Tuskegee Day Trips Are Loaded With History 

Tuskegee day trips, while not quite as historic as Selma or Montgomery, are a very close third as this small city is also very rich in both Alabama as well as National history.

Located just Northeast off of US I-65, it is actually on old US Highway 80 as well as US Highway 29.

Tuskegee AlabamaTuskegee Alabama

It is only 39 miles from Montgomery, 31 miles from Auburn, and about 129 miles from Birmingham.

This puts it within 2 hours of most of Alabama’s central and southern cities.

The Best of the Tuskegee Day Trips

Tuskegee Welcome SignThe City Limits of Tuskegee

This small town was founded in 1833 by General Thomas Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, and was immediately made the county seat.

It has been extremely important to both the African American history, as well as parts of the Civil Rights Movement history, but to a lesser extent.

Prior to the Civil war, the areas were plantations and cotton farms, and was very heavy in the usage of slaves.

After the Civil War, even after they were freed, most all of the former slaves stayed in the area.

In the year 1881, Tuskegee Normal School, which was devoted to agriculture, was opened.

It is now known as Tuskegee University and is a predominately black University.

Founded by Lewis Adams, a former slave whose father was a slave owner, he allowed him to be educated.

The founding and first principal were Booker T. Washington, who went on to build a national reputation as one of the most educated agricultural men in the country.

 While not as famous as Selma or Montgomery for the Civil War of the Civil Rights movement, it has made its history in several different other ways.

Here is the first list of historic sites in Tuskegee

  • The Tuskegee Airman National Historic Site at Moton Field
  • The University of Tuskegee Institute
  • George Washington Carver Museum
  • The Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site
  • The City of Tuskegee Historic District
  • The Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center

By the year 1881, the young Booker T. Washington helped to start the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers.

It was a very ironic situation, as the school itself covered the grounds of an old plantation that was worked by slaves prior to the civil war.

It was started to help teach the teachers on how to work in a segregation school system, as well as for freedmen for self -sufficiency.

Over the decades, the programs that Washing started were expanded, which led to the name Tuskegee Institute.

One of the most interesting of the Tuskegee day trips is the George Washington Carver Museum that has numerous exhibits and paintings.

George Washington Carver grew in fame for his knowledge of agriculture, especially with peanuts and sweet potatoes.

However, perhaps the most interesting of all of the Tuskegee day trips is the Tuskegee Airman National Historic Site and the history that surrounds it.

Started in 1941 when African Americans were not allowed to fly in any branch of the US military, this program was about to change history.

Originally started as an “experiment”, it proved to be extremely successful, and the Tuskegee Airmen laid the groundwork for black pilots in the military and commercial ranks.

There Are More Tuskegee Day Trips to Experience

The Park Headquarters at the Tuskegee Institute Historical SiteTuskegee Institute

While the above historic sites are the best known for this small and quant southern town, there are others, and they include the following:

  • The Butler Chapel AME Zion Church
  • The Tuskegee Repertory Theater
  • The Tuskegee City Lake
  • The Kinks Old Farm Museum
  • VictoryLand Greyhound Park

The Butler Chapel AME Zion Church is best known as the site of protests in 1957 for the States gerrymandering of the city.

However, there is a lot more to this church.

It was founded in 1865 by the Rev John M. Butler, and there were at least two earlier church buildings built in 1867 and 1887.

There is a shanty on the grounds of the church that was the birthplace of the Tuskegee Normal School, which is now Tuskegee University.

It was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1985, and the National Register of Historic Places in 1995,

While not a historic place in any stretch of the imagination, perhaps the most popular of all the Tuskegee day trips is VictoryLand Greyhound Park.

This is one of the few Greyhound racing and gambling parks in the entire south and it is not only a day trip destination for a lot of people, but also a vacation destination.

While Tuskegee is not a big city or as famous as some of its nearby neighbors, it still has a lot of history to see.

This alone makes it one of the most popular of the Alabama backroad destinations.

 References

 Richard B. Sobol, "Reviewed Work: Gomillion versus Lightfoot: The Tuskegee Gerrymander Case by Bernard Taper"Columbia Law Review Vol. 62, No. 4 (Apr., 1962), 

Related Pages

The George Washington Carver Museum

This very interesting Museum is located at 1212 West Montgomery Road in Tuskegee Alabama, just north of old US highway 29.

Vegetable Wagon at The George Washington Carver MuseumVegetable Wagon at The George Washington Carver Museum

Continue Reading About The George Washington Carver Museum


Tuskegee National Historic Site

The Tuskegee National Historic Site, now operated by the National Park Service, was named and founded after the pioneering Tuskegee Airmen.

Moton Field in Tuskegee AlabamaMoton Field in Tuskegee Alabama

Continue Reading About Tuskegee National Historic Site

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