Learning about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a great way to learn history while traveling the United States on a family US road trip. Dr. King’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s will lead your family to learn about other significant Black history moments, US history-changing events, and historical figures. Not to mention, travel is the best way to make history come to life. Did I mention history travel is my favorite way to learn? 🙂
On our family road trips throughout the south, we have met Rosa Parks in Alabama, Thomas Jefferson in Virginia, and JFK in Dallas. These important historical figures weren’t just names to my kids because they had already met them. Not through names of people for February’s Black History Month. Not through boring textbooks or tests, but through family read-alouds and family discussions. Homeschooling for the win!
Looking for even more places to learn about Civil Rights on your family trip? Make sure you check out the in-depth landmark map here at the Civil Rights Trail website. So much to see and so little time.
Ready to go? Let’s go walk in the footsteps of Martin Luther King, Jr. as he grows up in Atlanta, moves to Montgomery, and makes history in Memphis.
Atlanta, Georgia – The Hometown of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As the birthplace of MLK, Atlanta is a must-see stop on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail through Georgia. Your main stop needs to be the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park to see Dr. King’s childhood home, Martin and Loretta Scott King’s graves, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and the King Center. Depending on how much time you have available, this could easily take at least several hours as there will be some walking involved. See these trip itineraries on the MLK National Historic Site website.
Start with a movie and information from the visitor center, and grab a Junior Ranger packet to keep the kids busy as you walk around this area of downtown Atlanta.
Disclaimer: My family visited during the 2021, and we couldn’t enter any of the sites. It was still a very worthwhile visit. Even if you are there once the sites are closed in the evening, you can still walk around to see the house and graves and church. (This would also make for a quick “overview” visit if you don’t have time to fully experience”.)
Montgomery, Alabama – Where the Boycott Sparked a Movement
Stand in the Steps of Rosa Parks
You can’t learn about Dr. King without learning more about the woman who sparked the start of the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat and history was made. They knew and worked together as the Montgomery Bus Boycott pulled Martin Luther King away from his role at the Dexter Avenue church and into the national spotlight.
Mrs. Parks can be found in Montgomery at the Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University and the Rosa Parks statue near the Court Street Fountain.
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Montgomery church in still an active church, so our family visit here consisted only of reading the plaque, climbing the steps, and talking about the significance of the building. Much of the Bus Boycott’s activity was directed from King’s office in this building in 1956 as he led the congregation from 1954 to 1960. Check the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church to see about scheduling a visit to tour inside with a guide.
Read About the Montgomery to Selma March
Outside the steps of the beautiful Alabama Capitol Building in Montgomery, stop to read the commemorative plaque marking the place where 25,000 people ended their fifty-mile march from Selma, Alabama in 1965.
While visiting Selma hasn’t happened for us yet, but if you have time, add this to your Civil Rights history trail.
- Visit or walk across the Edmund Pettus bridge – the famous bridge from all the photos of “Bloody Sunday”
- See the Brown Chapel AMC church where the march began
- Learn at the National Voting Rights Museum
- Dive deeper at the National Park Service Selma Interpretive Center – current closed in 2024
~~~> Adding Montgomery to your Alabama road trip itinerary, read which sights you need to check out at “Montgomery, Alabama: How to Spend a Day Exploring Its History”.
Visit the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee
No Civil Rights road trip is complete without a visit the hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr died. The historically significant Lorraine hotel has been transformed into the beautiful National Civil Rights Museum. It’s so well-done.
This Civil Rights museum tells history chronologically as you walk through the 1960s and all the main events including the Pettis March in Selma, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, King’s Birmingham jail cell, and much more. When you’ve spent several hours here, head across the street for a quick visit to the assassins’ hideout.
Your family visit to Memphis’s Civil Rights Museum will end in the exact Lorraine Hotel room where Martin Luther King died. This is the ultimate place to pay respects as you are even asked not to speak as you walk around out of respect.
As a bonus Memphis road trip tip, even if you don’t have time to go into the Lorraine Hotel museum, there is a lot of learning to be done just outside off the parking lot by reading the placards and seeing Dr. King’s hotel balcony. You can visit the MLK memorial before heading into the museum. With easily accessible plaques to read along the pathway, plan to spend at least spend thirty minutes for free honoring the man and history before continuing your trip.
~~~> If you’re making a weekend out of your Memphis road trip, make sure you read “Discover These 4 Must-See History Sights” as well as “How To Love Your Visit to Downtown Memphis with Kids”.
Visit the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington, DC.
Don’t just see the more famous sights of the Lincoln Monument and the Vietnam Wall. Keep heading along the two mile Tidal Basin Loop Trail to go past the lesser crowded monuments. If it’s springtime, this is also where the cherry blossom trees are in bloom! It also provides for some great views of the Capitol and the Washington Monument.
Visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in DC which is open 24 hours a day. Keep going to also see the Korean War Veterans Memorial, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and President Thomas Jefferson. These are great sights to see once all the DC Smithsonian Museums close for the night.
Although the exact spot isn’t marked, make sure you take time amid the crowds at the Lincoln Memorial and the reflecting pool where Dr. King gave his famous “I Have a Dream Speech.” This is one of the scenes most often reflected in the picture books your kids will read. Let them live it in real life.
~~~> Headed to Washington, DC to see the sights? Check out “6 Practical Tips to Make Your D.C. Trip Easier” where I tell you everything I wish I had known ahead of time!
How to Discuss Martin Luther King, Jr. with Kids
Learning about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a great way to homeschool the 1960s and have some family learning. However, learning about the Civil Rights with kids is difficult. There’s so much unfairness and, at times, violence. Diving into this period of American history can bring up uncomfortable talks about prejudice and racism that we may not be ready to discuss with our kids. However, it’s also one of the most important.
Make sure you check out my second post with a hug list of picture books about Martin Luther King, Jr. This is my favorite way to learn history with the kids! PS: If book lists make you overwhelmed, read this post and get Kadir Nelson’s beautiful Black history picture books.
But don’t stop with amazing picture books and don’t just read them straight through. Use them to review, discuss, bring in extra information you know about history, and look up places on the map. Interact with your books and make the people come alive to your family.
- How did King’s background prepare him to be the great orator?
- How did he respond to the violence around him?
- Who are some leaders today trying to make similar changes in our world?
- What are some examples of protests you have heard about today?
- Talk to someone who remembers Dr. King!
I hope this inspires you to go learn some history through travel. Remember, Black history is American history for all of us. Your homeschool, your family learning, and your adult studies need for you to learn about these amazing African American leaders. And what’s the best way to do so? Travel (and books), of course!
Thanks for stopping by my little corner! Here’s to your next adventure.
I’m Bobbie. As transplants from Texas, my family of six is on a mission to discover all of Georgia’s amazing places, experience amazing road trips across the United States, and create a homeschool life along the way.
Want to adventure like me? Reach out! I’d love to chat. Stop by my Instagram or Pinterest page to discover more of our adventures.
Want to work with me? I’d love to work with your destination and tourism board to help other family travelers see all you have to offer.
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