Alabama

A burning bus: Freedom Riders National Monument and Anniston’s Civil Rights Trail

Anniston Freedom Riders Park Bus Burning Site

One of the most shocking moments of the civil rights movement occurred on Mother’s Day, 1961, when the Freedom Riders reached Anniston, Alabama. As the bi-racial group of integrated college students and activists passed through the small city roughly halfway between Atlanta and Birmingham, their bus was attacked and set on fire. On a second […]

A Montgomery civil rights museum and its harrowing lynching memorial

Equal Justice Initiative Lynching Memorial

What is the power of a memorial? In Montgomery, the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice has single-handedly made the nation confront its violent racial past. Until its debut in 2018, mentioning racial violence like lynching was still taboo. Some museums made reference, but for the most part it was too much […]

Bethel Baptist Church: The Fearless Civil Rights Legacy of Birmingham’s Fred Shuttlesworth

Rico Gaston Shuttlesworth portrait Birmingham airport

Everyone has heard of Martin Luther King, but he’s just a part of the civil rights story. The Movement (and King) owe much of their success to a fearless minister from Birmingham, Alabama: the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth. The Bravest Man of the Civil Rights Movement Dubbed by historians as the most courageous figure of […]

Civil rights attractions in Montgomery Alabama: Rosa Parks, King and the Freedom Rides

No other city plays such a pivotal role in the Civil Rights movement as Montgomery, Alabama. The sleepy state capital was not only where Rosa Parks made history and Martin Luther King Jr., made his name. But it’s where Freedom Riders were beaten, and National Guard troops had to protect the city from exploding. It’s […]

Civil rights sites in Birmingham, Alabama

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a frequent visitor to Birmingham, and came to know the city’s racial strife– and its African American leaders. It would be hard to understate the city’s role in Civil Rights history, which makes a Birmingham tour, an important stop for any traveler. The city, once known for police-dog […]

Where to go

A traveler can find traces of civil rights history across the country, from Hawaii to Maine. But the key battles of the Civil Rights Movement were fought in the Deep South, and it’s where you can find historic sites and moving monuments. We’ll show you how to visit and experience these important places, including:

Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of Bloody Sunday

The “lynching memorial” in Montgomery, Alabama

The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, where four girls died in a Sunday school bombing

The Lorraine Motel, where King was assassinated in Memphis

Central High School, where the Little Rock Nine students faced angry mobs in Arkansas

The Woolworth’s counter where students stage a sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina

Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home and grave in Atlanta

Who we are

Civil Rights Travel is an online guidebook designed to plan a journey into the history of the civil rights movement.

This website offers detailed city tours, videos and much more, telling the stories of heroes who confronted racism and injustice, and changed the world.

You’ll find multiple itineraries, and suggestions for making the most of your travels, providing great restaurant and hotel tips, and cool things to see along the way.

It was created by veteran journalist Larry Bleiberg, an award-winning travel editor and writer, who has published in the top newspapers, magazines and websites in the world.