13 powerful civil rights landmarks to visit in the American South

Exploring Southern Civil Rights History

Between 1954 and 1968, the American South became the battleground for a revolution that would transform the nation.

In church basements, at lunch counters, and on ordinary streets, everyday citizens risked everything to dismantle Jim Crow segregation and secure basic rights long denied. A road trip through these sites offers a deeply moving journey through the courage, sacrifice, and triumph of those who fought for justice.

Here are 13 essential stops that tell the story of the Civil Rights movement throughout the South.

1. National Civil Rights Museum – Memphis, Tennessee

The Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, now houses this powerful museum. The balcony where King stood has been preserved, creating a sobering anchor point for the museum’s extensive exhibits.

The museum takes you through the entire history of civil rights in America, from slavery through the modern era. Standing in Room 306, preserved exactly as it was the day King died, offers a profound connection to history that textbooks simply can’t provide.

Plan to spend at least 3 hours here. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. Audio guides are worth the extra few dollars, and advance tickets can help you skip lines, especially during summer and MLK Day weekend.

2. 16th Street Baptist Church – Birmingham, Alabama

This church became a tragic symbol of racist violence when a 1963 bombing killed four young girls: Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair.

Today, it remains an active church while serving as a pilgrimage site for civil rights history. The bombing marked a turning point in the movement, shocking the nation’s conscience and helping galvanize support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The church’s basement museum includes pieces of stained glass from the bombing and touching tributes to the girls. Sunday services are open to visitors, but if you’re coming as a tourist, it’s more respectful to visit Tuesday through Saturday.

Guided tours are available, but confirm times on their website as they vary seasonally.

3. Edmund Pettus Bridge – Selma, Alabama

On “Bloody Sunday” (March 7, 1965), peaceful marchers led by John Lewis and Hosea Williams were brutally attacked by state troopers as they attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights.

The violence shocked the nation and ultimately led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Walking across this bridge offers a visceral connection to one of the movement’s most pivotal moments.

The contrast between the violence that occurred here and the peaceful setting today creates a powerful space for reflection. Start at the Selma Interpretive Center on the town side of the bridge to get context before walking across.

The annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee in early March commemorates the event with civil rights leaders and often draws thousands.

4. National Memorial for Peace and Justice – Montgomery, Alabama

Opened in 2018, this memorial confronts America’s history of racial terror lynchings through a powerful physical representation. Over 800 steel monuments represent counties where lynchings occurred, each engraved with victims’ names.

This site offers a necessary and overdue reckoning with a horrific aspect of American history often glossed over in textbooks. The memorial’s design creates an emotional experience that helps visitors comprehend the scale and horror of lynching violence.

5. Rosa Parks Museum – Montgomery, Alabama

Located at the spot where Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat in 1955, this museum chronicles her act of courage and the subsequent Montgomery Bus Boycott that launched the modern Civil Rights Movement.

The museum uses innovative technology, including a bus replica and time-traveling device, to transport visitors to that December evening. You’ll experience the boycott from multiple perspectives and understand how ordinary citizens organized to sustain a year-long economic protest.

The full-sized bus replica with video re-enactment runs on a schedule, so ask the front desk when to catch it. While downtown, also visit the Freedom Rides Museum and Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where King served as pastor.

6. The King Center – Atlanta, Georgia

Established by Coretta Scott King, this living memorial includes Dr. King’s birth home, Ebenezer Baptist Church where he preached, the King Center itself with exhibitions, and the eternal flame and reflection pool at the tombs of Dr. and Mrs. King.

This complex offers the most comprehensive look at King’s life and legacy, from his childhood home to his final resting place. The center’s focus on nonviolence as an ongoing philosophy, not just a historical tactic, connects the past to present struggles.

Free timed tickets for the birth home tour are required and can run out early in the day, especially during peak season.

7. International Civil Rights Center & Museum – Greensboro, North Carolina

Housed in the original Woolworth’s building, this museum preserves the lunch counter where four North Carolina A&T students launched the sit-in movement on February 1, 1960, refusing to leave when denied service.

The preserved lunch counter with original stools offers a direct connection to the student-led tactics that revitalized the movement in the 1960s. The museum shows how these seemingly simple acts of defiance required immense courage and strategic planning.

