Although Black History Month is celebrated in February, our story is shared year-round across the world. Black history spreads across continents, cultures, and centuries. It is so complex and interesting that there is something for everyone. Here are 6 diverse destinations to help travelers delve deeper into African American history and culture:
Washington DC
National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC)
The National Museum of African American History & Culture was a long time coming! It was authorized in 2003, the site was selected in 2006, and the museum was open for business in 2016. The NMAAHC is a well organized, comprehensive, and interactive destination for African American History. Its 12 exhibits cover slavery, civil rights, segregation, religion, sports, visual and performing arts, entertainment, community, and family. One visit is not enough to comb through over 400 years of artifacts and historical information. We spent approximately 4 hours at the museum and didn’t even scratch the surface. It’s so easy to get captivated by just one exhibit. A huge bonus was the museum restaurant, Sweet Home Café. This restaurant highlights tasty traditional African American foods from the North, the Agricultural South, Creole Coast, and the West Range regions.
Ghana
Elmina Castle
Situated on the gulf coast of Ghana, is the white-washed medieval-style Elmina Castle. On the outside you will find beautiful blue skies and waters, sandy beaches, and tropical palm trees, but inside is the dark memory of the hundreds of thousands of Africans enslaved, tortured, and shipped throughout the Americas. If there is one thing I was taught over and over again in grade school–it was the history of African slavery. But having that background textbook knowledge couldn’t prepare my heart for the walk through the poorly ventilated, dark dungeons my ancestors were placed in. Although this was a rough visit for me, it was a transformative experience.
Read more about my visit to Elmina here.
New Orleans, LA
The Whitney Plantation
There is an abundance of plantations in Louisiana, but the Whitney Plantation is unique in that it’s the only one that focuses on the experience of the enslaved people. According to our tour guide, a majority of plantations in Louisiana focus on superficial details like the chinaware in the Big House and not on the meaningful lives of enslaved people. The two-hour guided tour walks you through the museum exhibits, restored buildings, and first-person narratives. You’ll leave with a strong sense of what it was like to be an enslaved person in Louisiana.
Read more about my experience in New Orleans here.
Durham, NC
Black Wall Street
In the early 1900s, Parrish Street in Durham, North Carolina was the core of African American business, better known as Black Wall Street. It was a four-block district named in reference to New York City Wall Street, which houses the New York Stock Exchange and renowned financial firms. There were cities with similar districts to Black Wall Street, however Durham’s was the most integral, and nationally recognized. Parrish street surrounded the Hayti community, Durham’s primary African American residential district. Together, the two districts served as a hub of Black life in Durham. Currently, there are six bronze sculptures celebrating the history of this street.
Greensboro, NC
International Civil Rights Center & Museum
The International Civil Rights Center & Museum is dedicated to international struggle for civil and human rights. The Museum is located in Greensboro, North Carolina in the F.W. Woolworth retail store. Woolworth was the site of the nonviolent protests led by four freshmen from N.C. A&T State University in 1960. The freshmen sat down at the “whites only” lunch counter and challenged the laws of segregation. Their bold actions served as an impetus for the civil rights movement.
Wakanda*
Marvel’s Black Panther
While Wakanda is a fictional country in Africa, the effects of Marvel’s Black Panther movie are real. With its majority Black cast and creatives, the world received a film we haven’t seen before. This film doesn’t thrive off negative stereotypes of Black people, but instead is a film where Black kids can rejoice in seeing superheros and scientists that look like them, a film where natural black beauty is celebrated, a film dedicated to the empowerment of the Black community. In short, the film gave me LIFE! Black Panther made history in the box office surpassing $700 million worldwide in ticket sales by its 2nd weekend. More so, Disney donated $1 million dollars to expand Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programming in Boys & Girls Club Of America in celebration of Black Panther’s success. Representation matters and it makes a huge impact. No this film won’t undo all the years of systematic injustice towards African Americans, but it is a step in the right direction. It is truly a cultural event the world needed to see and experience.
What I wore to Wakanda!
These are places that I’ve visited and recommend, but I know there are tons of other places to add to this list! I would love to hear about it in my comment box below!
