5 great places to expose and teach kids about diversity and real history – an update from the south

With Leah working in Montgomery and Troy, Alabama, the kids and I are back in the swing of things with home school, playing, meal planning, and daily upkeep. Although a daily struggle, I consider it such a privilege to be able to teach our kids in academics and life. Yes, Leah and I have our beliefs about how certain topics should be approached, yet we make sure we present education in a way that teaches our kids how to think, not what to think. And we are not afraid to expose them to some very big and difficult truths about our history.

You see, we live in an imperfect world and country that has been built through some very misled ideas, mistakes, and wrong decisions. For some reason, this present world wishes to deny, overlook and cancel this difficult history. I also find it extremely interesting how “welcoming to ideas” the culture is, yet allows the media and school governing boards to tell us what is acceptable or not to teach. I’ll tell you what – no progress comes from that, for as Winston Churchill said,

“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

So when it comes to slavery, war, and racism we are not going to hide true history from our kids. We research what we are to present to ensure it is appropriate, and then answer questions as gently as necessary, yet without watering down the truth. We approach topics as these with love. Love for those who were wronged and fell pray to evil, as well as love for the fragile yet capable minds of our kids.

Life is an awesome teacher and frequently the kids and I have been found in “tough” places whether near the Mexico border, Midwest, Northeast, or in the “deep south”, and have been approached by “rough” people. However the kids are able to witness their father act in love by listening and helping if needed. By the way, my children’s safety is priority number one – however I feel these labels just perpetuate stigmas. We see people – God’s children. Period.

For the bigger, historical issues, we are so grateful to the people, cities, and resources that have gone into creating and maintaining some fantastic memorials, museums and places of interest so that our family can learn real history.

There is no shortage of these in the south, and we have been able to visit a few – so this is in no way an exhaustive list. Each one of these places is sure to engage your family and initiate some very real conversation with your family. We highly suggest taking the time with your family to visit these places.

In no particular order, here is a list of 5 impactful places of history we have visited to educate our family in the south found in Texas, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina..

1. The Rosa Parks Museum – Montgomery, AL

As it is the most recent historical museum we visited, I’ll start here. This is a beautifully well done and interactive museum that details not only the day, down to the minute of the heroic moment for Mrs. Parks, but her life as well as the history of slavery through the civil war and the racism that persisted afterwards leading up to her defining moment and the revolution that followed suit. Literally walking through her life and the events that led to the Montgomery bus boycott, we were immersed in a wealth of detailed history surrounding this difficult time in history. Oh – and pay for the extra “time travel bus”, especially if you have kids. Actually boarding and riding on a magical bus, you take a video trip through time led by “Rosa” herself. Totally worth it!

2. Brasstown Bald Visitors Center – Near Hiawassee, GA

Working back chronologically for us is the Brasstown Bald Visitor Center. This is the highest peak in Georgia – and is actually very accessible – with an awesome 360 degree view of the surrounding mountain range and valleys. A shuttle is available should you not want to tackle a steep, yet paved, 1/2 mile hike up to the top. We went for the views, yet were very impressed with the historical visitor center giving a very detailed and well displayed history walk of the area. Although it wasn’t the primary focus, the visitor center did do a good job honoring the original inhabitants – the local Native Americans – and the cruel way they were looked upon and quickly relocated once their land was deemed valuable. A very kid-friendly activity booklet, with a surprise at the end was available for the kids. Totally worth the trip – views and all!

3. Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum- Charleston, SC

Wow! A must visit if in the area – and get ready to have your socks blown off! This is more than a museum – this is truly an experience. You begin by boarding the USS Yorktown – an aircraft carrier built during WWII and was in service until 1973. We chose to do a self-guided tour allowing us to walk through each level all depicting what life was like on this floating city all the while paying homage to the loyalty and sacrifice of the men and women who served. There is also 28 aircraft from various time periods in the Yorktown’s hanger on up on deck. The truth of the cost and horror of war is displayed in a very educational manner as well. Once your legs are nice and tired from the tour, you then board the USS Laffey – the unsinkable battleship for another in-depth tour and education specifically surrounding WWII! We were unable to tour the USS Clamagore submarine due to close quarters and Covid. However, we did take in the 3-acre walking tour of the Vietnam Experience. There is even an additional Medal of Honor Museum! Totally worth it, but remember to leave yourself at least one if not two days to take it all in.

4. The Missions and The Alamo – San Antonio, TX

What feels like nearly ancient history in comparison to young country, the Missions tour including The Alamo gave us a look at the dedication and love for the native people that the Catholic missionaries had despite having minimal resources. It was so impressive what was accomplished without technology in a very harsh environment. The display of love and cooperative living with native people was wonderful to learn about as compared to many displays of forceful conversion often displayed during conquest. This stood in contrast to the tragedies of the 1830’s that occurred at The Alamo. The missions are accessible by a very enjoyable bike tour, yet hard for young kids. I wore Fisher (then 3) in my hiking backpack, and Faith (then 6) rode on a front seat on Leah’s bike. For them it was mostly about running around and through the missions (not allowed at the Alamo).

5. The Magnolia Plantation – Summerville, SC

As the oldest tourist attraction in the Lowcountry, the Magnolia Plantation boasts gorgeous gardens that have been enjoyed for centuries. There is a great little petting zoo for the kids and beautiful grounds to take in. The most sobering part is the tour of the living quarters of the slaves that once toiled in the southern humidity for the benefit of their masters. In an effort to preserve and fully honor the men and women who lived here, a paid tour is required. The tour honors the men and women who lived and worked under slavery at this rice plantation, yet does not hide the hardships and mistreatment they endured.

So yes, a lot of our learning occurs through spontaneous, interactive, and nature-centered learning which lends itself to more impressive and precious photos (and is usually more fun for kids), however being able to “see” history as it was is so important. And yes, we are teaching our kids history, not skipping or canceling it because it is uncomfortable. Truly taking in history lessons is difficult at this age, but hopefully our children are being ingrained with the larger feeling and meaning of these very real lessons. Understanding both history and God’s love, I am certain they will not repeat those misled ideals leading to poor mistakes.

Isn’t this a better way to handle history than just cancelling it?

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

P.S. – This is cool! As we travel, you can always peep in on us and see where in the country we are currently living! The timing and content of blog entries will not always coincide with our physical location.

We’d love to hear from you if you have any tips regarding must explore opportunities in the region you find us in!

Just click on the “way-finder” icon over there to find us!