The museum is guided-tour only, which provides valuable context but means you should plan your visit around tour times. Tours last about 75 minutes and reservations are recommended, especially for weekend visits.

8. Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site – Little Rock, Arkansas

This still-active high school became the focal point of the nation in 1957 when nine Black students, known as the Little Rock Nine, integrated the previously all-white school despite violent opposition and the state governor’s resistance.

Walking the same path the Nine took while facing jeering mobs helps visitors comprehend the courage these teenagers showed. The site powerfully illustrates how federal intervention was sometimes necessary to enforce civil rights advances.

Since it’s an active school, interior access is only available through ranger-led tours, which must be reserved in advance. The visitor center across the street offers excellent exhibits even if you can’t tour the school itself.

9. Mississippi Civil Rights Museum – Jackson, Mississippi

Opened in 2017, this state-of-the-art museum unflinchingly examines Mississippi’s place as both the most resistant state to civil rights progress and home to some of the movement’s most dedicated activists.

Mississippi saw some of the movement’s greatest violence and most inspiring courage. The museum doesn’t shy away from brutal aspects of this history, including the murder of Emmett Till, while highlighting local heroes often overlooked in broader histories.

The eight galleries are arranged chronologically, with the central space offering a contemplative light sculpture. The museum can be emotionally intense, so pace yourself and take breaks in the reflection areas provided throughout.

10. Whitney Plantation – Wallace, Louisiana

Unlike most plantations that focus on the lives of white owners, the Whitney centers its narrative on enslaved people, using first-person slave narratives, art installations, and preserved buildings to tell their stories.

You can’t understand the Civil Rights Movement without understanding slavery and its aftermath. The Whitney offers the most comprehensive and honest examination of plantation slavery available to visitors today.

Tours run throughout the day and are led by knowledgeable guides who provide crucial context. Located between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, it makes a meaningful day trip from either city.

11. Medgar Evers Home Museum – Jackson, Mississippi

The museum operates by appointment only, so call ahead to schedule a visit. This modest home, where civil rights leader Medgar Evers was assassinated in his driveway in 1963, has been preserved as a museum honoring his work as Mississippi’s first NAACP field secretary.

The bullet-riddled refrigerator that Evers’ family used for protection and the blood stains still visible on the driveway offer stark reminders of the dangers faced by civil rights workers. The modest home humanizes Evers as both a freedom fighter and family man.

12. National Voting Rights Museum – Selma, Alabama

Located at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, this grassroots museum preserves the story of the voting rights struggle with artifacts, photographs, and personal accounts from foot soldiers of the movement.

While larger museums offer polished presentations, this community-created space captures the movement’s grassroots spirit. The foot prints exhibit, featuring actual casts of marchers’ feet, offers a unique personal connection to history.

The museum sometimes operates on limited hours, so call ahead to confirm. Combining this with the Selma Interpretive Center and a bridge walk creates a complete Selma experience.

13. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park – Atlanta, Georgia

This park encompasses several buildings central to King’s life, including his birth home, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and The King Center where he and Coretta Scott King are entombed. Walking these few blocks gives visitors a sense of the community that shaped King from childhood through his emergence as a civil rights leader.

The visitor center’s “Children of Courage” exhibit makes the history accessible for younger travelers. The birth home can only be seen by ranger-led tour, and these fill up quickly. Arrive early in the day to secure your spot.

Planning Your Trip

This journey works well as a loop starting and ending in Atlanta, with side trips as time allows. Consider this rough route:

Atlanta → Greensboro → Little Rock → Memphis → Jackson → New Orleans (Whitney Plantation) → Montgomery → Selma → Birmingham → Atlanta

Read books like “Walking with the Wind” by John Lewis or “The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson before your trip. Look for local events or speakers that might coincide with your visit. Support Black-owned businesses along your route for meals and accommodations.

Read More from WhenInYourState.com:

• Georgia’s Fierce Civil Rights Story Told Through 12 Historic Sites
• Visit Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birth Home, Family Church & Final Resting Place at This Atlanta District
• Inside the 1895 Queen Anne Home Where Martin Luther King Jr. Spent His Childhood Years in Atlanta