12 Travel Destinations to Celebrate Black History Month in 2022

Tuesday marks the start of Black History Month, an annual tradition and time to celebrate the impact and central role of African Americans throughout U.S. history. Travelers will have numerous chances to learn, pay homage and celebrate all across the country all February long but there are some places that are not to be missed. Here's a look at the top travel destinations to experience Black History Month in 2022.

Memphis is a must for travelers seeking to dive into the past and celebrate Black History and culture in the present day. Of course, visitors can't miss the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, the site of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination in 1968. Now a spectacular museum, it boasts hundreds of artifacts as well as interactive media covering an incredible five centuries of history, from slavery to 2022's modern-day issues. Visitors can also experience the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum housed inside the historic Burkle Estate, visit the oldest African-American congregation in the city at First Baptist Beale Street and celebrate music legends at The Stax Museum of American Soul Music.

A former epicenter of the North American slave trade and now a hub for Black culture, community and history, Richmond offers travelers a handful of informative and inspiring attractions and experiences in the form of the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, the self-guided Richmond Slave Trail, the American Civil War Museum and the Jackson Ward neighborhood, which is considered the Harlem of the South. The city's lengthy list of historic monuments and mesmerizing murals are also sure to attract travelers this February.

Atlanta is a city steeped in Black History and one that offers no shortage of unique experiences this winter, whether touring the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park that includes MLK's birth home, reveling in the city's annual Black History Month Parade downtown or dining and shopping while supporting Black-owned businesses at the New Black Wall Street in nearby Stonecrest. Visitors can also educate themselves at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and treat their taste buds at any number of Black-owned restaurants throughout the city.

Travelers can immerse themselves in Gullah culture and history this February on South Carolina's Hilton Head Island. Visit the first self-governed town of formerly enslaved people in the U.S. at Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, take part in the 26th Annual Gullah Celebration to view original works and Gullah artifacts and book an interactive Gullah Heritage Tour to learn more about the traditional history, food, music and language. Visitors to Hilton Head will also want to stop by Ruby Lee's South for mouthwatering soul food and live blues, jazz and soul music performed by local artists.

The nation's capital presents visitors with limitless possibilities when it comes to learning more about the African American experience, from the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the National Mall to the towering Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in West Potomac Park. The city's new Black Lives Matter Plaza on 16th Street is another must-visit site while the African American Civil War Museum marks the country's only memorial to African American Civil War soldiers.

The Music City also offers travelers plenty of opportunities to celebrate Black History, including at attractions like the Tennessee State Museum and the new National Museum of African American Music, which relies on integrated history and interactive technology to educate visitors about dozens of music genres and sub-genres and the important role African Americans have played in shaping all genres of American music. Travelers can even experience the many informative and inspiring Black History and Civil Rights walking tours taking place throughout Nashville this February.

The state of Mississippi, specifically the Mississippi Freedom Trail is an excellent idea for travelers seeking to learn, honor and celebrate Black History in the South this February. It's not just in Jackson, but places like Money (the site of 14-year-old Emmett Till's lynching in 1955), Holly Springs (home of the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum) and Hattiesburg (site of the largest 'Freedom Summer' voter registration drive in the state) among others.

Fans of street art looking to celebrate Black History Month somewhere warm will love Phoenix. Visitors to the city's walkable downtown area will find dozens of colorful murals celebrating Black heroes and icons of all kinds, including activists, athletes, musicians and more. This year's murals will include key figures such as Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Simone Biles and even the NBA's Phoenix Suns and will be completed by February 11. In addition to the free murals, visitors to Phoenix can anticipate a slew of exciting music and arts festivals popping throughout the area like the Black History Art Fest in nearby Mesa and the Arizona Black Heritage Music Experience in Maricopa.

Alabama offers travelers countless special experiences this Black History Month, including historic landmarks and can't-miss sites like the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery. The home of the Civil Rights Movement, Montgomery, is also that of the Rosa Parks Library and Museum, the Freedom Rides Museum and restaurants carrying tremendous historical and cultural significance such as Chris' Hotdogs and Brenda's Bar-Be-Que Pit. To the north, Birmingham is where travelers will find the namesake Civil Rights Institute and National Monument and yet another National Historic Landmark in the 16th Street Baptist Church.

Baltimore has either hosted or played a vital role in the legacies of a handful of famous and important African American figures throughout history, including Frederick Douglass, Billie Holiday and Thurgood Marshall, among others. Plus, the city boasts several museums, murals and attractions paying homage to African American art, culture and history such as the James E. Lewis Museum of Art at Morgan State University and National Great Blacks in Wax Museum downtown. Charm City will also host the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)-the nation's oldest historically Black athletic conference-Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament from February 21-26, 2022.

Travelers to the Midwest should put Kansas City top of the list this Black History Month. The city's Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is a must-visit attraction, of course, but visitors will also be pleasantly surprised by the interactive American Jazz Museum as well as art museums like the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Plus, the National WWI Museum and Memorial is an excellent place to learn about the impact of not only Black soldiers but African American civilians during one of the nation's most trying times.

Little Rock is home to not one but six of the more than 100 paramount sites located along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail spanning nearly one-third of the country, none more famous than the Little Rock Central High School, the site of forced segregation in 1957 on the heels of the Supreme Court's landmark Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that has since become a National Historic Site. Visitors will also want to explore the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, which continues on its mission is to preserve and celebrate African American history, culture and community in the state since the 19th century.