Life and Legacy
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – legacy and leadership can be visited and experienced around the U.S. During our country’s semiquincentennial (America’s 250th birthday) it’s the perfect time to explore and visit our historic sites. America’s stories are told in the places listed below.
A Traveler’s Guide to His Life & LegacyMuseums • Homes • Churches • Memorials • Historic Trails
1. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical ParkAddress: 450 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312
Website: https://www.nps.gov/malu
Phone: (404) 331‑5190
Historic Tenet: Preserves the heart of Dr. King’s early life and ministry — birthplace, church, and neighborhood that shaped the philosophy of nonviolence and justice.
Suggested Visit Length: 2–3 hours
U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin — issued to honor his leadership and legacy in the Civil Rights Movement.
Address: 501 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312
Website: https://www.nps.gov/malu/planyourvisit/birthhome.htm
Phone: (404) 331‑5190
Historic Tenet: The home where Dr. King was born in 1929 and spent his childhood, shaped by faith, discipline, and a deep sense of social responsibility.
Suggested Visit Length: 45 minutes – 1 hour
U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin
Address: 449 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312
Website: https://thekingcenter.org
Phone: (404) 526‑8900
Historic Tenet: Houses Dr. King’s tomb and archives and promotes his philosophy of nonviolent social change worldwide.
Suggested Visit Length: 1–2 hours
U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin; 1994 Civil Rights Act Commemorative Silver Dollar — honoring legislative triumphs born from King’s movement.
Address: 407 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312
Website: https://www.nps.gov/malu/planyourvisit/ebenezer.htm
Phone: (404) 688‑7300
Historic Tenet: Spiritual home of the King family and pulpit where Dr. King preached equality, dignity, and moral courage.
Suggested Visit Length: 30–45 minutes
U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin
Highlighted on our show
Address: 450 Mulberry St, Memphis, TN 38103
Website: https://www.civilrightsmuseum.org
Phone: (901) 521‑9699
Historic Tenet: Built around the Lorraine Motel, site of Dr. King’s assassination. Chronicles slavery, segregation, resistance, and the final chapter of King’s life.
Suggested Visit Length: 2–3 hours
U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin; 1994 Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar
Address: 938 Mason St, Memphis, TN 38126
Website: https://cogic.org
Phone: (901) 946‑5013
Historic Tenet: Site of Dr. King’s final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” delivered the night before his assassination.
Suggested Visit Length: 30–45 minutes
U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin
Address: 1964 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024
Website: https://www.nps.gov/mlkm
Phone: (202) 426‑6841
Historic Tenet: The monumental “Stone of Hope” honors King’s leadership between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials — a symbolic bridge of American freedom.
Suggested Visit Length: 30 minutes – 1 hour
U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin
Address: 2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW, Washington, DC 20037
Website: https://www.nps.gov/linc
Phone: (202) 426‑6841
Historic Tenet: Site of the 1963 March on Washington and the “I Have a Dream” speech — one of the defining moments in American history.
Suggested Visit Length: 30–45 minutes
U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cents — honoring the legacy King invoked in his speech.
Address: 410 Martin Luther King St, Selma, AL 36701
Website: https://brownchapelame.org
Phone: (334) 874‑2650
Historic Tenet: Headquarters of the Selma Voting Rights Movement and launch point of the marches that changed American democracy.
Suggested Visit Length: 30–45 minutes
U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 1994 Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar
Address: U.S. Highway 80, Selma, AL 36701
Website: https://www.nps.gov/semo
Phone: (334) 877‑1989
Historic Tenet: Site of “Bloody Sunday,” whose violence shocked the nation and led directly to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Suggested Visit Length: 20–30 minutes
U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 1994 Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar
Address: 454 Dexter Ave, Montgomery, AL 36104
Website: https://www.dexterkingmemorial.org
Phone: (334) 263‑3970
Historic Tenet: Dr. King’s first pastorate and command center of the Montgomery Bus Boycott — where a young minister became a national leader.
Suggested Visit Length: 30–45 minutes
U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 1994 Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar
Address (Trail Start): Brown Chapel A.M.E., Selma, AL
Website: https://www.nps.gov/semo
Phone: (334) 877‑1989
Historic Tenet: The 54‑mile pilgrimage route of the 1965 voting rights marches — a living monument to courage and citizenship.
