I was excited to wake up on Thursday, December 7th not only because God woke me up but also because it was the day that I was headed out to tour the City of Atlanta with Toyota while on their Black History Road Trip Tour! I’ve been living in Atlanta for over 10 years now but I am about an hour away from the city, so it’s not every day that I get to see a lot of what Atlanta has to offer. When I first moved here, I did tour Martin Luther King’s birth home but that was pretty much it. So I was very appreciative that Toyota put together a guided Civil Rights Tour that gave us a bit more in depth look on what happened back in the day plus we were able to actually walk around many historical properties, learn about each place and so much more!
I really loved learning about Martin Luther King’s last place of residency which I never knew about! The home is run by the King family and still looks really good! It’s located at 234 Sunset Ave NW, Atlanta, Ga and they also still have his original cars he drove in, parked inside the garage in mint condition. Take a peek at all the places we stopped at, it was an amazing experience! Thanks to Toyota and Precise Communications for putting on such a great event!
Our chipper tour guide Tom Houck, so sweet! From 1965-1971 he worked with the NAACP, SCLC and VEP across the nation. He also was an aide for Dr. Martin Luther King until his assassination in 1968. He was also his driver and personal assistant.
She sang negro spiritual songs along the way, great voice!
Martin Luther King’s birth home
Tour Stops Included:
Sweet Auburn District and MLK National Site
Atlanta University Center
Rush Memorial Church
Ebenezer Baptist Church
State Capital and City Hall
Mayor Jackson’s Home
Magnolia Ballroom
Southview Cemetery
Paschal’s Restaurant
Martin Luther King’s last residence
Tom talked about being a teenager when he first started working for the MLK family and getting harassed for working for African Americans. He was a wealth of information on our tour.
Lunch time at Paschal’s…Located downtown Atlanta, in the Castleberry Hill Arts District, Paschal’s has a rich history that dates back to 1947 when the Paschal brothers, James and Robert Paschal opened their first location at 831 West Hunter Street in Atlanta, Georgia. The brothers decided ‘Fried Chicken’ would be the specialty of the house, and with that mandate, Robert created his ‘secret recipe’.
Paschal’s Restaurant became the ‘meeting place’ for some of the most notable entertainers, politicians, and business people, including Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Andrew Young, Maynard Jackson, Vice President Al Gore, and Dr. Martin Luther King just to name a few. In 2002, James Paschal and Herman J. Russell would join forces to create a 21st century version of Paschal’s Restaurant located in the Castleberry Hill area.
Mr. Marshall Slack shared stories with us about his youth and how he didn’t like going to school. He would get into lots of trouble but the Paschal brothers gave him a chance and he turned his life around. He went on to graduate from high school and college. Great story!
Here’s a tidbit of info on King’s residence. Corretta King lived there until 2005 that she and Dr. king bought in 1965 after a series of burglaries. Corretta, then 77, moved to a condominium in Buckhead, which was said to be a gift from “a very dear friend.” Being
Oprah Winfrey. (not sure if that was shared from the tour)
*correction*.. the move was earlier than 2005. sometime in the 90’s i think.