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apollonaut. Built by People Who've Been

An Apollonaut travel guide

The history behind the galleries.

The American civil rights movement, the life of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. and human rights today offer several ways into the story of the Center.

The glass front and bronze-toned curved wall of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights across a green lawn
On this page

The civil rights movement

The Center is a museum dedicated to the achievements of the civil rights movement in the United States and of the wider movement for human rights.

It was conceived by figures from the movement, among them Evelyn Lowery, Juanita Abernathy, Andrew Young and John Lewis.

The King Collection

The museum displays items from the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection, acquired in 2006.

The gallery MLK: A Committed Life presents them; photography is not permitted there.

Human rights today

Galleries on human rights around the world sit alongside the story of the American movement, and a renovation in 2025 added six galleries.

This history belongs to the people who lived it and to those who continue the work. The History page offers a longer introduction, and the timeline gives a short route through selected milestones.

Read at the source

Sources & further reading

Links lead to the original publishers.

The Apollonaut collection

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Gardens, palaces and landmarks you can book today. Search by attraction or city, or browse them all below.

The Breakers seen across its lawn, with arcaded loggias between two wings and red-tiled roofs Bookable

The Breakers

Newport, USA · Palaces & landmarks

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A blue Scenic Skyway cabin crossing the gorge towards the cliff-top station at Scenic World, above eucalypt forest Bookable

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Blue Mountains, Australia · Gardens & outdoors

From A$128

The mansion at Nemours Estate beside a clipped boxwood parterre and a gravel walk Bookable

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Wilmington, USA · Palaces & landmarks

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A male lion resting on a timber platform in the sun at Sydney Zoo Bookable

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Sydney, Australia · Gardens & outdoors

From A$110

The west front of Monticello, with its white columned portico and dome above a wide lawn, under autumn trees Bookable

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Charlottesville, USA · Palaces & landmarks

From US$44

The white-columned portico and stone façade of Graceland, with a white lion statue on each side of the front steps Bookable

Graceland

Memphis, USA · Art & culture

From US$173

Verandahed shops along the unsealed Main Street of Sovereign Hill Bookable

Sovereign Hill

Ballarat, Australia · Art & culture

From A$136

The rendered walls and arched windows of the Woolmers homestead, with roses along its front Bookable

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Longford, Australia · Gardens & outdoors

From A$98

The Space Needle beside the towers of downtown Seattle, with Mount Rainier in the distance Bookable

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Seattle, USA · Palaces & landmarks

From US$116

Two elephants beside a pool in a leafy enclosure at Australia Zoo Bookable

Australia Zoo

Sunshine Coast, Australia · Gardens & outdoors

From A$155

Sharks and fish swimming above coral in a large tank at Cairns Aquarium Bookable

Cairns Aquarium

Cairns, Australia · Gardens & outdoors

From A$122

The moss-streaked towers of the castle at Paronella Park, rising above tropical plants Bookable

Paronella Park

Mena Creek, Australia · Gardens & outdoors

From A$124

The Lake Michigan shoreline and Lake Shore Drive in the evening, seen from the observation deck Bookable

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Chicago, USA · Palaces & landmarks

From US$80

Blue Skyfari gondolas gliding above the wooded canyons and red-roofed buildings of the zoo under a bright blue sky Bookable

San Diego Zoo

San Diego, USA · Gardens & outdoors

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A giant panda sitting among green plants and eating bamboo at Adelaide Zoo Bookable

Adelaide Zoo

Adelaide, Australia · Gardens & outdoors

From A$99

A green-and-cream vintage streetcar passing the arched front of Pier 15 on the Embarcadero Bookable

Exploratorium

San Francisco, USA · Art & culture

From US$80

The domed Zoo Center at the Bronx Zoo, with carved elephant heads beside its arched entrance, on a summer day Bookable

Bronx Zoo

New York, USA · Gardens & outdoors

From US$58

The bluestone gatehouse of Kryal Castle, its name above the arched entrance between two round towers, photographed in 1996 Bookable

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Ballarat, Australia · Palaces & landmarks

From A$88

The Big Pheasant, a giant painted pheasant statue rising above native shrubs at Tynong, under a blue sky Bookable

Gumbuya World

Melbourne, Australia · Gardens & outdoors

From A$158

The steel walkway of the Tahune Airwalk curving out over the forest, with the Huon River and wooded hills below Bookable

Tahune Airwalk

Hobart, Australia · Gardens & outdoors

From A$70

The Field Museum’s long columned front and steps, with Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline beyond Bookable

Field Museum

Chicago, USA · Art & culture

From US$60

A Tasmanian devil sitting on a flat rock in front of fallen logs and a rocky stream Bookable

