While Hot Springs originally seemed a bit out of reach (13 hours from Charlotte), we seized the chance to stop by on our way to Greg’s family reunion in Tennessee. In the interest of gaining more states on our scratch-off map, we planned a circuitous route going from Charlotte -> Atlanta -> Birmingham -> Memphis -> Hot Springs -> Nashville -> Fairfield Glade -> Charlotte. This looked simple on paper but ended up being a lot of driving. By the time we arrived at the family reunion, we had driven the same distance as going to Maine!
We headed out to Memphis on Sunday, August 22, with educational stops along the way. First, a walk around the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta, with a peek at MLK’s birthplace as well as his massive tomb (kind of an interesting circle of life there). Then a drive through the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument at Kelly Ingram Park. We played “I Have A Dream” for the kids to hear in the car, and pointed out that every time our little neighbor James comes over, the vision of white and black children peacefully playing together is fulfilled. Dr. King would be pleased.
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