Civil Rights 3 Day Itinerary

May 2012

Civil Rights 3-day Itinerary Download & Print


Walk in the halls of Cedar Hill in Anacostia. Now the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, the house was once the private estate of the famous abolitionist and boasts sweeping views of the city. Nearby, the Anacostia Community Museum hosts collections on black life, and an exhibit on Negro League baseball. Zip to Union Station on the Metro and feast on soul food at B. Smith’s. Walk up Capitol Hill and browse the exhibits at Library of Congress. The world’s largest library houses the papers of Frederick Douglass and educator Booker T. Washington. Pay a visit to the Supreme Court, where many landmark decisions were delivered. You might even catch the court in action. Park it at the Emancipation Memorial in Lincoln Park on Capitol Hill. In front of a crowd that included then President Ulysses S. Grant, Frederick Douglass delivered the keynote address at its dedication in 1876. The park is also site of a memorial to education activist Mary McLeod Bethune.


Start with a tasty Southern breakfast at the Florida Avenue Grill. Stroll “The Yard” at Howard University, alma mater of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and actress Phylicia Rashad. Walk to Dupont Circle though the handsome Strivers Section, an upscale African American enclave at the turn of the 20th century. The flat-fronted row houses on the 1700 block of T Street, NW are among the earlier examples. Spy the Walt Whitman quotation from “The Wound-Dresser” carved into the north entrance of the Dupont Circle Metro station. The poet volunteered as a nurse in DC during the Civil War. Take the train to Farragut North, walk across Lafayette Park to the White House. Look for the Freedman's Bank. Frederick Douglass served as its president after the war. It’s an ideal stop before cocktails atop the W Hotel or a Lowcountry dinner (with a side of Southern hospitality) at Georgia Brown’s.


Catch the sunrise from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. A temple of contemplation, the building features 36 columns, one for each state in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. Find the plaque that marks the spot where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood when he addressed a crowd of 250,000 at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. Walk down the National Mall to Freedom Plaza, a popular rally dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who completed his "I Have a Dream" speech at the nearby Willard Intercontinental Hotel. Once the sun goes down, chill out on U Street. Grab a “half-smoke” at Ben's Chili Bowl - Bill Cosby does when he’s in town. Stop by the African American Civil War Memorial then settle in for some jazz at Bohemian Caverns or HR-57.

Civil Rights 3-day Itinerary Download & Print