Things to do in

Alabama

Begin your Civil Rights tour of Birmingham at the most fitting place – the statue of Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, the leader of the local Civil Rights Movement. Learn why the Civil Rights Movement was necessary and how the actions of ordinary people coming together helped lead to the fall of segregation. Visit churches, parks, and houses around the city that served as important sites for activism. Learn about a few groups who fought for Civil Rights in Birmingham and who fought against it. See the site of the infamous Children's March in 1963 where student demonstrators where beset by police dogs and fire-hoses. Learn how the bravery and sacrifice of these young people led to the desegregation of stores across the city only a few days after the march. Visit Dynamite Hill where valiant civil rights pioneers attempted to cross the city's "color line" in the face of frequent dynamite blasts set off by the Ku Klux Klan in an effort to scare them off. Leave with a better understanding of the importance of remembering the Civil Rights struggle in Alabama and across the country.

The Shakers were a religious community originally formed in Manchester, England in 1774. They later relocated to settle in South Union, Kentucky (19 kilometers from Bowling Green) in 1807 and stayed until 1922. They kept journals of their activities, and from these journals one can catch a glimpse of the history of their daily lives, their belief in work and worship, and their inventions and contributions. You will also hear of the birth of the seed industry, textile production, and what it was like to live during that period of time. A visit to this wonderful historic site takes one back in time, and perhaps provides a better understanding of the challenges which the Shakers faced at the time.