Atlanta has been called the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement, and that takes a literal turn with a visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. Birth Home. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in this 1895 Queen Anne house on Auburn Avenue, and a visit to the restored two-story home offers a glimpse into the early years of the future legend. The home is operated by the National Parks Service, and scheduling a guided tour with an NPS ranger is the best way to get a sense of the family traditions that shaped MLK. You can follow his life’s journey with stops along the same street, including the sanctuary of Ebenezer Baptist Church where King, his father, and grandfather all preached, and King’s final resting place, the crypt at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. (Note: The Center is undergoing renovation in advance of the 2018 50th anniversary of King’s assassination, so the crypt may occasionally be off-limits due to construction.) Birth Home: 501 Auburn Avenue, 404-331-5190, nps.gov/malu; Ebenezer: 101 Jackson Street, 404-688-7300, ebenezeratl.org; King Center: 449 Auburn Avenue, 404-526-8900, thekingcenter.org
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