberry Hill Neighborhood we will have dinner at Paschal’s. In the 1960’s, the Paschal brothers became actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Paschal’s was a meeting place for key civil rights leaders and strategists including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his lieutenants. Dinner will be a buffet and will offer some Southern favorites. We have a special presentation about the history behind the restaurant before dinner.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY

Morehouse College, Apex Museum

Atlanta, Georgia

B,L

Hyatt Place Buckhead Atlanta

Activity note: Walking up to 1/2 mile on sidewalks at Morehouse College. Sidewalks and uneven terrain may be encountered.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Travel via motorcoach to Morehouse College in Atlanta. A historically black college, this private, all-male, liberal arts school is the alma mater of many prominent African-American leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Jeh Johnson, and Spike Lee. We will set out for a campus walk led by a Morehouse Ambassador, visiting the MLK International Chapel (Hall of Fame portraits), and the Leadership Center, where we will have a special presentation. Morehouse is one of two historically black colleges in the country to produce Rhodes Scholars, and presented honorary degrees to presidents Barak Obama and Jimmy Carter.

Lunch: We’ll dine in the student dining hall at Morehouse College, enjoying a buffet with coffee, tea, water.

Afternoon: After leaving Morehouse College, we’ll continue our studies with a visit to the Apex Museum. From an African-American perspective, the museums exhibits interpret and present history. Guests to the museum will be introduced to the contributions of African-Americans to America as well as the world.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: Hear from an expert about Margaret Mitchell, The Author. Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell (November 8, 1900 - August 16, 1949) was an American author and journalist. One novel by Mitchell was published during her lifetime, the American Civil War-era novel, Gone with the Wind, for which she won the National Book Award for Most Distinguished Novel of 1936 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937. Hear the stories behind the author.

DAY

To Montgomery, Freedom Rider Museum, Dexter Baptist Church

Montgomery, AL

B,L,D

Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa

Activity note: Drive is approximately 160 miles, taking about 2.5 hours. Rest stop along the way.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Check out of the hotel and begin our transfer to Montgomery, Alabama. Upon our arrival in Montgomery, we will stop at the Visitor's Center to pick up maps. Afterwards, we will continue the story of Dr. King at the Dexter Parsonage Museum. The Museum, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Visitors to the Dexter Parsonage Museum will experience the actual residence where Dr. King and his young family lived between 1954 and 1960. The nine-room clapboard Parsonage, built in 1912, has been restored to its appearance when Dr. King and his family lived there. Much of the furniture presently in the living room, dining room, bedroom and study was actually used by Dr. King. This is an expert led field trip that will touch your heart by the person leading it. Driven by motor coach, we’ll continue on to the Rosa Parks Museum, a state-of-the-art museum depicting events that started the bus boycott and early Civil Rights movement. It provides an interactive, multi-media presentation. We’ll explore part of the museum with an expert before spending some time on our own to see the exhibits.

Lunch: A buffet lunch will be within the area of the capitol.

Afternoon: After lunch, we will walk over to the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. See the modest pulpit where Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. first preached, at this National Historic Landmark,. This church was also a center point of the Montgomery bus boycott. A dynamic expert from the church will lead us through the history and events that took place that changed the civil rights movement. This afternoon our field trip will also take us to the Freedom Riders Museum where 21 young people transformed our nation's history using nonviolent protest methods. The Museum states that "Freedom Riders, black and white, male and female, none of them older than 22, stepped off a bus at the Montgomery Greyhound Station on May 20, 1961. They were prepared to meet mob violence with non-violence and courage. They prepared farewell letters and wills. Their goal was to help end racial segregation in public transportation. And they did."

Dinner: Dinner will be at a restaurant located right beside our hotel. A select menu with coffee, tea and water is available. Additional beverages for purchase.

Evening: Step back in time with a visit from a surprise guest. This moving reenactment connects all the feelings of the Civil Rights Movement and what this special person endured on the bus on that December 1, 1955, day when she refused to give up her seat to a white man.

