PARK OVERVIEW
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site in Tuskegee, Alabama, is the only National Park dedicated to a college campus. Created in 1881 by the Alabama State Legislature as the Normal School for Colored Teachers at Tuskegee, the school that started out in a small building on the grounds of a church soon grew into one of the premier Historically Black Colleges in the United States. The school is now called Tuskegee University, the name changing from Tuskegee Institute in 1985.
Booker T. Washington was hired to run the school from the start by founders Lewis Adams and George Campbell. Washington brought promising botanist George Washington Carver to Tuskegee in 1896. Carver would go on to acclaim as a chemurgist, one who creates usable industrial products from plants, and is most famous for his work with peanuts, inventing hundreds of products from this legume.
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site was established in 1974, and while it encompasses the entire university campus, the National Park Service owns just two buildings in the park, Booker T. Washington’s home, The Oaks, and the George Washington Carver Museum, which also serves as the park’s visitor center. Guests are also welcome to walk around the campus to see the original buildings that are still in existence. These are not open to the public, but information signs at the front of each one gives a short history of the buildings.
OPERATING HOURS
The George Washington Carver Museum and Visitor Center is only open Thursdays and Fridays from 9 AM to 4:30 PM. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
The Oaks, the home of Booker T. Washington, can only be visited on a Ranger-guided tour. These are held on Tuesdays through Saturdays at 9:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM, and 3:30 PM.
The Tuskegee University campus is open to visitors year-round.
Times can always change, so before making travel plans be sure to check the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site’s Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the latest schedule. For a current tour schedule of The Oaks, see the park’s Things to Do web page.
FEES
There are no fees associated with visiting Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site. Donations are always welcome.
PARKING
The official parking lot for Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site is next to The Oaks at 1200 West Montgomery Street. You can also park on campus in the parking deck behind the Kellogg Center, but there is a fee. The parking deck is closer to the Carver Museum, but since you will most likely want to see both the museum and The Oaks, no matter where you park you will have to walk. The distance between the two buildings is .3 mile.
SCHEDULING YOUR VISIT
George Washington Carver Museum
(allow 30 minutes to 1.5 hours)
Booker T. Washington House Tour
(allow 1 hour)
Touring the Historic Campus
(allow 2 hours)
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Last updated on May 5, 2023