Suggested Itineraries: African-American History and Heritage Tour

Day One:

Arrive mid-day just in time for lunch.

Eat at one of Little Rock’s great restaurants. With over 500 to choose from your group can enjoy everything from BBQ and down-home southern cooking to fine continental cuisine.

After lunch, tour the Central High School National Historic Site. The visitor center opened in September 1997 to mark the anniversary of the high school’s desegregation, when nine African-American students entered the school under federal protection. In 1957 the school became a crucial battleground in the struggle for civil rights. The nation watched as the “Little Rock Nine” attempted to enter the previously all-white school. With the help of television news, the events commanded worldwide attention. Dramatic images of the conflict, along with the school’s façade, seared themselves into the public’s memory. Little Rock came to symbolize the federal government’s commitment to eliminating separate systems of education for blacks and whites. Located in a former Mobile Service Station across the street from the school, the visitor center contains the exhibit, “All the World is Watching Us: Little Rock and the 1957 Crisis.” Admission is free, but call in advance for guided tours at 501-374-1957.

Check in to the Little Rock hotel of your choice for a little rest, relaxation, and refreshment before departing for dinner and evening entertainment. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse has been serving up a heaping helping of smash hit Broadway comedies and musicals, along with an all you can eat buffet, for over thirty years!

Day Two:

Breakfast at the hotel and check out.

After breakfast enjoy a city driving tour. Highlights of the driving tour include:

• Philander Smith College – 813 West 13th Street – was established in 1877 by the United Methodist Church to educate former slaves, Philander Smith sits on a twelve-square block campus in the beautiful historic Quapaw Quarter.
• Arkansas Baptist College – 1600 Bishop was founded in 1884 by the Colored Baptists of the state of Arkansas at the annual convention in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The school, originally labeled “Ministers Institute” was opened in November 1884 at Mount Zion Baptist Church. By 1887 the demands of the institute were so great that a block of land was purchased for $5,000 at 16th and High Streets, several buildings were erected, and the name of the school was changed to Arkansas Baptist College.
• From 1929-1955 Dunbar Junior/High School – 1100 Wright Avenue was a segregated high school and was considered the premier school for blacks in Arkansas. Its college preparatory liberal arts curriculum, combined with a vocational education track, made it the only black secondary school in the state accredited by the North Central Association for Secondary Schools and Colleges.
• The Ish House – 16th and Scott Streets - Dr. G.W. Ish made many contributions to society, the state of Arkansas, and the African-American community. One of his greatest accomplishments was his role in the introduction of the drugs isoniazid and streptomycin for the treatment of tuberculosis.
• The Daisy Bates House, a National Historic Landmark located at 1207 West 28th Street. Daisy Bates and her husband, owners of the Arkansas State Press, the only African-American newspaper in the state, were instrumental in the civil rights struggle in Little Rock as well as the entire state.
• First Missionary Baptist Church – 7th and Gaines was organized by former slaves in 1845 and is reportedly the oldest black congregation in Arkansas. The current building was constructed in 1882.
• Taborian Hall – 9th and State Streets - was constructed in 1916 by an African-American contractor and considered the hub of the African-American business community in the city. It served as the headquarters for the Arkansas Chapter of the Knights and Daughters of Tabor, a national fraternity. The building’s third floor “Dreamland Ballroom” was often the scene for African-American nightlife. Famous entertainers from the “Chittlin’ Circuit” who performed there included Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and many others. Any of Little Rock’s fine receptive service tour companies can provide step-on guides at reasonable rates to give your group a first-rate sightseeing tour! Allot between 2 and 3 hours.

Tour the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park – President William J. Clinton’s solid relationship with African-Americans began during his years in Arkansas politics and continued throughout his presidency. It is particularly appropriate that once he left the White House, Clinton would further the relationship by opening an office in Harlem, New York, the most famous dominantly black district in the country. During his administration, Clinton appointed more African-Americans to his cabinet and other federal posts than any other president in history, earning respect and admiration for both his words and deeds. His association with the black community would lead writer and poet Toni Morrison to proclaim him, “the nation’s first black president.” Arkansans embraced this statement in 2002 as they named Bill Clinton, the former President, an honorary inductee of the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. The following year, Clinton was named a winner of the National Civil Rights Museum’s annual Freedom Award. For more information, call 501-370-5050.

DON’T MISS THESE ATTRACTIONS

• Arkansas Arts Center
• Arkansas State Capitol
• EMOBA (Ernie’s Museum of Black Arkansans and Performing Arts)
• Historic Arkansas Museum
• IMAX/Aerospace Education Center
• Little Rock Visitor Information Center at Historic Curran Hall
• Little Rock Zoo
• MacArthur Museum of Military History
• Museum of Discovery
• Old State House Museum
• UALR Fine Arts Gallery

AND ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS

• Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre
• Arkansas Repertory Theatre
• Arkansas Symphony Orchestra
• Artspree at UALR
• Ballet Arkansas
• Broadway Theatre Series/Celebrity Attractions
• Shakespeare Festival of Arkansas
• Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts

LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE

• Heifer International—Dedicated to the erradication of hunger worldwide, the Global Headquarters building, phase one, is scheduled to open in Spring 2006. Phase two consists of a global village where tourists will be able to visit villages from the countries Heifer serves.
• Mosaic Templars Cultural Center—National Headquarters Building for the Mosiac Templars - the center will tell the story of the Mosaic Templars Headquarters Building (lost in a fire in 2005), the original Templars organization, and the once-vibrant black business corridor of Ninth Street and the neighboring community.