DAY

National Memorial For Peace & Justice, Civil Rights Memorial

Montgomery, AL

Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa

Activity note: Incline sidewalk leads to the Civil Rights Memorial. Walking and standing in museums.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: This morning we will travel by motor coach to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Set on a six-acre site, the memorial uses sculpture, art, and design to contextualize racial terror. As described by the Equal Justice Initiative, "The site includes a memorial square with 800 six-foot monuments to symbolize thousands of racial terror lynching victims in the United States and the counties and states where this terrorism took place." The new Memorial opened in April, 2018. Next we'll travel by motor coach to the Civil Rights Memorial. A circular black granite table lists the names of the martyrs and the history of the movement radiates in lines that move like the hands of a clock. Water emerges from the table's center. On a curved black granite wall behind the table is engraved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s well-known paraphrase of Amos 5:24 - "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." We will be welcomed in the Civil Rights Museum by a speaker from the Southern Poverty Law Center specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation.

Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like in the heart of downtown Montgomery. Walk to many restaurants that surround your hotel and then meet your group leader at a designated spot.

Afternoon: This afternoon our field trip will also take us to the Equal Justice Initiative where EJI believes more must be done to advance equal justice for all in the United States. EJI believes very little has been done to acknowledge the legacy of genocide, slavery, lynching, and racial segregation. We will hear from one of the staff or a special speaker they have secured when available.

Dinner: On your own to enjoy what you like or sample the local fare. Dine individually or join your fellow Road Scholars in one of Montgomery’s many restaurants.

Evening: At leisure. You are in the heart of downtown Montgomery near the Alabama River, approximately 2 blocks away.

DAY

Selma, Alabama History & Historical Points, Sturdivant Hall

Birmingham, AL

B,L,D

Hampton Inn & Suites Birmingham-Downtown-Tutwiler

Activity note: Drive approximately 50 miles, taking about 1 hour. Approximately 90 miles from Selma to Birmingham, taking about 2 hours.

Breakfast: At the hotel, we’ll have a breakfast buffet plus coffee, tea, water.

Morning: Check out of the hotel and depart for our transfer to Selma. Selma is best known for the 1960s Selma Voting Rights Movement and the Selma to Montgomery marches, beginning with "Bloody Sunday" in March 1965 and ending with 25,000 people entering Montgomery at the end of the last march to press for voting rights. On the way to Selma our group will stop by the Lowndes Interpretive Center for a self led field trip. Upon arriving in Selma, we will be joined by a local expert. She will provide commentary as we visit several museums and historical sites including the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Brown Chapel AME Church, and the Interpretive Center.

Lunch: Lunch will be at the Italianate-style cottage that is located beside the historic Sturdivant Hall in Selma, AL. It was built in 1859. Enjoy southern cuisine with a plated meal that includes coffee, tea, water.

Afternoon: Visit Sturdivant Hall, one of the South’s best and most beautiful examples of Greek revival antebellum homes. We’ll explore the house, detached kitchen, formal garden, kitchen, smokehouse and two-story servants' quarters. Following our visit, we will depart for Birmingham. Arrive and check into the hotel in the late afternoon.

Dinner: A plated dinner will be at a popular restaurant.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY

Civil Rights Institute, Sixteenth St. Church, Sloss Furnaces

Birmingham, AL

B,L,D

Hampton Inn & Suites Birmingham-Downtown-Tutwiler

Activity note: Walking up to 1 mile throughout the day, standing during presentations for up to 30 minutes.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: With a local expert, we will visit a variety of sites aboard the motorcoach, learning about the Civil Rights Movement and its events in Birmingham. Take a field trip to the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, bombed by Klansmen in 1963, killing four little girls. Stroll through the Kelly Ingram Park where sculptures depict the reality of the police dogs and fire hoses that were turned on demonstrators who gathered here to protest segregation laws. Visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute that tells the story of a people and a movement.

Lunch: At a local restaurant, we’ll have a buffet plus coffee, tea, water. Savor the flavor at this small, down-to-earth establishment that dishes up soul food plates with classic sides.

