African American Heritage Tour

This pre-arranged group tour will visit the major areas in Charlotte where black history and culture have contributed to our city:

• Johnson C. Smith University: Located in the Biddleville neighborhood and founded as Biddle University in 1866, this is one of the oldest black universities in the United States.
  
  
• Biddleville Neighborhood: Started as a cluster of Victorian homes to house the professors who taught at the college and became the first suburb for the black community when the trolley line was opened to the neighborhood in 1903.
  
  
• African-American Cultural Center: Formerly the Little Rock AME Zion Church, now the region's premier home to African Arts and Afro-American culture. We will also see the restored “shotgun” houses located on the site.
  
  
• Marshall Park: Once known as the Brooklyn neighborhood, the park is the site of a sculpture of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The tour will also include stops at several churches that were important to the black community. You'll also hear about the black community's contributions in politics and the arts. Stops are based on availability, weather, and/or time allowed.