Selma Tours
Take a transformative journey
Experience Selma and the moments that led up to Bloody Sunday in 1965 through the eyes of the everyday people who lived it.
Bloody Sunday had to be the most terrifying day of my life. I’ve never experienced anything like it since and I hope not to ever again. But after that, I was determined to do whatever I could to be a part of the civil rights movement.
Jo Ann Bland, Foot Soldiers Park Founder and Tour Guide
Plan your visit
Advance reservations are required for all tours and lectures. Please fill out a booking form and select your tour preference. Once we receive your submission, a staff member will contact you to make arrangements.
Please plan to spend up to 3 hours on this inspirational and history-packed journey through Selma, walking and riding by car, bus or van (depending on group size) to 23 historic sites. Gain first-hand knowledge and become educated in the rich history of the Civil Rights Movement. Separate one-hour lectures are also available, if you are short on time.
Tour & Lecture Options
Book a Lecture With
Jo Ann Bland
Includes a firsthand account of the Civil Rights Movement and a discussion.
(approximately 1 hour long)
- $1,000 flat rate
Lecture With a Foot Soldier
Includes a firsthand account of the Civil Rights Movement and discussion.
(approximately 1 hour long)
- $750 flat rate
Tour With a Foot Soldier
Includes walking and riding tour of historic sites, a firsthand account of the Civil Rights Movement, and Q&A. (approximately 2 hours long)
- 1–20 guests: $800 flat rate
- 21+ guests: $40 per person + $250 per additional guide
Tour With a Foot Soldier Descendant
Includes walking and riding tour of historic sites, screening of “Experience History”, the State of Alabama’s video short of Ms. Jo Ann Bland’s story, and discussion. (approximately 2 hours long)
- 1–20 guests: $600 flat rate
- 21+ guests: $30 per person + $250 per additional guide
Holiday Surcharge
An additional fee applies to all tours or lectures scheduled on federal holidays.
- Foot Soldier Experience: +$750 flat
- Jo Ann Bland Lecture: +$250 flat
Covers increased staffing, coordination, and premium access on high-demand days.
Booking Information: Advance reservations are required for all tours and lectures.
Cancellation Policy: Please review our cancellation and rescheduling policy.
Tour highlights
Our tours will deepen and expand your knowledge of Selma’s legacy. There will be several stops at locations along the tour route where guides will provide historical background and discussion, including some locations where visitors can get out, walk around and explore.
Tour highlights and main attractions include:
- Dallas County Courthouse, where Selma activists regularly tried to register to vote but were jailed and mistreated
- Brown Chapel AME Church where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. launched the 1965 voting rights campaign
- George Washington Carver Homes, the makeshift homebase of Dr. King, John Lewis and other foot soldiers in 1965
- Future home of the Foot Soldiers Memorial and Foot Soldiers Park future community and education hub
- Good Samaritan, a Black hospital where many of those beaten by law enforcement during the 1960s marches were treated
- Edmund Pettus Bridge where visitors can walk across the historic bridge and relive the 1965 marches
Get to know Ms. Bland & our tour guides
We know that the more personal the story, the more powerful. That’s why our founder Ms. Bland partners with fellow foot soldiers to play a central role in crafting and leading our tours.
Jo Ann Bland
Our founder, Ms. Bland has been inspiring visitors for more than a decade with her personal story of Selma. She was 11-years-old when she marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday, but had already been arrested at least 13 times.
Barbara Barge
Ms. Barge was a student activist in 1965 speaking out for all Americans’ civil rights. She was just 15-years-old and among the many Selma residents forced out of their homes by the Alabama governor the night of Bloody Sunday.
Jasmyn Bowie
Jasmyn is the granddaughter of Ms. Jo Ann Bland. She grew up hearing her grandmother’s and other family members’ experiences with Jim Crow in Selma and what happened to them on Bloody Sunday. These stories have shaped her life, perspective and love for her city.
Please note that not all of our tour guides are foot soldiers. Your tour guide will depend on availability and what package you’ve selected when you registered for your tour.
What visitors are saying
The fact that Jo Ann was a child activist is not lost on any of us. Seeing this movement through her eyes opens a window for all of us that is authentic with a rare view of what it was like to live there, through the most turbulent struggle for human and civil rights of the 20th Century.
Dr. Martha Bouyer, Creator of NEH’s field study for educators “Stony the Road We Trod”
Ms. Bland has been providing tours for my students from Wisconsin for over ten years. Ms. Bland helps each student connect personally with the history of Selma while also committing to an active life of positive social change.
Jodi Thesing-Ritter, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
For over 15 years, I have been bringing over 1,000 people a year to Selma to be impacted by Jo Ann Bland. She brings those turbulent times to life and her story cuts right to the heart of the listener and makes them understand the struggle these brave Americans endured for freedom.
Bill Planer, Etgar 36 Civil Rights Journey
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Tour Image Gallery
Frequently asked questions
Shop at our online gift store!
Check out our gift shop and explore our assortment of unique
Foot Soldiers Park swag and memorabilia.
