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Join Dr. Mike Butler, the Flagler College Kenan Distinguished Professor of History and specialist in 20th-century Southern Cultural History, for a special Lifelong Learning travel tour, "Montgomery and Selma: Race, Memory, and the Struggle for Freedom in 'The Heart of Dixie,'" January 2-6, 2027, in Montgomery, Alabama!
Come explore two of the most important places in the history of race, freedom, and democracy in the American South. Over four unforgettable days, we’ll visit historic sites, museums, monuments, and landmarks that tell the complicated story of Alabama—from the Civil War and the Confederacy to slavery, segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, and the continuing struggle over how we remember the past.
Our journey begins in Montgomery, the former capital of the Confederacy and later the birthplace of the modern Civil Rights Movement. Experience the powerful and interactive Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. Tour the Alabama State Capitol and stand on the steps where Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as president of the Confederate States of America in 1861 and where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “How Long, Not Long” speech in 1965. We’ll also visit the Civil Rights Memorial Center, the Rosa Parks Museum, and the First White House of the Confederacy, while exploring the city’s remarkable layers of history and memory.
We’ll then journey along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail to Selma, ground zero in the struggle for voting rights. Along the way, we’ll visit the Lowndes Interpretive Center, a National Park Service site that tells the story of the voting rights campaign and the people who risked their lives to challenge racial injustice. In Selma, we’ll hear from members of the Foot Soldiers Program, enjoy lunch and a guided tour of the city, and walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of the historic 1965 “Bloody Sunday” confrontation.
Throughout the tour, Dr. Butler will provide historical context and lead conversations about the ways Alabama’s past continues to shape the present. This is a journey through history that invites us not only to see where important events happened, but also to consider how Americans remember them and consider, most importantly, why that memory still matters.
Guests will stay at the beautiful Staybridge Suites Montgomery–Downtown, conveniently located within walking distance of many of Montgomery’s historic sites, monuments, and museums.
Come experience the history, places, and stories of Montgomery and Selma—and discover the complicated past of the “Heart of Dixie.”
Hotel: Staybridge Suites Montgomery Downtown
275 Lee Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
Staybridge Suites Montgomery
- Tour Cost: $1,320* per person (based on double occupancy per room, two people who know each other share a room)
- $660 deposit due by October 16, 2026 (non-refundable)
- $660 final payment due by November 13, 2026 (non-refundable)
- Single Traveler Tour Cost: $1,870** (single traveler does not share a room)
- $1,210 (deposit of $660 plus single traveler fee of $550) due by October 16, 2026 (non-refundable)
- $660 final payment due by November 13, 2026 (non-refundable)
The tour price includes:
All transportation listed on the itinerary, 4-night hotel accommodation (double occupancy), 4 hotel buffet breakfasts, 1 group dinner and drink (welcome dinner), guided walking tour of Montgomery, 1 lunch (Selma), 2 drinks at farewell gathering, entrance to The Legacy Sites (The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, The Legacy Museum, and Freedom Monument Sculpture Park), group tour of the State Capitol, entrance to the Poverty Law Center/Civil Rights Memorial Center, entrance to the Freedom Rides Museum, entrance to the Rosa Parks Museum, entrance to the “First White House of the Confederacy” museum, entrance to the Lowndes Interpretive Center, lecture in Selma, and bus tour of Selma including the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Also included:
All tips and gratuities for tour guides, drivers, drinks, and meals listed on the itinerary.
Excluded from tour cost:
Transportation to/from Montgomery is not included. Transportation to/from Montgomery airport is not included. Participants who drive to Montgomery are responsible for the daily parking fee at the hotel.
- This tour involves approximately 4 to 6+ hours per day of walking or standing.
- Participants must be 21+
- The maximum number for this tour: 16
- The minimum number for this tour: 10
*The $1,320 cost is based on double occupancy (2 travelers sharing a hotel room) at Staybridge Suites Montgomery - Downtown Hotel, 275 Lee Street Montgomery, AL 36104
**This tour can accommodate up to 4 single travelers. Single travelers must register and make payment through the single traveler link only. A single traveler does not share a hotel room
When registering, please make payment; without payment the system will drop you from the trip roster and your seat will not be confirmed. If paying by hard copy check, contact lifelonglearning@flagler.edu right after registering.
ITINERARY
- Saturday, Jan. 2, 2027 (check-in at 3 pm)
- Sunday, Jan. 3 (Montgomery: The Legacy Sites and Museum)
- Included hotel buffet breakfast
- 8:20 am - meet in the hotel lobby for an overview with Dr. Butler
- 8:40 am - walk to "The National Memorial for Peace and Justice" (10 min walk from hotel)
- 9:00-10:00 am -"The National Memorial for Peace and Justice" self-guided, mostly outdoors
- 10:00-10:30 am - shuttle to boat, 15-min boat ride with narration to next site ("Freedom Monument Sculpture Park")
- 10:30-11:30 am - "Freedom Monument Sculpture Park"- self guided, all outdoors with visitor center
- 11:30-12:00 pm - shuttle to next site: "The Legacy Museum"
- 12:00-12:15 pm - overview with Dr. Butler at the museum
- 12:15-4:00 pm - self-guided through museum (all inside) and lunch on your own on-site at "Pannie-Georgie's Kitchen" cafeteria style eatery
- 4:00 pm meet as a group and shuttle back to Memorial for Peace and Justice, walk back to the hotel
- Dinner and evening on your own
- Monday, Jan. 4 (Selma)
- Included hotel buffet breakfast
- 9:00 am - meet in lobby for overview with Dr. Butler
- 9:20 am - private bus pick-up for Selma, AL (Dr. Butler narrates on the bus)
- 9:45 am - stop at Lowndes Interpretive Center located along the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
- 9:45-11:00 am - film and self-guided time through the interpretive center
- 11:00 am - continue trip to Selma
- 11:30 am - group lunch with Foot Solider Program and bus tour through Selma
- 2:30 pm - walk across the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge (National Historic Landmark)
- 3:00 pm - bus back to Montgomery
- 3:45/4:00 pm - arrive back at hotel
- Dinner and evening on your own
- Tuesday, Jan. 5 (Montgomery)
- Included hotel buffet breakfast
- 8:00 am - meet in lobby for overview with Dr. Butler
- 8:15 am - walk to "The First White House of the Confederacy"
- 8:30-9:30 am - greetings and overview with docent; self-guided tour
- 9:30 am - walk to the Alabama state capitol (National Historic Landmark)
- 10:00-11:00 am - private guided group tour of the capitol building
- 11:00-11:15 am - walk to Southern Poverty Law Center/Civil Rights Memorial Center
- 11:15-12:15am - self-guided tour of the Civil Rights Memorial Center
- 12:15-1:30 pm - lunch on your own at Mama’s Lunch Sack or Chris’ Famous Hotdogs (both are nearby)
- 1:30-2:30 pm - walk to Freedom Rides Museum; self-guided tour
- 2:30 pm - walk to Rosa Parks Museum and Exhibit Center; self-guided tour
- Walk back to hotel: 5 minutes
- Later afternoon free
- 7:30 pm - meet for group farewell drink at Waterworks, rooftop bar in downtown historic district (5 min walk from hotel)
- Wednesday, Jan. 6
- Included hotel buffet breakfast
- Check-out by 11:00 a.m. (tour ends)
THIS TRIP IS NOW FULL. Please add your name to the waitlist.
