Civil Rights & the Soulful South

Day 1  Atlanta  
Fly to the ‘Capital of the South’, a city where southern charm meets modern dynamism. For dinner, tuck into some traditional soul food.  

Days 2-3  Atlanta  
Visit Pemberton Place, home to many of Atlanta’s top attractions including the excellent National Center for Civil & Human Rights. Explore streets lined with colourful murals in Five Points, or spot familiar sights in Castleberry Hills – a long running blockbuster filming location.  

Day 4  Atlanta to Birmingham  
Pick up your car and drive to Birmingham, heading up to Vulcan Park for views over the city.

Day 5  Birmingham  
Uncover the city’s tumultuous past in the Civil Rights District and learn the emotional story of the 16th Street Baptist Church. Later, visit the toe-tapping Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.

Day 6  Birmingham to Montgomery  
Take a detour to the town of Selma where Martin Luther King Jr. began his historic political march to Montgomery in 1965.  

Day 7  Montgomery  
Discover Montgomery’s prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement at the moving Rosa Parks Museum. In the evening, grab a beer in the Alley entertainment district or seek out a tasty barbecue joint.  

Day 8  Montgomery to Gulf Shores  
Drive down to Gulf Shores where the Gulf of Mexico laps at pristine white sands.  

Days 9-10  Gulf Shores  
Unwind with a leisurely day of sunbathing or head to nearby Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge and wander through its peaceful nature trail which leads down to the beach.  

Day 11  Gulf Shores to New Orleans  
Visit Mobile, the home of USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park before continuing on to Louisiana. Drop off your car in New Orleans, a city famed for its tantalising mix of jazz, jambalaya and jubilant nightlife.  

Days  12-13 New Orleans  
Wander the picturesque French Quarter and perhaps visit an above ground cemetery to learn about a Voodoo Queen. Take a tour to Louisiana’s plantation country, an hour’s drive away, and learn about the sobering history of slavery on the area’s sugarcane plantations.  

Days 14-15  Fly home