Afternoon: Our day continues with a field trip to Sloss Furnaces. Our group will have a special presentation for about the industrial evolution of Birmingham’s iron plantation. The history of Birmingham revolves around the iron industry. Sloss Furnaces produced iron for nearly 90 years, which gave rise to the city of Birmingham, AL. Now recognized as a National Historic Landmark, Sloss Furnaces with its web of pipes and tall smokestacks offers us a glimpse into the great industrial past of the South and our nation.

Dinner: Enjoy a plated dinner at a popular restaurant near the hotel as we continue our conversations about the emotional week we have just experienced and as we sort out and discuss the activities that we have participated in that tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for departure in the morning and arrange your transportation to the airport for the morning.

DAY

Departure Birmingham to Atlanta

Birmingham, AL

Activity note: Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Our program concludes following breakfast. Our motor coach will depart by 8:30 am for Atlanta International Airport. It is approximately a 2 hour and 15 minutes, drive depending on traffic. After dropping participants at the Atlanta airport, the motor coach will then travel to the Hyatt Place, the originating hotel, to drop anyone who may have left a car at the hotel. This concludes our program. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!

Meals

17 Meals

7 Breakfasts

5 Lunches

5 Dinners

The following choices may be available when requested in advance: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Lodging

Lodgings may differ by date. Select a date to see the lodgings specific to that date.

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Nov 15, 2020 - Nov 22, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)

Feb 23, 2020 - Mar 01, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Mar 15, 2020 - Mar 22, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Mar 29, 2020 - Apr 05, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Apr 19, 2020 - Apr 26, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Apr 26, 2020 - May 03, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
May 17, 2020 - May 24, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Sep 13, 2020 - Sep 20, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Sep 20, 2020 - Sep 27, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Oct 04, 2020 - Oct 11, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Oct 25, 2020 - Nov 01, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Nov 01, 2020 - Nov 08, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Nov 15, 2020 - Nov 22, 2020 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Jan 10, 2021 - Jan 17, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Feb 07, 2021 - Feb 14, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Feb 21, 2021 - Mar 02, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Memphis, TN)
Mar 07, 2021 - Mar 14, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Mar 14, 2021 - Mar 21, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Mar 28, 2021 - Apr 04, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Apr 11, 2021 - Apr 18, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Apr 18, 2021 - Apr 25, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Apr 25, 2021 - May 02, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
May 23, 2021 - May 30, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Sep 12, 2021 - Sep 19, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Sep 19, 2021 - Sep 26, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Oct 03, 2021 - Oct 12, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Memphis, TN)
Oct 10, 2021 - Oct 17, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Nov 07, 2021 - Nov 14, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)
Nov 14, 2021 - Nov 21, 2021 (Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, AL)

Hyatt Place Buckhead Atlanta

3 nights

Atlanta

The Hyatt Place is an exciting and innovative new select service hotel offering more of what is important to today's travelers. Our guests enjoy a spacious guestroom with a 42" high-definition flat panel television, our signature Hyatt Grand Bed, a plush Cozy Corner oversized sofa sleeper that is separated from the sleeping area, and complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi internet access throughout the hotel. The innovation extends beyond the guestroom. The Gallery is a warm and open area that features a self-registration kiosk, an intimate coffee and wine café, a TV den and an e-room with free access to a public computer and printer. Guests at Hyatt Place will also enjoy a continental breakfast each morning and can purchase freshly prepared menu items 24 hours a day. Premium espresso drinks, beer and wine are also available at the Gallery Café. Hyatt Place does not accept pets. Service animals are always welcome.

TripAdvisor Reviews

Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa

2 nights

Montgomery

Enjoy both modern luxury and unparalleled convenience at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center. Whether you're visiting Alabama's capital for business or on vacation, you'll love our terrific downtown location, attached to the city's Convention Center and steps away from the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre. Stylish accommodations feature luxury bedding, complimentary Wi-Fi, and spa-like marble bathrooms. The House, our hotel restaurant, offers delicious Southern cuisine; additional amenities for your Montgomery visit include a 24-hour fitness center and an indoor pool. Our hotel is the premier destination for meetings and events here in downtown Montgomery; we're attached to the Convention Center, making it easy to host a gathering for up to 7,000 guests. When your meeting is over, be sure to pamper yourself with a visit to our luxury spa. Head downtown and discover why the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center is the most coveted address in Alabama.

