Roadtrip Review

 Hi friends!

My family and I are driving home from our week-long road trip to the south. I live in Chicago and haven't been anywhere in the South besides Florida, and I loved it. We made kinda a rectangle? Our stops were as follows: Memphis, Jackson, New Orleans, Gulf Shores, Montgomery, and Nashville. Yes, there was a lot of driving, and for the most part, I was the passenger princess hehe. 

In Memphis, Tennesse we went to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel. It is where MLK was shot, it was very powerful to be in the building where this happened. We also explored downtown Memphis, saw the ducks at the Peabody Hotel, and ofc had good food. On our way out, we went to Graceland where Elvis lived which was so fun, Elvis is so cool. 

In Jackson, Mississippi we stopped at the MS Civil Rights Museum. This museum is incredibly well done, with very interactive exhibits that are divided into sections. It was informative and inspiring, great for every age. 

We spent a few days in New Orleans, which was so awesome. We ofc had all the good eats like beignets (why are they not spelled like benyays?), gumbo, and pralines. My sister has gone on service trips to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina, so she showed us around the lower 9th ward. We went to the Tate, Etienne, and Provost (TEP) Center which is the school where the first three Black girls went to an all-white school, one of the first steps to desegregation. We met Leonna Tate, one of the three women who now works at the TEP Center and has a foundation committed to "remembering the past while looking forward." It was so cool to meet Ms. Tate and impactful that she is only 70, a reminder that this did not happen that long ago. In New Orleans, we explored the French Quarter, went on a cemetary tour, and saw live music on Frenchmen street. 

Then we spent a few days in the Gulf Shores of Alabama, which was gorgeous. The sand was white, the gulf was a little cold, but the sun was shining and it was beautiful. One morning I watched the sunrise and walked on the beach, and then went to a hot yoga class. Geeez it was hard and so hot. It was fun to go to a new studio and an advanced class, and my instructor was awesome. She used to be a snowbird from Chicago and just moved to the Gulf Shores permanently and works as a yoga instructor, talk about life goals. 

On our way back up to Chicago, we stopped in Montgomery, Alabama. We went to the Legacy Sites which was the most powerful museum(s) I have ever been to (my family luvvssss museums if you can't already tell, and I do too). The Legacy Sites are funded by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) that were started by Bryan Stevenson. He is the author of Just Mercy, a novel that brought attention the problems in the criminal justice system. EJI is committed to end mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and racial inequality. The cite had three parts: the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. The Legacy Museum gives a timeline from slavery to mass incarceration through technology and art. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is dedicated to victims who died from the racial terror of lynching. It is the first memorial for those who died and confronts society today for not recognizing it. The structure is very powerful and emotional. The Freedom Monument Sculpture Park is new, located along the Alabama River, and honors enslaved people. The Park features art and a Freedom Memorial that contains more than 100,000 Black family names who were the fist to be officially recongized in the 1870 census. The technology beside it allows for a QR code to help people find their last name on the wall as a connection to the courage and strength of their past. 

Our final stop was Nashville, yeeeehaw! I love Nash its so fun. We walked around Broadway street, went in a cutie neighborhood my friend who lives in Nash recommended, and I got cowboy boots. Huuuuge highlight for me. I got tacovas and got the customized with a sexcccy cowboy omg. They say ava and are so cute and I will be wearing them all summer. Very excited, if you can't tell lol.

Currently, we are in the middle of nowhere Indiana, and I have to pee! A small bladder is really terrible for road trips. This road trip has been epic. I am grateful to my family to spend it with me and take my picture at every stop. To the south, I will be back! Thanks for reading this far friends. 

Xoxo,

Ava Lillie