One of the many lovely things about tardy travel is the opportunity to enjoy and learn about different cultures in their absolute authenticity, and that’s what Intrepid’s culturally enriching experiences in the USA are offering.
From learning Cajun cuisine from New Orleans’ only female-owned African American cooking school to enjoying a Native American river-to-table lunch in Warm Springs, Intrepid’s recent experiences amplify and celebrate Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) perspectives in the United States.
Each recent activity listed here has been made possible and successful by collaborations and partnerships with several BIPOC groups and representatives, such as the National Blacks in Travel & Tourism Collaborative and representatives from the Crow Nation and the Lakota tribes.
Why It Is Essential To Go On These Tours
General Manager of Purpose at Intrepid Travel, Sara King, defines regenerative travel as educating travelers on why it’s crucial to not just take from but also invest in the communities they visit. According to King, these tours aim to give people “deep information about Black history and culture” through firsthand experience.
“Travelers vote with their wallets every day they are on a trip, so it is best to ensure they stay in locally owned properties and support locally owned businesses, which Intrepid takes seriously. Keeping money in a community and supporting job creation and social and environmentally conscious businesses must become the norm,” King adds.
Stephanie Jones, Founder & CEO of the Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, Inc. (CHEA), Founder of Black Cultural Heritage Tours, and the National Blacks in Travel & Tourism Collaborative, shed more insight on the significance of these tours for visitors.
“Our Black cultural heritage itineraries give transforming experiences for travelers wishing to get a fuller narrative about the Black experience, including the Civil Rights Movement,” Jones added.
“Travelers experience both historical and contemporary cultural experiences celebrating Black history, exploring historic places and becoming immersed in the rich Black culture through food, music, art, dance and meeting and hearing stories told by locals.”
Intrepid Travel has just introduced a recent tour in Southeast Asia that focuses on the wealthy cultural heritage of West and Central Africa.
Explore Rich West And Central African Cultural Heritage Along The Gullah Geechee Corridor
This six-day tour from Charleston to Savannah covers the culture, history, and impact of the descendants of enslaved West and Central Africans, the Gullah Geechee. They are famed for guarding, preserving, and passing on their culture and legacy.
Learn about Charleston’s Black heritage, tour the historic Mother Emanuel AME Church (an essential figure in the Civil Rights Movement) and participate in a sweet grass weaving workshop.
Additionally, travelers will witness a soul-stirring performance in Beaufort, where music and dance share the experience of enslaved Africans brought to South Carolina, indulge in a seafood boil with the locals, and attend Sunday worship at one of Savannah’s Black churches.This tour is one of the most impacting and culturally significant itineraries Intrepid has included in its recent range of U.S. tours.
Learn To Cook Cajun And Creole Food at Deelightful Roux School Of Cooking
In New Orleans, visitors can learn how to prepare real Cajun and Creole dishes at the Deelightful Roux School of Cooking, the only African American woman-owned cooking school in the city.
Chef Dwynesha Lavigne, a native of New Orleans and award-winning baker who helps produce a weekly food feature on a local television station and presents a monthly baking demonstration at the world-famous Southern Food and Beverage Museum, will educate visitors.
Tour Charleston, South Carolina, With Professor Damon Fordham
This unique “Lost Stories of Black Charleston” walking tour will have guests accompanied by local professor and author Damon Fordham. Professor Fordham expertly tells tales at various locations around Charleston based on archival research, oral histories, and his own experiences as a Black resident of the city.
Join 2nd Line Tours For A Visit To The Whitney Plantation In New Orleans
Visitors to New Orleans can join 2nd Line Tours, a Black-owned business committed to sharing the city’s real history, to gain insight into the daily lives of enslaved people on a Louisiana sugarcane plantation.
Exploring this estate, which puts more emphasis on the life of the enslaved people than on the luxurious mansion of the enslavers, is a sobering and eye-opening experience.
Go On An Emotional Journey From the Past With Civil Rights Tours
Civil Rights Tours bring Black and Indigenous American History, Music, and Culture to Life through unique, real, and cultural travel experiences that contribute to intercultural understanding and speak to the heart and soul of multicultural audiences.
As this is untold American history, Leon Burnette, Founder and President of Media Art’s Institute of Alabama and Certified Tour Director of Civil Rights Tours, stresses the importance of telling the truth, presenting it publicly, and then discussing it.