TripAdvisor Reviews

Hampton Inn & Suites Birmingham-Downtown-Tutwiler

2 nights

Birmingham

Experience traditional southern elegance by combining history and distinctive style with a modern downtown setting. The Tutwiler, with over 100 years of history, is a downtown icon near the legal, banking and cultural districts. Attend an event at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex/Uptown Entertainment District, Alabama Theatre and Lyric Theatre. Explore the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Birmingham Museum of Art. Located in downtown Birmingham, enjoy the lobby's historic photographs and the original marble and decorative ceilings. Experience 149 well-appointed guest rooms including 53 suites. Specialty Suites include Balcony Suites with opening doors, Fireplace Suites with electric displays and the 2-bedroom Presidential Suite. Enjoy The Tutwiler Bar & Grill, located on the lobby level.

TripAdvisor Reviews

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4.96 Average

Ann

Class of 1998

Washington, DC

(5) 2 days ago

I would whole heartily recommend this program. The speakers were excellent; the museums were informative; and may sites were very emotionally moving. Camilla Comerford is an excellent group leader. I was concerned that I would feel rushed at some of the sites, but that was not the case. The days were busy, but Camilla has everything very well planned and also has time built in so that you can return to a museum if you want to. The only suggestion I have is to go on one of the small groups ones if you can because space is limited at some of the sites. But mainly: just go. This is an excellent program.

Deborah

Class of 2008

Forest Hills, NY

(5) 28 days ago

All Americans should take this trip. It saddened me, but I learned a great deal. I am glad I went.

Debra

Class of 2014

New York, NY

(5) 29 days ago

The Civil Rights Trip was a wonderful, educational, emotional trip which helped me better understand the Civil Rights Movement and the implications of race in America today. The leader, Camilla Comerford, was wonderful -- enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and fostered a wonderful group learning environment. The speakers were great, often with actual directly-related experience. The museum and memorial in Montgomery is something that I think everyone would benefit from seeing. This is not a "fun" trip but it is a deeply meaningful and worthwhile trip.

Jayne

Class of 2019

Damariscotta, ME

(5) 30 days ago

This is a voyage we all need to make - with our feet, through our minds, and in our hearts.

Martey

Class of 2011

West Hartford, CT

(5) 3 months ago

This program is essential for anyone who wants to learn the depth of our racist history and the courage and commitment of black people in fighting for their freedom during the Civil Rights Movement and today.

Mary

Class of 2015

Seattle, WA

(5) 3 months ago

Road Scholar provides me and my wife an opportunity to travel and learn, something we did for years on our own before I became disabled.

Gail

Class of 2019

Oakland, CA

(5) 3 months ago

Web site was useful

Harvey

Class of 2008

Des Moines, IA

This reviewer did not give a star rating. 3 months ago

My overall review: Every person in our country should I take this trip! I am recommending this trip to all of my friends and am thinking about how to put together a group of my friends to take the tour together - with full families. I found the following speakers (guides) to be excellent: Steve Davis, Ann Clemons, Joyce Rylee, Diane Harris and Barry McNealy (he brought it all together)! The following locations (and the speakers) were interesting and added immeasurably to my understanding of the era in which I came of age: M.L. King National Historic Site, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta Center of Civil and Human Rights Museum, Apex Museum (depressing), Paschal’s, Rosa Parks museum, Dexter Ave. Church, National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Civil Rights Museum (Montgomery), Freedom Riders Museum (a great docent), Brown Chapel Church, Edmund Pettus Bridge, The 16th St. Church and Civil Rights Institute (Birmingham). The docent at the Carter Center shared wonderful stories about the Carters. Morehouse College was of moderate interest. The two young men who spoke to us were passionate about the college. They lacked somewhat in actual information. Items of little interest or problem areas: Hotels that use a coffee pot for tea hot water (2 of them), Eartha Sims (very little information & seemed spaced out), Margaret Mitchell evening (excellent speaker - held no personal interest), Dr. King childhood home, Sturdivant Hall. Failing to confirm participation by Spruill. Excellent food (except breakfasts) - way too much. Highlights: All of the docents who spoke to us. Sitting at the lunch counter in Atlanta and listening to the abusive comments is something I will never forget! Seeing the route of the March & hearing about the conditions. Getting to know our fellow travelers. Stevenson's Museum! My conversation over a meal with our driver (James). I am grateful to him for his willingness to have our conversation and for his questions to me.

