This simple guide to the civil rights sites of Atlanta, Georgia, highlights places you should absolutely visit while here. Atlanta, and particularly the Sweet Auburn Historic District has a rich history closely connected to dr. Martin Luther King Jr. While touring the city, we have learned a lot about dr. King and the civil rights movement.
A simple guide to the civil rights sites of Atlanta, Georgia
Martin Luther King National Historic Park
The MLK National Historic Park is an absolute must on your tour of the civil rights sites of Atlanta. The park includes multiple buildings, all of them closely associated with dr. King and the civil rights movement. I have listed them below as a simple guide. Start by visiting the Visitor Center first, as it has a lot of useful information and interesting exhibits. You can also learn more about the layout of the site and register for a tour of dr. King’s birth house.
Martin Luther King's Birth Home
After spending some time at the Visitor Center, we headed towards MLK’s birth home. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in this house on January 15th 1929 and continued to live here for the first 12 years of his life. This two-story house is located in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn Historic District a block east of Ebenezer Baptist Church. You can take a tour of Dr. King’s house after registering at the Visitor Center.
Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church
This is an absolutely historic place to visit, closely tied to reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was baptized here and at the age of 19 became ordained as minister. After serving as pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, dr. King returned to Atlanta in January of 1960. He then joined his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church as co-pastor and remained in that position till his death in 1968. Dr. King’s funeral was also held in the church.
Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change
The King Center is dedicated to preserving the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was established after his death by his wife, Coretta Scott King. While here, make sure to visit the final resting place of Dr. King and his wife surrounded by a pool of water. It’s such an important site to visit!
Other sites to see
After spending a week in Atlanta, we drove to Alabama to continue our tour of other civil rights sites.
Here is my simple guide to the civil rights sites of Alabama.
