This post contains affiliate links.
Down to 6 states left, I flew to Alabama with a couple of friends. Known as The Yellowhammer State, the name originated during the Civil War when a company of troops “paraded in uniforms trimmed in bits of bright yellow cloth,” reminding people of the birds called yellowhammers. Another name I’ve heard is the Heart of Dixie, based on Alabama’s position among the southern states. The name Alabama is likely the combination of two words from the Choctaw tribe: Alba (vegetation) and Amo (gatherers).
We had a very educational experience in Alabama.
Birmingham, AL
The Civil Rights Museum is downtown.
Across the street is the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, which was at the center of the Civil Rights Movement. It is here that many marches and demonstrations began. It was bombed on September 15, 1963, killing four young girls. A great realistic fiction book that gives one perspective of this is The Watson’s Go to Birmingham.
Montgomery, AL
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice & The Legacy Museum
This memorial and museum was raw and, at times, overwhelming. It was also very humbling and important and the pictures do not do it justice.
The Rosa Parks Museum
The Rosa Parks Museum is also in Montgomery and doesn’t take long to visit. While Rosa Parks bravery isn’t news to me, I hadn’t known that she was a plant and her choice to remain seated was well planned. In fact, it wasn’t supposed to be Rosa Parks who didn’t give up her seat, but a woman named Claudette Colvin. You can find her story here.
Oxford, MS
From there we drove to Oxford, Mississippi, a college town – Home to Ole Miss – with a cute little walkable downtown. Mississippi is The Magnolia State, but unfortunately we didn’t see any magnolias where we were. However, we did see the former home of Nobel Prize winning Author William Faulkner. While his books can be challenging to read, As I Lay Dying is slightly easier. Staying at the Graduate Hotel in Oxford was a great choice. They had a shuttle that would take you to dinner and pick you up, among other things.
Tupelo, MS
An hour or so from Oxford is the town of Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis and home of the famous smash burger found at the Neon Pig. Delish.
It’s an easy drive from Tupelo into Memphis (past Graceland, of course) and my flight home.
