African Americans traveled to George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County, VA, Shenandoah National Park, Hot Springs National Park, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park for leisure.
An example of the history of segregation of Black travelers: in what appears to be a reflection of Reconstruction sensibilities, many of the baths at Hot Springs appear not to have been segregated in the years immediately following the Civil War.
Photographs from the early 1870s clearly show White and Black men bathing together at the bathhouses. However with the introduction of Jim Crow Laws in the 1880s, the facilities were segregated, and Black travelers refused the opportunity to establish all-Negro bathhouses.
References:
- Shumaker, Susan. n.d. “Untold Stories From America’s National Parks – Segregation in The National Parks.” The National Parks.