Despite the name, the Underground Railroad was not underground and was not a railroad. It was actually a network of people, homes, and hideouts slaves used to escape to freedom. The name came about from members using railroad terms to communicate in secrecy. For example, people who led slaves along the route were “conductors” and homes they hid in were “stations.” The Underground Railroad is just one of the many attractions our Black History tours expose students to help them gain a deeper understanding of the black American experience.

Black History Focus

ATLANTA

Civil War to Civil Rights
Underground Atlanta, Peachtree Street, Auburn Avenue, The Historic District, Civil Rights Museum, Dr. King’s Tomb, Ebenezer Baptist and more..

BALTIMORE

The African American Legacy
Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Frederick Douglass – Isaac Myers Park, Fells Point, Eubie Blake Center and much more…

BOSTON
African Influence in New England
Black Heritage Trail, Harriet Tubman House, JFK Library

CHESTER COUNTY, PA

The Underground Railroad
Historical Society, Brandeywine Valley, Cheney University, ‘Trackless Trail’

CHICAGO

The Great Migration
Eighth Church of Christ, Sunset Cafe, Regiment Armory, Chicago Bee Building

DETROIT

Gateway to the North
Motown, Second Baptist Church, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Buxton Historical Museum, John Freeman Walls Museum, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

HARLEM, NY

The Soul of African American Culture
Hamilton Heights, Sugar Hill, Striver’s Row, Apollo Theater, Schomburg Center, Abyssinian Baptist Church, Hale House.

PHILADELPHIA
Struggle for Freedom
Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Mother
Bethel AME Church, African American History Museum, J Forter’s House, Johnson House, Temple U.

WASHINGTON D.C.
Black History in the Capital
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, Howard University, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, Lincoln Park, Bethune Museum, Benjamin Banneker Memorial Circle and Fountain, Anacostia Museum, St. Augustine Catholic Church, and the Ebenezer Methodist Church.