Celebrate black culture with these five options

The Washington Post, Sunday, February 06, 2005

By Elissa Leibowitz

Celebrate black culture with these five options

   February is Black History Month,
when Americans are urged to absorb
essential chapters of the nation's history,
regardless of background. And if you
travel, your options multiply. Here are
five ways to commemorate the month --
domestically and abroad.
       1. Attend a special celebration.
Residents of Hilton Head, S.C., will
commemorate the struggles of West
Africans brought to the Georgia and South
Carolina islands as slaves at the Native
Islander Gullah Celebration
(877-650-0676,
www.gullahcelebration.com). The event
runs through Feb. 27 and includes
storytellers, gospel performances, the "Ol' Fashioned Gullah Barbecue" and demonstrations of
traditional arts like sweet grass basket making.
       Monroe, La., hosts a Black History Month parade that includes more than 60 floats on
Feb. 26. Info: Monroe-West Monroe Convention and Visitors Bureau, (800) 843-1872, www.
monroe-westmonroe.org.
       2. Visit Africa. The coast of Ghana was a hub of slave trading starting in the late 1400s,
and the well-preserved Cape Coast Castle in Ghana was among the gateways. The castle is a
planned stop on a 15-day tour of Ghana, Togo and Benin through Palace Travel (800-401-5901,
www. palacetravel.com) of Philadelphia. The cost starts at $2,250 per person double and
includes lodging, breakfasts, ground transportation, English-speaking guides and entrance fees.
Airfare is extra; tours depart weekly. Palace Travel offers trips to other African nations, too.
       3. Take a stroll. Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis are among area locales with
African-American-themed walking tours. In D.C., the nonprofit coalition Cultural Tourism DC
(202-661-7581, www.culturaltourismdc.org) suggests a tour of U Street, once known as the
country's "Black Broadway."
       D.C.'s Neighborhood Heritage Trail covers the U Street/Shaw area, including the Whitelaw
Hotel, where musicians performing at nearby Lincoln Theatre stayed when other hotels turned
them away. Local businesses offer free guides.
       The homes of noteworthy Americans such as William Butler and William Bishop are
included in an Annapolis walking tour detailed in a guide from the Annapolis and Anne Arundel
County Conference and Visitors Bureau (410-280-0445, www.visit-annapolis.org); call or go
online to order a free copy. Likewise, Baltimore's Convention and Visitors Association
(877-225-8466, www.baltimore.org) has a two-day African-American heritage itinerary.
       4. Leave the big cities behind. Southern cities like Atlanta and Birmingham, Ala., are
stocked with civil rights sites and other places of historic interest. For a different take, go outside
the major metropolises.
       Eatonton, about 40 miles north of Macon, Ga., was once the home of author Alice Walker
("The Color Purple") and Joel Chandler Harris, who wrote the "Uncle Remus" stories. The Uncle
Remus Museum was constructed from the remains of two slave cabins. Nearby Madison is filled
with big Civil War-era mansions built by slaves. In Macon, tour the Tubman African American
Museum (912-743-8544, www.tubmanmuseum .com). Info: Macon-Bibb County Convention
and Visitors Bureau, (800) 768-3401, www.macon ga.org.
       Outside of Orlando, Fla., is the nation's oldest incorporated black community. Eatonville
was established in 1887 and was home to author Zora Neale Hurston (namesake of a local fine
arts museum).
       Two miles north of St. Augustine, Fla., Fort Mose was the first legally endorsed
community (and a safe haven) for free blacks. And Orlando itself has the Wells' Built Hotel (now
a museum), the only overnight option before the 1960s for visiting blacks like Thurgood Marshall
and Ray Charles. Info: Visit Florida, (888) 735-2872, www.flausa.com.
       5. See a new exhibit. For an extensive study of topics in black history, go to a museum
focusing specifically on it.
       One that has received top marks since opening in August is the National Underground
Railroad Freedom Center (877-648-4838, www.freedomcenter.org) in Cincinnati. The facility
features interactive exhibits on the history of slavery in the United States, a look at the ways
slaves escaped and a vast exhibition on racism.
       The hip Stax Museum of American Soul Music (888-942-7685, www.soulsvilleusa.com) in
Memphis opens a new exhibit Feb. 4 called "Funky Films and Soundtracks of the '70s."