The Path to Civil Rights - 4 Days

Today you'll start your Civil Rights journey and depart to Atlanta. Upon arrival you'll meet with your Tour Manager and head to your first destination.

To start, you'll visit The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, a museum dedicated to the achievements of both the civil rights movement in the United States and the broader worldwide human rights movement. The Center hosts a number of exhibitions, both permanent and temporary, that tell the history of the civil rights movement in the United States and how that period is related to contemporary human rights struggles around the world.

Next, you'll take the Inside CNN VIP Tour for an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience with expanded access to the working studios at the Global Headquarters of CNN Worldwide!

This afternoon you'll visit the World of Coca-Cola, where you'll see the fully-functioning bottling line, view more than 1,200 never-before displayed artifacts, share a hug with a 7 foot tall Polar Bear and more!

This morning, you'll visit the home of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birth, hear his story, see where he played as a child, walk in his footsteps and hear his voice in the church where he moved hearts and minds. It's an experience to remember as you visit the places where Dr. King was born, lived, worked, worshipped and is buried.

Next you'll visit the The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum. Located in Atlanta, Georgia the Library and Museum houses President Jimmy Carter's papers and other material relating to the Carter administration and the Carter family's life. The library also hosts special exhibits, such as Carter's Nobel Peace Prize and a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, including a copy of the Resolute Desk.

You'll then begin your drive to Montgomery, Alabama.

For you last adventure today, you'll take a guided tour of the Civil Rights Memorial and Center where you'll learn about sacrifices and achievements of the Civil Rights movement, confront facts of contemporary injustices, hear stories of hate crime victims and examine your own biases.

After breakfast, you will visit the Rosa Parks Museum and Children's Wing in Montgomery, Alabama. On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Parks refused to give up her seat on the Montgomery City Bus to a white man sparking the 381 day Montgomery Bus Boycott that fueled the Civil Rights Movement. Troy University has dedicated the Museum and Children's Wing to Rosa Parks, the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” In the Rosa Parks Museum and Children’s Wing, you’ll go back in time on the Cleveland Avenue Time Machine to discover all of the people, like Rosa Parks, who made a difference in the world we live in today.

You'll then take a guided tour of the Freedom Rides Museum where you'll learn how 21 young people helped change our nation’s history using nonviolent protest. Black and white, male and female, none of them were older than 21. They stepped off of a bus at this station on May 20, 1961. They knew they might be met with violence, and they were. They had written out wills and said goodbye to loved ones. Their goal was to help end racial segregation in public transportation and they did. This new museum explores a compelling American story. It uses artworks as well as quotes, photographs and architectural elements.

After lunch, you'll take a guided tour of the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Parsonage Museum where you'll experience the actual residence where Dr. King and his young family lived between 1954 and 1960; an Interpretive Center, and the King-Johns Garden for Reflection.

Then you'll head to Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, a National Historic Landmark, and you'll see the modest pulpit where Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. first preached his message of hope and brotherhood. This church was also a center point of the Montgomery bus boycott. A large mural in the church depicts King’s civil rights crusade from Montgomery to Memphis.

You'll begin your adventure from Montgomery to Birmingham.

Your first stop will be a tour of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, the first black church in Birmingham. The church became central to the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a frequent speaker there. In September of 1963, the church was the target of a racially motivated bombing that killed four girls. The church was rebuilt with the help of donations and reopened in June of 1964.

Today you'll visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, a cultural and educational research center that promotes a comprehensive understanding and appreciation for the significance of civil rights developments in Birmingham with an increasing emphasis on the international struggle for universal human rights. BCRI is a “living institution” that views the lessons of the past as crucial to understanding our heritage and defining our future.

This afternoon your Civil Rights trip comes to a close as you hop on your bus or head to the airport.