DESTINATIONS CIVIL RIGHTS TRAIL THE US
Castleberry Hill, Paschal’s serves fried chicken with a side of history – the restaurant was an unofficial headquarters for civil rights leaders including Dr King and John Lewis. Where to stay: Suggest the Westin Buckhead Atlanta, in an upscale neighbourhood with nearby restaurants, shopping and easy transport links to downtown. Doubles from £115.
w MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA King moved to Montgomery as a pastor in 1954. History had bigger plans, but visitors can see his office and lectern at Dexter Church, where curator Wanda Battle frequently erupts into song, and tour the family’s clapboard home at the Dexter Parsonage Museum. On Montgomery Street, Sunny
Paulk’s yellow and lime-hued mural honours the protestors who marched 54 miles from Selma over the Edmund Pettus Bridge to the Alabama State Capitol here in March 1965. King, Elvis Presley and Hank
Williams are among famous patrons to enjoy frankfurters smothered in chilli sauce at Chris’ Hotdogs on Dexter Avenue, the street where Rosa
Eat at Chris’ Hotdogs on Dexter Avenue, the street where Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in 1955
RIGHT: Childhood home of Martin Luther King Jr, Atlanta
BELOW: Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham
Parks refused to give up her bus seat in December 1955. The act sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which propelled King to civil rights leadership. Downtown, Troy University’s Rosa Parks Museum tells her story through court documents and a restored station wagon used to transport boycotters. Where to stay: Montgomery’s downtown area is refreshingly walkable, with seasonally-led Central Restaurant among several great dining options. Suggest the DoubleTree by Hilton, with spacious suites and a modern atrium with circular bar. Doubles from £110.
w BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA King described Birmingham as “the most segregated city in the country”. It was also where some of the worst violence occurred. Even children were blasted with fire hoses, mauled by police dogs and jailed during the non-violent protests of 1963. Opposite the 16th Street
Baptist Church is a poignant monument to the four girls killed there, their arms stretching towards its doors. Historian and tour guide McNealy takes groups around the church, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Kelly Ingram Park, which has a statue of King and sculptures depicting
attacks on child marchers. Suggest clients stop in
Florence en route to Tennessee, passing soupy swampland and cotton fields. At Fame and Muscle Shoals recording studios, visitors learn about legendary studio musicians the Swampers, and a world where skin colour was irrelevant. Where to stay: The elegant Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown Tutwiler opened in 1914 as the city’s first modern hotel. Doubles from £110. In Florence, Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa in Florence has doubles from £115. Its restaurant, 360 Grille, revolves for views that change with every bite.
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travelweekly.co.uk 3 May 2018
JAMES DUCKWORTH; ALABAMA TOURISM/CHRIS GRANGER
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