Alabama Journey
 Sample Itinerary

 

Below is a Provisional Itinerary of our Alabama Journey.  This is meant to be a sample, as our itineraries are never duplicated.

​

The trip is carefully crafted so participants’ time is divided between listening sessions and group reflection. We will also visit museums and major historical landmarks in the struggle for civil rights. Here is our itinerary to date:
 
January 8 - Monday

• 7 pm: Opening Circle at Springhill Suites Montgomery Downtown, located within walking distance of all our Montgomery venues (check in anytime after 4:00).

 
January 9 - Tuesday

• Morning: Tour historic Montgomery through the eyes and firsthand perspective of Ms. Wanda Battle, city native and founder/CEO of Legendary Tours. Named Community Hero for May 2022 by Montgomery’s leading newspaper, Wanda exudes an infectious love and optimism for her hometown. Learn more about Wanda here.

•  Noon: (provisional): Lunch at Dreamland restaurant. (Group meal #1)

• ​1:30 pm: Tour the Museum of Alabama with Edwin Bridges, emeritus director of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, who will give us an overview of Alabama’s history, beginning with the arrival of humans 13,000 years ago. After the tour, Ed will share his personal story with us. Author of Alabama - the Making of an American State, Ed has also been named a Montgomery Community Hero. Learn more about Ed here. 

 
​Overnight: Montgomery
​
January 10 - Wednesday

• 9-11:30 am: Visit Legacy Museum of the Equal Justice Initiative. 

• Lunch: on our own 

• 2-3:30: Visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

• 4-6:00 pm: Debrief at SpringHill Suites Hotel

 
Overnight: Montgomery
                 
January 11 - Thursday

• 8:30-10 am:  Tour the First White House of the Confederacy with lawyer and avid amateur historian Jay Hinton and with Curator of the First White House Museum Bob Wieland. After the tour, Jay will share his personal story with us. 

• 10:30-noon: (provisional) Listening session with Rosemary Judkins, Civil Rights Coordinator, State of Alabama

• 12:30-2:30 pm: We will be joined by several prominent local citizens for lunch and extended conversation at the Commerce Cafe. We'll learn about their life’s work and hear about their hopes for Alabama’s future.  

• 3-5 pm: Debrief and discussion of the day’s events. 

• 5-7 pm: (provisional) Drinks, dinner, and listening session with lawyer and avid amateur historian Jay Hinton at Lek’s Railroad Thai restaurant. 

 
Overnight: Montgomery

​

January 12 - Friday                           

• Early morning: Depart for Selma (1 hour drive). Stay two nights at  Holiday Inn Express. 

• Meet entrepreneur and Coffee Shoppe owner Jackie Smith and Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sheryl Smedley for coffee and conversation.

• At 11 am, we will be joined by Bloody Sunday protestors Thelma Dianne Harris and Joyce Parrish O’Neil.  

• Noon: Lunch at Coffee Shoppe (not included)

• Afternoon: Walk over Edmund Pettus Bridge. 

• Late afternoon: Visit Old Live Oak Cemetery. Meet with Doug Buster, Preservationist.

 
Overnight: Selma
 
January 13 - Saturday (Tentative)

• Morning: Visit Project Horseshoe Farm in Greensboro (1 hour drive) whose founder Dr. John Dorsey will give us a tour, introduce us to some of the fellows who work at the farm, and tell us the story of this remarkable experiment to lift people out of deep poverty.

• 3-4:30 pm: Debrief at the Farm. 

• Visit Jimmy Lee Jackson landmark in Marion AL (25 minute drive), whose murder sparked the Selma-to-Montgomery marches that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  

• Dinner (provisional): Lottie’s Restaurant, voted #1 restaurant in Marion by Trip Advisor.  

• Return to Selma (40 minute drive)

 
Overnight: Selma
 
January 14 - Sunday

• Depart for Birmingham (95 minute drive). Stay two nights at Tutwiler Hotel Downtown. 

• Meet Echota Cherokee flutist and award-winning composer Ron Warren, who will join us at the Birmingham Museum of Art (or possibly First Presbyterian Church) for a day of music, story telling, meditation, and reflection. 

 

​

Overnight: Birmingham
​
January 15 - Monday

• 9-10:30 am: Listening session with Ms. Mashonda Taylor, E.D., executive director of Woodlawn Association, a collaboration of partners committed to breaking the cycle of poverty in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Birmingham. Location: historic First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham.

• 11 am-12:30 pm: Listening session with Elizabeth Vander Kamp, Artist in Residence at UAB's Institute of Arts in Medicine and Executive Director at The Listening Project.

• Lunch: on our own.

• Afternoon: Free time. Consider visiting Vulcan Park and Museum and learn about Birmingham’s iron origins (9 minutes by taxi).  Or walk to Kelly Ingram Park (11 minutes).

• Evening: group dinner (tbd).

 
Overnight: Birmingham
            
January 16 - Tuesday

• 9-10:30 am: TBD

• 
  10:45 am-12:30 pm: Debrief and closing circle.

• Lunch: On our own.

• Afternoon (optional for those not on early flights): Walk to Kelly Ingram Park (11 minutes) and/or visit Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Book a 1 hour tour at historic 16th Street Baptist Church, site of the tragic 1963 bombing that killed four young girls and garnered sympathy and concern throughout the world.​

• Lunch and dinner today will be on our own.