With Martin Luther King’s birthday celebrated in January, and Black History Month in February, pairing a hotel stay this time of year with a civil rights history tour seems fitting, particularly when the hotel has a package that includes a civil rights museum visit. Greensboro, North Carolina and Memphis, Tennessee are two destinations that give a nod to their civil rights past.
The lobby of the O'Henry Hotel captures the essence of the original version
In Greensboro, North Carolina, the O. Henry Hotel is honoring Greensboro’s International Civil Rights Museum by offering guests a one night stay in a king guest room, transportation to and from the museum and breakfast in bed from the Green Valley Grill. A portion of the room cost will be donated to the museum.
The International Civil Rights Museum, opened in 2010, 50 years after the lunch counter sit-ins that started in Greensboro during the Civil Rights Movement, is housed in the former Woolworth Building where the sit-ins took place. Along with highlighting the path to civil rights in the U.S., the museum also chronicles the struggle for equal rights in other parts of the world.
Located in downtown Greensboro, the O. Henry Hotel is a four-diamond establishment with an historic past. The original O. Henry Hotel was built in 1919 and demolished in 1970. This modern version incorporates the design of the original O. Henry Hotel and, where possible, local building materials.
Lodging includes a Southern-style breakfast buffet, free WiFi, and for those arriving by plane, complimentary rides to and from the airport.
A room at the Crowne Plaza Memphis Downtown Hotel
In Memphis, Tennessee, the Crown Plaza Memphis Downtown Hotel has paired up with Sweet Magnolia Tours to offer guests a discount on admission to the National Civil Rights Museum as part of the Memphis Vacation Package. A choice of several other attractions are part of the tour company’s deal.
The National Civil Rights Museum, located in what was once the Lorraine Hotel where King was assassinated, covers the 1950s and 1960s of American history and includes exhibits of the bus boycotts and The March on Washington among other significant events.
The Crown Plaza Memphis Downtown is the only downtown Memphis hotel to offer a complimentary downtown shuttle. This 230 guestroom hotel also has free WiFi, an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center and the Rhythm and Blues Restaurant and Bar. Like the O. Henry Hotel, the Crowne Plaza is downtown. In Memphis, this means being close to the Beale Street Entertainment District.
O.Henry Hotel
624 Green Valley Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27408
336-854-2000
Crowne Plaza Memphis Downtown Hotel
300 North Second St.
Memphis, TN 38105
Ph: (901) 525-1800
Photos courtesy of O. Henry Hotel and the Crowne Plaza Memphis Downtown Hotel.
Related Posts: Take on an MLK Vacation; See What We’ve Overcome at National Civil Rights Museum
