Destination: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Life and Legacy

Destination: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Life and Legacy

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – legacy and leadership can be visited and experienced around the U.S. During our country’s semiquincentennial (America’s 250th birthday) it’s the perfect time to explore and visit our historic sites. America’s stories are told in the places listed below.

A Traveler’s Guide to His Life & Legacy

Museums • Homes • Churches • Memorials • Historic Trails

1. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park

Address: 450 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312 Website: https://www.nps.gov/malu Phone: (404) 331‑5190 Historic Tenet: Preserves the heart of Dr. King’s early life and ministry — birthplace, church, and neighborhood that shaped the philosophy of nonviolence and justice. Suggested Visit Length: 2–3 hours U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin — issued to honor his leadership and legacy in the Civil Rights Movement.

2. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birth Home

Address: 501 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312 Website: https://www.nps.gov/malu/planyourvisit/birthhome.htm Phone: (404) 331‑5190 Historic Tenet: The home where Dr. King was born in 1929 and spent his childhood, shaped by faith, discipline, and a deep sense of social responsibility. Suggested Visit Length: 45 minutes – 1 hour U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin

3. The King Center (Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change)

Address: 449 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312 Website: https://thekingcenter.org Phone: (404) 526‑8900 Historic Tenet: Houses Dr. King’s tomb and archives and promotes his philosophy of nonviolent social change worldwide. Suggested Visit Length: 1–2 hours U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin; 1994 Civil Rights Act Commemorative Silver Dollar — honoring legislative triumphs born from King’s movement.

4. Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church

Address: 407 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312 Website: https://www.nps.gov/malu/planyourvisit/ebenezer.htm Phone: (404) 688‑7300 Historic Tenet: Spiritual home of the King family and pulpit where Dr. King preached equality, dignity, and moral courage. Suggested Visit Length: 30–45 minutes U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin

***5. National Civil Rights Museum (Lorraine Motel) – Highlighted on our show

Address: 450 Mulberry St, Memphis, TN 38103 Website: https://www.civilrightsmuseum.org Phone: (901) 521‑9699 Historic Tenet: Built around the Lorraine Motel, site of Dr. King’s assassination. Chronicles slavery, segregation, resistance, and the final chapter of King’s life. Suggested Visit Length: 2–3 hours U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin; 1994 Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar

6. Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ)

Address: 938 Mason St, Memphis, TN 38126 Website: https://cogic.org Phone: (901) 946‑5013 Historic Tenet: Site of Dr. King’s final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” delivered the night before his assassination. Suggested Visit Length: 30–45 minutes U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin

7. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Address: 1964 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024 Website: https://www.nps.gov/mlkm Phone: (202) 426‑6841 Historic Tenet: The monumental “Stone of Hope” honors King’s leadership between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials — a symbolic bridge of American freedom. Suggested Visit Length: 30 minutes – 1 hour U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin

8. Lincoln Memorial

Address: 2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW, Washington, DC 20037 Website: https://www.nps.gov/linc Phone: (202) 426‑6841 Historic Tenet: Site of the 1963 March on Washington and the “I Have a Dream” speech — one of the defining moments in American history. Suggested Visit Length: 30–45 minutes U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cents — honoring the legacy King invoked in his speech.

9. Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church

Address: 410 Martin Luther King St, Selma, AL 36701 Website: https://brownchapelame.org Phone: (334) 874‑2650 Historic Tenet: Headquarters of the Selma Voting Rights Movement and launch point of the marches that changed American democracy. Suggested Visit Length: 30–45 minutes U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 1994 Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar

10. Edmund Pettus Bridge

Address: U.S. Highway 80, Selma, AL 36701 Website: https://www.nps.gov/semo Phone: (334) 877‑1989 Historic Tenet: Site of “Bloody Sunday,” whose violence shocked the nation and led directly to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Suggested Visit Length: 20–30 minutes U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 1994 Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar

11. Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church

Address: 454 Dexter Ave, Montgomery, AL 36104 Website: https://www.dexterkingmemorial.org Phone: (334) 263‑3970 Historic Tenet: Dr. King’s first pastorate and command center of the Montgomery Bus Boycott — where a young minister became a national leader. Suggested Visit Length: 30–45 minutes U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 1994 Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar

12. Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail

Address (Trail Start): Brown Chapel A.M.E., Selma, AL Website: https://www.nps.gov/semo Phone: (334) 877‑1989 Historic Tenet: The 54‑mile pilgrimage route of the 1965 voting rights marches — a living monument to courage and citizenship. Suggested Visit Length: Half‑day to full‑day (select segments) U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 1994 Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar

13. Morehouse College – Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel & Campus

Address: 830 Westview Dr SW, Atlanta, GA 30314

Website: https://www.morehouse.eduMLK Chapel Info: https://morehouse.edu/about/chapel/

Phone: (404) 681-2800

Historic Tenet:Morehouse College is where Dr. King’s intellect, theology, and leadership were forged. As a student here in the 1940s, King studied under legendary educators and sharpened the moral philosophy that would guide the Civil Rights Movement. The MLK International Chapel stands as a spiritual and academic monument to his legacy and the global struggle for justice.

Suggested Visit Length: 45 minutes – 1 hour

14. Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Birthplace & Museum

Address: 1635 Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Dr, Greenwood, SC 29646

Website: https://www.benjaminemayshistoricpreservation.org

Phone: (864) 223-5397

Historic Tenet:Dr. Benjamin E. Mays was the towering intellectual and spiritual mentor to Dr. King — often called “the schoolmaster of the movement.” As president of Morehouse College, Mays shaped King’s theology, discipline, and philosophy of nonviolence. This modest birthplace museum tells the story of the man who taught King how to think, lead, and stand morally unshaken. Without Mays, there is no King.

Suggested Visit Length: 30–45 minutes

One‑Page MLK Travel Map – Classic Civil Rights Pilgrimage

ATLANTA, GEORGIA Birth Home → Ebenezer Baptist Church → The King Center → National Historical Park Time Needed: 1–2 days

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE Mason Temple → Lorraine Motel / National Civil Rights Museum Time Needed: 1 full day

ALABAMA CORRIDOR Montgomery (Dexter Avenue Church) → Selma (Brown Chapel & Edmund Pettus Bridge) → Selma‑to‑Montgomery Trail Time Needed: 1–2 days

WASHINGTON, D.C. Lincoln Memorial → Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial → National Mall Time Needed: Half day

Featured U.S. Mint Coins for the Journey

• 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin – Primary commemorative honoring Dr. King
• 1994 Civil Rights Act Commemorative Silver Dollar – Celebrates the movement King helped lead
• 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cents – Connects King’s dream to Lincoln’s promise

My favorite medal with Dr. King and Coretta King

Minted by the U.S. Mint is: U.S. Mint Bronze Medal — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & Coretta Scott King

It is all about – Love, Leadership, and the Legacy of a Movement

Official Name – Martin Luther King Jr. & Coretta Scott King Bronze MedalUnited States Mint – Presidential Spouse Medal Series (unofficial commemorative medal). Issued in 1999.

This rare U.S. Mint bronze medal honors not only the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but the partnership that sustained a movement.

Coretta Scott King was far more than a supportive spouse — she was a strategist, organizer, activist, and international ambassador for justice. After Dr. King’s assassination, she became the chief guardian of his legacy, founding The King Center and expanding the global reach of nonviolent change.

The medal’s dual portrait captures something no monument ever quite does:a marriage that helped move a nation.

Together, Martin and Coretta King represent faith and courage, intellect and compassion, protest and perseverance — the human partnership behind the Civil Rights Movement.

Here’s a bit about the metal design: Obverse:Facing portraits of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, rendered in dignified profile — a rare joint tribute honoring both leadership and legacy. Reverse:Inscriptions honoring peace, justice, and civil rights, often featuring symbolic laurel wreaths and commemorative wording celebrating their shared contribution to American history.

I think this medal matters during our semiquincentennial because most U.S. Mint tributes honor individuals. This one honors a movement marriage.It recognizes:

• The power of partnership in leadership

• The indispensable role of women in civil rights

• The t...