Louisiana’s African American Heritage Trail:
They blazed many trails. Now you can retrace their footsteps.
For centuries, African Americans in Louisiana have changed the world with their ideas, art, and action. From street corners and marketplaces, to churches and cafés, to universities and beyond—Louisiana’s new African American Heritage Trail takes you to the places that have inspired generations to add their unique flavor to the world.
The tomb of Homer Plessy in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.
From the first fights against oppression to the first notes of jazz.
Along the trail, tour stately plantations and find out about the slaves’ craftsmanship, ingenuity, family life, and resistance.
Evergreen’s complex of twenty-two original slave cabins offers tremendous insight into life and work on a plantation.
Discover the Cane River Creoles, descendants of French settlers and enslaved African Americans who intermingled on the isolated frontier of Northwest Louisiana. Visit the battlefield where African American troops took up arms to fight against the Confederacy
Learn about the life and works of Arna Bontemps, whose boyhood memories of Alexandria inspired many of his literary works.
Learn about Homer Plessy’s refusal to move from the “whites only” section of a Louisiana rail car and the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that followed. Then walk the streets where jazz was born and explore the roots of this amazing musical form.
Discover the personalities that led the way.
Share the story of Madam C. J. Walker, who rose from a humble upbringing in rural Louisiana to become America’s first self-made female millionaire.
Visit the birthplace of Arna Bontemps, a leading writer in the Harlem Renaissance. Find out about P. B. S. Pinchback, who became America’s first black governor—in 1872! Pay tribute to gospel legend and New Orleans native Mahalia Jackson. Then take a ride to Grambling State University, best known for the long and storied career of head football coach Eddie Robinson, one of the most respected and beloved coaches in American history.
This is only the beginning.
If you love Louisiana for its food, music, and fun, the African American Heritage Trail is yet another great reason to visit. There is so much more to see and do and explore.
Start your journey online at LouisianaTravel.com/AfricanAmericanHeritageTrail
Or call 1-800-47-GUMBO for your free Louisiana Tour Guide.