Devils@Cradle

Cradle Mountain, Australia · Gardens & outdoors

From A$55

The Dreamworld globe and sign above the park entrance, with wide curved steps in front under a blue sky Bookable

Dreamworld

Gold Coast, Australia · Art & culture

From A$198

The wooden observation tower above the breeding marsh at Gatorland, with still water and green trees under a blue sky Bookable

Gatorland

Orlando, USA · Gardens & outdoors

From US$75

Coloured tube slides at WhiteWater World winding above yellow shade sails and a pool, with a roller coaster loop behind Bookable

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Gold Coast, Australia · Gardens & outdoors

From A$158

The tall Aussie World sign by the road, with striped entrance tents, a Ferris wheel and the pub building under a blue sky Bookable

Aussie World

Sunshine Coast, Australia · Art & culture

From A$118

The Memphis Zoo’s Egyptian-style entrance, painted with hieroglyphs and animal figures, under a blue sky Bookable

Memphis Zoo

Memphis, USA · Gardens & outdoors

From US$56

The Audubon Zoo entrance, with its green sign and painted animals above the gates, framed by tall palm trees Bookable

Audubon Zoo

New Orleans, USA · Gardens & outdoors

From US$75

The Phoenix Zoo’s curved brick entrance building beneath a shade canopy and a blue sky Bookable

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Phoenix, USA · Gardens & outdoors

From US$90

The Houston Zoo main entrance, with its large sign above a covered gateway on a sunny day Bookable

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Houston, USA · Gardens & outdoors

From US$68

The London Eye beside County Hall on the South Bank, seen across the River Thames under a blue sky with clouds Bookable

London Eye

London, United Kingdom · Palaces & landmarks

From £78

Two giraffes outside the brick Giraffe House at London Zoo, with its tall arched doorways, on a sunny day Bookable

ZSL London Zoo

London, United Kingdom · Gardens & outdoors

From £71

The Round Tower of Windsor Castle on its mound, a flag flying above it, behind battlemented stone walls under a blue sky Bookable

Windsor Castle

London, United Kingdom · Palaces & landmarks

From £72

The long stone south front of Warwick Castle and its round corner tower, above the River Avon and a wide lawn Bookable

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Warwick, United Kingdom · Palaces & landmarks

From £78

The White Tower rising above the outer walls of the Tower of London, seen across the Thames under a blue sky Bookable

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London, United Kingdom · Palaces & landmarks

From £76

The south front of Blenheim Palace, a long Baroque façade of golden stone with a columned portico and corner towers, above a wide lawn Bookable

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Oxford, United Kingdom · Palaces & landmarks

From £88

The stone circle at Stonehenge on its grassy plain, sarsen uprights and lintels against a pale sky Bookable

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Salisbury, United Kingdom · Palaces & landmarks

From £64

Brightly painted wooden boats on the sand beside a lagoon in the Islands area of Chester Zoo Bookable

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Chester, United Kingdom · Gardens & outdoors

From £77

The west towers and the pinnacled south side of York Minster under a blue sky with white clouds Bookable

York Minster

York, United Kingdom · Palaces & landmarks

From £40

Gentoo penguins on round stone nests beside the penguin pool at Edinburgh Zoo, with a footbridge and trees behind on a sunny day Bookable

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Edinburgh, United Kingdom · Gardens & outdoors

From £59

The angular, silver-clad Titanic Belfast building under a deep blue sky with white clouds Bookable

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Belfast, United Kingdom · Art & culture

From £54

The Alcazaba and the walls of the Alhambra above the trees of Granada Bookable

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Granada, Spain · Palaces & landmarks

From €28

Palm tree and palace walls reflected in the central pool at El Badi Palace Bookable

El Badi Palace

Marrakech, Morocco · Palaces & landmarks

From €25

The garden courtyard and mausoleum buildings at the Saadian Tombs Bookable

Saadian Tombs

Marrakech, Morocco · Palaces & landmarks

From €25

The Grand Courtyard of Bahia Palace with its painted galleries Bookable

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Marrakech, Morocco · Palaces & landmarks

From €25

The Menara Pavilion and its palms reflected in the great basin Bookable

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Marrakech, Morocco · Gardens & outdoors

From €25

A restored arched gate of the Roman camp at Tamuda, with Tétouan beyond Bookable

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Tétouan, Morocco · Palaces & landmarks

From €25

The Arch of Caracalla at Volubilis, with farmland beyond Bookable

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Meknes, Morocco · Palaces & landmarks

From €25

The harbour tower and arches of the Skala du Port above blue fishing boats Bookable

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Essaouira, Morocco · Palaces & landmarks

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Standing columns in the palatial quarter on the hilltop at Lixus Bookable

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