The Sacred Ground of 1963: Birmingham’s Civil Rights Struggle

About this activity

This isn’t a tour—it’s lived history.

Walk the streets of the most segregated city in America as they were experienced by those who lived through its darkest and most defining hour.

Your guide is Wilhelmina Thomas—storyteller, needlewoman, and “craftivist”—who grew up in Birmingham’s Riley, Wenonah, and Hillman communities. She attended the very schools shaped by this city’s history: Wenonah Elementary, Riley Elementary, and Jones Valley High. Her earliest memories include the church, the civic league, and the Civil Rights Movement itself.

This tour reveals the truth beneath the façade—the daily struggles, the acts of defiance, and the sacred spaces where ordinary people did extraordinary things.

Hear personal accounts of life under Jim Crow

Visit Kelly Ingram Park, the 16th Street Baptist Church, and other landmarks

Reflect at the sites of protest, pain, and perseverance

Includes a free “Witness Packet” digital download for direct bookings

They stood. We walk.

Itinerary

1. Birmingham · 15 min

   Your tour begins at the corner of 3rd ave and 20th street north and proceeds down 20th street toward 4th Ave North covering the Black contributions to the founding of Birmingham

2. Stop 2 · pass by

   This leg of the tour covers the 1926 Red Line Zoning laws, the Palm Leaf Hotel, and the Chitlin' Circut.

3. Stop 3 · 10 min

   A park and statues dedicated to our local founder of the Temptations

4. 4th Avenue Business District · pass by

   The remnants of our once dynamic "city within a city" with possible stop in Nelson Brothers and Green Acres.

5. Civil Rights District · pass by

   This is the center of the Civil Rights National Historic Monument

6. Carver Theater · 10 min

   One of the best Black theaters - now the Jazz Hall of Fame...also you will see the Prince Hall "Colored" Masonic Lodge

7. Kelly Ingram Park · 15 min

   Kelly Ingram Park is an improved public park that contains emotionally powerful sculptures depicting the civil rights struggle in Birmingham. The park served as an assembly spot for activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and other groups in the movement.

8. 16th Street Baptist Church · 15 min

   The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, stands as a poignant symbol of the Civil Rights Movement, marked by its tragic history as the site of a racially motivated bombing in 1963, which resulted in the loss of four young girls. This historic church remains a powerful testament to the struggle for civil rights and a focal point in the ongoing journey toward racial equality in the United States.

9. Stop 9 · 10 min

   The A.G. Gaston Motel, built by prominent African American businessman and entrepreneur, Arthur George Gaston (1892-1996), provided first-class lodging and dining in Birmingham, Alabama, to African American travelers. Designed by Birmingham-based architect Stanley B. Echols, the motel opened in 1954

10. Stop 10 · 10 min

    Our only standing theater that allowed mixed (though still segregated) audiences

Meeting point

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

End point: 285 20th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35206 - on the SouthEast corner of 20th Street North and 3rd Avenue North...This is DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM - not Irondale (please check your GPS)

Good to know

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

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