Road Scholar Adds Two Civil Rights Tours for 2027

Road Scholar will launch two new educational tours focused on the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in 2027. The trips will visit New Orleans, Jackson, Memphis, and Nashville, with first departures scheduled for May. The company introduced its original Civil Rights Movement program in 2017, routing travelers through Alabama and Georgia. Nearly 550 participants joined that itinerary in 2025.

One tour, titled “Rhythm of Resistance:

Civil Rights & Jazz in New Orleans,” will examine the city’s role in the movement and the development of jazz. Participants will visit Preservation Hall, the Tremé neighborhood, and Whitney Plantation. The second program, “The Civil Rights Movement in Jackson, Memphis & Nashville,” will include stops at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, the National Museum of African American Music, the Medgar Evers home, and the Emmett Till Interpretive Center.

“A civil rights and jazz program in New Orleans offers a powerful new way to experience the city by connecting two of its most influential legacies,” said Lindsey Temple, program operations director at Road Scholar. “This program was created to connect people with the living history of the Civil Rights Movement across Jackson, Memphis, and Nashville—places where ordinary individuals made extraordinary choices that helped shape our nation,” said Bobbie Duncan of the Center for Educational Adventure, which partners with Road Scholar.

Both new tours and future dates of the original Alabama-Georgia program are now open for booking.