Suggested Visit Length: Half‑day to full‑day (select segments)
U.S. Mint Coin Connection: 1994 Civil Rights Act Silver Dollar
Address: 830 Westview Dr SW, Atlanta, GA 30314
Website: https://www.morehouse.edu
MLK Chapel Info: https://morehouse.edu/about/chapel/
Phone: (404) 681-2800
Historic Tenet:
Morehouse College is where Dr. King’s intellect, theology, and leadership were forged. As a student here in the 1940s, King studied under legendary educators and sharpened the moral philosophy that would guide the Civil Rights Movement. The MLK International Chapel stands as a spiritual and academic monument to his legacy and the global struggle for justice.
Suggested Visit Length: 45 minutes – 1 hour
14. Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Birthplace & MuseumAddress: 1635 Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Dr, Greenwood, SC 29646
Website: https://www.benjaminemayshistoricpreservation.org
Phone: (864) 223-5397
Historic Tenet:
Dr. Benjamin E. Mays was the towering intellectual and spiritual mentor to Dr. King — often called “the schoolmaster of the movement.” As president of Morehouse College, Mays shaped King’s theology, discipline, and philosophy of nonviolence. This modest birthplace museum tells the story of the man who taught King how to think, lead, and stand morally unshaken. Without Mays, there is no King.
Suggested Visit Length: 30–45 minutes
One‑Page MLK Travel Map – Classic Civil Rights PilgrimageATLANTA, GEORGIA
Birth Home → Ebenezer Baptist Church → The King Center → National Historical Park
Time Needed: 1–2 days
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
Mason Temple → Lorraine Motel / National Civil Rights Museum
Time Needed: 1 full day
ALABAMA CORRIDOR
Montgomery (Dexter Avenue Church) → Selma (Brown Chapel & Edmund Pettus Bridge) → Selma‑to‑Montgomery Trail
Time Needed: 1–2 days
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Lincoln Memorial → Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial → National Mall
Time Needed: Half day
- 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. $1 Coin – Primary commemorative honoring Dr. King
- 1994 Civil Rights Act Commemorative Silver Dollar – Celebrates the movement King helped lead
- 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cents – Connects King’s dream to Lincoln’s promise
My favorite medal with Dr. King and Coretta King
Minted by the U.S. Mint is: U.S. Mint Bronze Medal — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & Coretta Scott King
It is all about – Love, Leadership, and the Legacy of a Movement
Official Name – Martin Luther King Jr. & Coretta Scott King Bronze Medal
United States Mint – Presidential Spouse Medal Series (unofficial commemorative medal). Issued in 1999.
This rare U.S. Mint bronze medal honors not only the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but the partnership that sustained a movement.
Coretta Scott King was far more than a supportive spouse — she was a strategist, organizer, activist, and international ambassador for justice. After Dr. King’s assassination, she became the chief guardian of his legacy, founding The King Center and expanding the global reach of nonviolent change.
The medal’s dual portrait captures something no monument ever quite does:
a marriage that helped move a nation.
Together, Martin and Coretta King represent faith and courage, intellect and compassion, protest and perseverance — the human partnership behind the Civil Rights Movement.
Here’s a bit about the metal design:
Obverse:
Facing portraits of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, rendered in dignified profile — a rare joint tribute honoring both leadership and legacy.
Reverse:
Inscriptions honoring peace, justice, and civil rights, often featuring symbolic laurel wreaths and commemorative wording celebrating their shared contribution to American history.
I think this medal matters during our semiquincentennial because most U.S. Mint tributes honor individuals. This one honors a movement marriage.It recognizes:
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The power of partnership in leadership
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The indispensable role of women in civil rights
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The transition of the movement from protest to preservation after 1968
In Quarter Miles Travel terms — this is not just a coin.
It’s a story token of love, resilience, and legacy.
You can see and learn more about my favorite medal
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U.S. Mint Historical Medals Archive – https://www.usmint.gov/learn/history
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Smithsonian National Museum of American History – Numismatic Collection
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American Numismatic Association – https://www.money.org It is no longer in production but you can find it occasionally available through reputable numismatic dealers and auctions. As you can see it is considered a specialty collector piece rather than circulating coinage
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