Barbara

Class of 2018

The Villages, FL

This reviewer did not give a star rating. 3 months ago

Excellent trip with great trip leaders. Everyone should go on this very educational journey, all of our kids and adults alike. I learned about our real American history which is still a work very much in progress, and our sad, sad history. A must. Tom and Janet were a nice combination of information and fun. This trip was truly an eye-opener.

Kathleen

Class of 2019

Portland, OR

(5) 3 months ago

Road Scholar allowed me to learn about the civil rights events that I missed earlier in my life. Although I have not reenable to attend these events in person at their time,RS has greaty failitated my learning and involvement with these crucial events.

Laura

Class of 2016

Sacramento, CA

(5) 3 months ago

Well done! I love the educational aspect of Road Scholar tours and this was a week long intensive and immersive history lesson. The importance of the subject matter cannot be overstated. I highly recommend this program.

Wendy

Class of 2018

Cambridge, MA

(5) 9 months ago

This is a fabulous, informative, perspective-changing trip. Road Scholar planned it beautifully and respectfully. The guides and teachers at each site were amazing.

Carol

Class of 2004

Lower Gwynedd, PA

(5) 9 months ago

This program taught me so much about the Civil Rights Movement and helped me connect the dots with my limited previous knowledge. It was very well organized, our speakers were excellent and the excursions added to my educational experience.

pamela

Class of 2019

Marion, IA

(5) 9 months ago

Excellent Program. The itinerary and the speakers/leaders were perfect for the theme of the excursion.

Barbara

Class of 2019

Mill Valley, CA

(5) 9 months ago

This is an extremely important tour. Every U.S. resident would benefit greatly from this trip. I am extremely grateful for the experience.

Carolyn

Class of 2010

Fort Worth, TX

(5) 9 months ago

This program reminds us that we need to understand the complexities of our shared history and we should remain vigilant about threats to our rights as citizens ... of any and all beliefs, viewpoints, colors and interests. Excellent speakers, program and experience.

Gordon

Class of 2016

Albuquerque, NM

This reviewer did not give a star rating. 10 months ago

The Civil Rights Movement trip was superb. It is extremely well organized and includes many wonderful and meaningful places to visit and experience. The content of the trip is at times appropriately sobering, but enlightening as well. The guide was great, patient, organized, and enjoyable to be with. Food and lodging are fine. An excellent Road Scholar trip. (By the way, at the end of the trip the bus DOES return you to the starting point hotel, where you are allowed to park your car for free.) Anyone that chooses this trip should also see the MEMPHIS Civil Rights Museum, which includes the Loraine Motel as well as an excellent and moving museum.

Susanna

Class of 2017

La Habra Heights, CA

(5) 10 months ago

Don’t miss this educational opportunity of a lifetime! On the civil rights tour you will learn much, be moved much, and emerge a more compassionate and understanding person. All of the sites are essential, and the speakers are first rate. Grab your friends or your mate or both and sign up for this trip! Susanna Wilson, Los Angeles

Ann

Class of 2015

Garden City, NY

(5) 10 months ago

The week is chock full of enlightening experiences. The local experts are not to be missed. Don't hesitate, sign up!

Barbara

Class of 2017

Jersey City, NJ

(5) 10 months ago

This was a transformational trip for me. Just the visit to the Peace and Justice Museum and Memorial made the trip worth it - but there was so much more.

