Begin your journey south from Kansas City and make your way into the heart of Little Rock. Enjoy a midday lunch before exploring historic sites that played a pivotal role in shaping the Civil Rights Movement. Visit Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site to learn about the courage of the Little Rock Nine, then continue to the Daisy Bates House, celebrating the leader who guided desegregation efforts.

Finish the afternoon at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, where you’ll discover African American history, culture, and entrepreneurship in Arkansas. Check into your Little Rock hotel and unwind for the evening. (L)

Enter the Mississippi Delta, starting in Greenville, where the Mississippi Blues Trail and Nelson Street showcase the region’s rich musical heritage. Visit the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, then travel to Ruleville to see the birthplace and monument of Fannie Lou Hamer, a pioneering civil rights leader. Pass by Mississippi Valley State University, a historically African American college, to reflect on the challenges faced by underfunded institutions.

In the afternoon, explore Money and Sumner, visiting Emmett Till sites, including Bryant’s Grocery Store and the Tallahatchie County Courthouse. Conclude the day in Clarksdale with dinner at Ground Zero Blues Club and hotel check-in. (B, L, D)

Travel to Jackson, Mississippi, to visit the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, an immersive experience highlighting the struggle for equality. Tour the Medgar Evers Home and the Farish Street Historic District, once a thriving center of African American business and culture. Continue south to New Orleans for hotel check-in and prepare for a day exploring the city’s historic neighborhoods. (B, L)

Explore New Orleans’ rich history, starting at the Plessy v. Ferguson site, then visiting Tremé and Congo Square, where African American culture and music thrived. Stop by the Lower Ninth Ward Living Museum, which showcases the community’s resilience in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After lunch, travel to Philadelphia, Mississippi, for hotel check-in and an overnight stay. (B, L)

Step back into the history of Freedom Summer with visits to Mt. Zion Church, the Neshoba County Jail, and the site of the murder of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. Continue north to Memphis, where you can visit the National Civil Rights Museum located at the Lorraine Motel. End the day with a stroll down Beale Street, experiencing the city’s vibrant music scene, before returning to your hotel. (B, L)

Return to Kansas City, with stops along the way for rest and lunch. Reflect on the journey through key sites of African American history, the civil rights struggle, and cultural resilience, arriving home in the evening. (B, L)