Looking for a way to learn more, honor icons and continue the legacy of many who fought for equality?  Here’s a list to things to do near the Gainesville, Georgia area. There is so much history around the U.S. and around the world. Share what’s a “must see” in your area.

• An Evening with History – The Civil War Soldier, Who Were They? at the Marietta Museum of History on Thursday, Feb. 26, starting at 7pm. “Stories of African-American Civil War soldiers buried in the Marietta National Cemetery.”

• Black History Month Parade through Auburn Avenue on Saturday, Feb. 28 starting at 2pm; “Celebrating African-American history, heritage and culture.”

• Take the Footprints of Savannah tour – visit burial grounds, black churches and stops on the Underground Railroad and other points of note.

• Visit the Pin Point Heritage Museum – celebrates the life, work and history of the Gullah/Geechee community that calls Pin Point home – it is the home of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

• While on the coast, get a glimpse of coastal antebellum life with a visit to some of the former rice and cotton plantations – the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation – where rice was grown, walk the land which was once Butler Plantation, visit Sapelo Island and what is now the Reynolds Mansion, but was the center point of life when cotton and sugar cane was grown on the island.

• Visit Old 96 District in South Carolina – visit the museum created at the former home of Benjamin Mays – Before he was the president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, he lived in the 96 District of South Carolina. A visit to his former home and birth place. The museum today features a school and gives you an insight into the life and upbringing of a powerful figure in education. What we also like about the Benjamin E. Mays Historic Site, is you have an opportunity to see a well preserved home, garden – really way of life dating back to the early 1900’s. The home is very well preserved and when touring it you can get a true sense of life during that time. The museum also has films and photos capturing historic moments of Dr. Mays life and what I found most heartwarming, was photos of students who were influenced by Dr. Mays and have gone on to become successful judges, educators, Drs., religious leaders – successful because of his influence.

• Visit the APEX Museum – where every month is really Black History month with exhibits highlighting the life and times of blacks in and around Atlanta.

• Black History Month Festival at the Gallery at South Dekalb or Creel Park on Saturday, Feb. 21 starting at 10am; featuring live entertainment, specialty art and vendors. “Experience the culture of African American history through trials, tribulations and triumphs.”

• Tales from Africa: A Short Film & Live Storytelling at My Place Coffee Cafe in Jonesboro, on Saturday, Feb. 21 starting at 11am; “a free family event showcasing cultural videos and interactive tales from African countries.”

• Remembering the Shout: Featuring the McIntosh County Shouters at the Hillside Chapel & Truth Center on Saturday, Feb. 28 starting at 6pm; The McIntosh County Shouters are “a 10-member Gullah-Geechee Group, the last active participants of this custom of sacred song and movement. The ring-shouting routine affirms oneness with the spirit, ancestors and community cohesiveness.”

• 5th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Breakfast at Northwood Country Club in Lawrenceville on Saturday, Feb. 28 starting at 9am. “A celebration of Black history and diversity awards program; the breakfast will serve as an opportunity to celebrate the legacy of service of Dr. King and create an imperative to live out his legacy.”

List of museums focused on African Americans:

In Georgia:

• Historic Dorchester Academy & Museum in Midway, GA; founded after the Civil War as a school for freed slaves and also hosted Dr. Martin Luther King’s planning meetings for his 1963 march on Birmingham.

• Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site Visitors Site in Atlanta, GA; established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, “squarely focused on serving as both a local and global resource […] to educate the world on the life, legacy and teachings of MLK.”

• National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, GA; “a safe space for visitors to explore the fundamental rights of all human beings so that they leave inspired and empowered to join the ongoing dialogue about human rights in their communities.”

• Tubman African American Museum in Macon, GA; the largest museum in the Southeast dedicated to educating people about the art, history and culture of African Americans

In North Carolina:

• International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, NC; “seeks to memorialize the couragious stand of the Greensboro Four as they launched the sit-in movement on February 1, 1960. The Greensboro Four were four Black freshmen at NC A&T State University who took seats at a segregated lunch counter of FW Woolworth’s. They were refused service but sat peacefully until the store closed.

In Tennessee:

• National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN; built around the former Lorraine Hotel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated – it is now a complex of museums and historic buildings tracing the history of the Civil Rights Movement

In Alabama:

• Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Tuskegee, AL; preserving the legacy of the first African American military pilots. Also on the site is the George Washington Carver Museum celebrating Carver’s studies and observations of plant life that led to crop rotation theories

National African American Archives and Museum in Mobile, AL; “explore and enjoy portraits and biographies of famous African Americans. carvings, artifacts, books, and documents are all available.”