Esther

Class of 2019

Mountain View, CA

(5) 11 months ago

Even though I was around for the Civil Rights events of the early '60s, I really didn't have a deep understanding of what happened. As a result of this trip, I now have a much better grounding in this important aspect of our shared history.

Wayne

Class of 2016

Burlington, VT

(5) 11 months ago

Outstanding tour for anyone interested in learning more about the Civil Rights movement and seeing first-hand key sites. Great tour guides and lecturers at every stop. But be ready for an intensive week-long experience, one that may exhaust you emotionally. As with the two previous Road Scholar trips we have taken, this one was very well organized, and the group we travelled with was very friendly and helpful to each other. We did the "small group" version of the trip, which I would recommend if it's available and fits your schedule, as a few of the sites were hard to fit even the 23 people in our group (for example, Martin Luther King Jr's parsonage in Montgomery).

Joanne

Class of 2014

Herndon, VA

This reviewer did not give a star rating. 11 months ago

As always with Road Scholar, I learned how little I know about this time. Haunting and realistic view of a difficult time which reinforced our belief that we may be slow to learn, and we still have far to go, as we seem to repeat some of our past mistakes... well worth the time! Fellow Road Scholars on every trip always make it the best part of the journey- good food, great lodgings, interesting people, terrific conversations!

Catherine

Class of 2002

Knoxville, TN

(5) a year ago

One of the most memorable, overwhelming programs ever - dramatic recreation of the civil rights era through amazing museums, lectures, reenactments and dramatic presentations by individuals personally involved in the movement.

Larry

Class of 2018

La Mesa, CA

(5) a year ago

This is an outstanding program. The content is educational and emotionally gripping. You will see the actual places where the civil rights movement took place. You will learn from experts and in some cases people who lived through this time. I believe this type of program helps us to become more compassionate and understanding citizens, and therefore a better nation. Highly recommended for anyone who cares about our full history and how that relates to our current times.

Paula

Class of 2015

Shelby Township, MI

(5) a year ago

The population of our country, all ages, should be encouraged to participate in this program. It’s a learning experience that can’t be forgotten and will hopefully broaden ones perspective.

Cynthia

Class of 2014

Morgantown, WV

(4) a year ago

This was a well organized trip with a full agenda. We visited multiple sites each day including National Landmarks, museums, and churches. The local guides were all well informed and offered moving testimonies. Learning about the courage of the many individuals who fought for civil rights was iboth humbling and inspiring. I personally would have have liked more time in many of the museums, but then some parts of the program would have been eliminated. The friendly and informative trip leaders worked hard to accommodate individual needs and interests. We had several great meals in unique places. The other participants were well informed and very friendly. I would recommend reading some books about the civil rights movement to greater appreciate the program. I arrived a day early and visited the Atlanta History Center which is within walking distance of the program hotel, or there is a shuttle. Another alternative would be to attend Sunday worship services ar Ebenezer Baptist Church. I used the MARTA tram to get from the airport to walking distance of the hotel (or you could call the hotel shuttle).

Toni

Class of 2010

Fort Washington, MD

(5) a year ago

Everyone needs to take this trip. Very enlightening, inspiring, informative and emotional. The things I experienced I will never forget.

Bechir

Class of 2017

Arlington, VA

(5) a year ago

A very educational program that will exceed your expectations. Highly recommended.

Michele

Class of 2017

New York, NY

(5) a year ago

This was the perfect tour for people deeply interested in Civil Rights. However it did not include Memphis, which is an essential final stop, especially in this MLK50 commemoration year.

Patsy

Class of 2003

Lewisville, TX

(5) a year ago

I strongly recommend this program. It was informative and inspirational. It covered many facets of the civil rights movement. It exceeded my expectations.

Geraldine

Class of 2018

Aiken, SC

(5) a year ago

This program was presented by people who had had personal experience or connections to people or events in the Civil Rights movement. So wonderful to see all the monuments, museums and exhibits dedicated to Civil and Human Rights. Very informative. This was my first but definitely not my last Road Scholar trip and a wonderful way for a single person to travel.

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