I love a good road trip.
Couple it with an opportunity to celebrate Black history and support Black-owned businesses, and you’ve got my attention.
In the Southeast, some of the most powerful landmarks in Black history sit just a few hours from Birmingham. And the communities around them are home to Black-owned restaurants, shops, and hotels worth the drive alone.
Here are five destinations within driving distance of Birmingham worth putting on your radar.
Mobile — approximately 3 hours
A documentary on the Clotilda sent me to Mobile, and I’m glad it did. The story of the last known slave ship to arrive in the United States, and the 110 enslaved Africans aboard it who later founded Africatown, is one of the most remarkable in American history. The Africatown Heritage House brings that story to life in a way that is devastating, yet deeply human.
Mobile’s Black history spans more than three centuries. The Dora Franklin Finley African American Heritage Trail encompasses 40 points of interest, including Stone Street Baptist Church. This church was established in 1807 and is one of the oldest Black churches in Alabama. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, formerly known as Davis Avenue and once Mobile’s thriving “Black Wall Street,” is also worth a visit at the Historic Avenue Cultural Center.
For dining, The Breakfast Spot, a Black-owned downtown staple, is the move for brunch.
Where to stay: Downtown Mobile offers a range of hotels within easy reach of the city’s historic sites and waterfront.
Read the article in its entirety at BirminghamTimes.com.