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What a great list!! I’ve only been to two of the places on this list — NMAAHC and Wakanda. I will definitely explore the other places that you mentioned. #WakandaForever
Thank you!! Wakanda forever!!! <3
Thank you for this! I feel like if we visit the States, we HAVE to go and visit some of these places.
The Whitney Plantation sounds really interesting and upsetting all at once. I am embarrassed to say I didn’t even know about Black Wall Street. I have so much to learn!
Us folks from the UK need to learn more about the UKs role in slavery as well. I always thought it was a US thing when I was growing up…but we have our share of horrifying history too. Hopefully this century will be a massive improvement. But that’ll only happen if we learn enough history to avoid making the same mistakes.
You’re welcome! Yes please include some of these in your U.S.A. itinerary. Black History is a huge part of American History. And don’t be embarrassed about not knowing about Black Wall Street. I honestly didn’t know about it until five years ago when I moved to NC. So many countries played a role in the slave trade. I have faith that we will see improvement in injustice in this century. We have enough resources to learn about these dark stories and make changes!
What a journey! I would find these sights interesting and I think I’d be left heartbroken by all the stories 🙁 I haven’t seen the Black Panther yet as I’ve been travelling, but I will the first chance I get!! So glad it made an impact!
It’s definitely a heartbreaking history, but it deserves to be shared with the masses. I hope you enjoy Black Panther!
I’m going to Wakanda this weekend! 🙂
I haven’t been back to DC since before the NMAAHC was even conceptualized, but would love to spend a few days discovering all it has to offer. I visited a plantation in New Orleans, but was amazed at how little information they provided about the slaves that lived on the property. Like you said, they were more concerned about showing off the big house. I’d love to go back and check out the Whitney Plantation.
Yayy Wakanda Forever! Sounds like a great plan to spend a few days exploring the NMAAHC, it’s impossible to see it all in a day. The Whitney Plantation was a memorable experience. Def. check it out!
This topic has always interested me… I love that there are places to raise awareness and to remember what has happened in the last centuries.
I would love to visit these destination in the future!
Raising awareness is so critical. It puts our current state of affairs in perspective! I hope you get to check out these places soon.
Really interesting list and well researched! I definitely want to visit the museum next time I’m in DC – the museum restaurants/cafes there all do a great job (loved the fry bread at the Native American museum) and it sounds like this one is no exception.
Thank you! I was super impressed by that restaurant. And fry bread sounds amazing. I need to check that out the next time I visit the Native American museum.
What a great list! I need to visit North Carolina ASAP! I only have a few states left and I want to visit badly. I haven’t seen Black Panther yet, but I will when I get a chance. I’ve been to NOLA and the culture there is amazing and to imagine what it used to be like with the old and abandoned plantations just leaves me speechless. It breaks my heart, but every story has a past. Thank you for taking the time for educating people and informing them of these important places to visit.
Thank you! And you’re welcome it is important to learn about history because it explains a lot about current affairs as well. Hope you get to visit NC and see Black Panther soon!
This was such a great post! I had only heard of the NMAAHC and Elmina Castle. I can’t believe I hadn’t heard about the rest. I will definitely add all these places to my list as I haven’t been to any of them yet. Well… except Wakanda lol!
Thank you!! I’m glad you’ve been to Wakanda! And I hope you make it to the other destinations on the list soon :).
This list is fantastic. I like the fact that the plantation tour focuses on the slaves’ lives rather than the pointless info about decor details inside. That’s the important history that we need to learn from.
Thank you! I agree, it was so mind-boggling to hear that this was the only plantation tour that focused on slaves’ lives. I would have thought that would be a given, and the decor details a secondary focus.
This is so interesting. I always thought that Atlanta, GA was the centre of black commerce. I’d love to visit NC and learn all about it. I also clearly need to go and see Black Panther. We haven’t had a chance to go to cinema in a couple of months but it sounds so good! I love that Disney has taken some of that profit and put it to good use.
Yes, I was also surprised to learn about NC’s prominent role in Black commerce! There is a lot interesting history in NC. And yess, I hope you get to see Black Panther soon. This is the first time in a while that I have seen a movie in theaters that I wouldn’t mind seeing again.