Whenever I travel I try to schedule at least one tour of the city. I’ve always enjoyed these tours, but sometimes a tour exceeds my expectations. That’s what happened when we took the Civil Right Tour Atlanta. Their motto is “taking you to the places where history was made by those who made history” and is hosted by the former personal driver for Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, Tom Houck. Tom was eighteen years old and had dropped out of high school after being suspended for attending the Selma Civil Right’s March. He made his way to Atlanta and participated in changing the history of our country, telling us “I was arrested seven or eight times that summer.” His inside knowledge and personal experiences with great leaders of the movement make this a personalized and unforgettable tour.
Our tour began in the Old Fourth Ward with Mr. Houck explaining the childhood of Dr. King and pointing out various important childhood sites, including his birthplace and the elementary school he attended, the Howard School For the Colored. Did you know Dr. King was born Michael King, Junior and his name was changed to Martin Luther when he was seven and his father changed their names in honor of Martin Luther, the German reformer?
All too often we hear the heroic aspects of Dr. King’s life, but we don’t get to know him, or other famous Civil Rights leaders, and don’t get a glimpse at their personalities. Because Mr. Houck worked with these leaders, his quirky anecdotes brings them to life. We saw Pachal’s cafe, where leaders of the Civil Rights movement held meetings to make groundbreaking decisions, but we also saw the cafe where Dr. King went to enjoy some of his favorite foods, pig ears and chitterlings, because Mrs. King refused to cook chitterlings in her home.
Along the tour, a videotape featuring interviews with Civil Rights Icons Andrew Young, John Lewis and Julian Bond who share their personal experiences and memories of their time in Atlanta. The three hour tours are available twice a day, at 10 AM and 2 PM, Thursday through Sunday. A voucher for the Center for Civil and Human Rights is included for visitation after the tour.
Mr. Houck is a fascinating tour guide and is happy to answer any questions you might have about the Civil Rights Movement.
Wow I need to do more in Atlanta. This sounds like a great tour.
I love learning about history and this would be an amazing tour! I hope to someday get to Atlanta and when I do, I’ll check into this
Oh my goodness! I’ve been in Georgia all my life and had no idea about this tour. I’m definitely going to have to make sure I take this tour when I get a chance.
I wish I would have known about this when I was out in Atlanta for the Mom 2.0 Summit, I definitely would have gone!
That is such a great tour. I would love to take my son there
Looks like a really interesting tour. Next time I visit Atlanta I will make a point to take this tour.
That sounds like an awesome tour! I Would love to be able to take it one day!
That was such a fascinating and informative tour. I completely enjoyed it! Our tour guide was soooo full of knowledge.
I have yet to visit Atlanta but if I do make it there I have to go there. Now that is one tour I would not want to miss.
This would be a fantastic tour to go on. I love learning about history. I will have to check it out when i am in the area next.
I do like those kinds of tours too. I’d love to take the kids.
WOW. This is something I would love to do. I know my oldest would love this too he’s really into politics, and civil rights etc. He is a big fan of Dr. King and all that.
I have only been to Atlanta once in my life and it was years and years ago. I would love to see MLK tours and such. Pretty amazing.
This would be a truly amazing tour to take. I homeschool my daughter and we are hoping to take a tour similar to this in the near future! So neat to learn about history.
Atlanta is full of civil rights history. I used to live there for years and didn’t know about some of these places. Thanks for the info.
What an exciting tour to take. I will have that on my list when I am back that way.
I visited Atlanta and I really like the City .. I’ve been on a few Tours but never the Civil Rights Tour. I def need to do this Tour the next time I’m in ATL
What an amazing experience. I would love to be able to see these destinations in person. There is so much of our nation’s history contained in Atlanta.
I have been all over the country but not to this area for a tour – I would love to do this.
What a great tour. I haven’t been to Atlanta in a while. I will do that when I visit.
I only live a few hours from Atlanta, and drove through there just last month. I will definitely have to check this out sometime.
This would be such a neat tour to take. I’d enjoy doing this with my family.
I’d love to take this tour sometime! I am from Memphis, and have visited the Civil Rights Museum there several times. It’s an important part of history we must honor!
What an awesome tour guide. The personal anecdotes must have been amazng.
This sounds like a fascinating tour. I love learning more about history and visiting places that have played a significant role.
The guide sounds like he enjoys sharing the history he experienced himself. I’ll add this to my bucket list for the next time I get back to Atlanta.
My mother would love to go on this tour. She truly enjoys all things history.
that sounds like a great tour to take my kids on i we ever visit that area. I have not been to Atlanta in probably two decades! I need to schedule a visit soon!
This is a great tour, thanks for sharing it. The Civil Rights movement is so important in history – it has been a long time until Arizona finally recognized it and gave the day off for MLK (as a state paid holiday). Apparently there’s been a long history over that, but I’m so glad now it’s recognized and celebrated like the rest of the country!
I would love to take this tour. This is such an important era in American history.
I did not know that about Martin Luther King’s name. So interesting and so very important to learn about our country’s civil rights movement.
What an interesting tour. There is a lot of rich history there!
I have a trip to Atlanta in the works always. Seeing his house was really meaningful to me. I think it’s an incredible tour.
This sounds like a great tour. I will have to check it out next time I am in Atlanta.
It’s noteworthy to me how Dr. King was born, preached, and worked all in the same area – Sweet Auburn district.
Great look at the tour.
I see a future road trip in the new year. I would love to take this tour.
I would love to take this tour. The civil rights movement was so important to this country, and it still is. We’re still not where we need to be.
No, we are not, but things sure have come a long way.
I had no idea that Martin Luther Kind, Jr was actually born Michael King! These types of interactive and personal tours are such a great way to learn about history…being in it and seeing places in person makes a big impact.
I would LOVE to take this tour if I ever get down to Atlanta. It sounds fascinating.