10 places every kid should see

By Sean O’Neill | Budget Travel – Tue, May 29, 2012 7:28 PM EDT

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Birmingham, Alabama

Our nation’s civil rights history is chronicled at this Birmingham museum, which places the ’50s and ’60s in a context that today’s children can understand. There are compelling artifacts on display to illustrate segregation such as a set of “colored” and “white” drinking fountains. The exhibits don’t gloss over the tragedies of the civil rights’ era, and include the story of four young girls killed in a bombing at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, right across the street from the museum. The galleries do include hopeful notes, including a video recording of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. 520 Sixteenth St. North, 205-328-9696, bcri.org. Adults, $12; kids, grades 4-12, $3.