large white house, green lawn, two trees in front
The museum tells the story of Major Ridge, the influential Ridge family including prominent son John Ridge, Cherokee history, and the Trail of Tears, as well as subsequent history of the home and region. NPS

Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail

Federal Recreation Area · Alabama · National Park Service

Remember and commemorate the survival of the Cherokee people, forcefully removed from their homelands in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee to live in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. They traveled by foot, horse, wagon, or steamboat in 1838-1839.

Plan your visit

Know before you go

Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

Directions on Google Maps →

What's here

Highlights: Architecture and Building · Archeology · Arts · Photography · Burial, Cemetery and Gravesite · Farming and Agriculture · Plantations · Forts · Native American Heritage · Schools and Education · Transportation · Roads, Routes and Highways · Trains and Railroads · Tragic Events · Forced Marches · Wars and Conflicts · Tribal Conflicts · Trails

Activities & features: Arts and Culture · Craft Demonstrations · Auto and ATV · Scenic Driving · Guided Tours · Self-Guided Tours - Auto · Junior Ranger Program · Museum Exhibits

Photos

  • structure in the background with large chimney on the end; signs saying Brown's Ferry Tavern
    NPS
  • sunlight coming through trees with green leaves
    NPS
  • dozens of people walk a section of the Trail of Tears, winter scene, trees with no leaves
    NPS
  • gravestone with words etched, green grass
    NPS
  • Two people walk a remnant of the Trail of Tears. Spring setting with green leafed trees.
    NPS

Nearby parks

Parks of Alabama

Freedom Riders National MonumentRoland Cooper State ParkRussell Cave National MonumentOak Mountain State ParkLake Guntersville State ParkMeaher State ParkLake Lurleen State ParkJoe Wheeler State ParkNatchez Trace ParkwayLake Jackson RV Park at FloralaHorseshoe Bend National Military ParkCathedral Caverns State ParkDeSoto State ParkBlue Springs State ParkBirmingham Civil Rights National MonumentMonte Sano State ParkSelma To Montgomery National Historic TrailCheaha State ParkChewacla State ParkBuck's Pocket State ParkTuskegee Institute National Historic SiteNatchez Trace National Scenic TrailGulf State ParkChickasaw State ParkPaul Grist State ParkFrank Jackson State ParkBladon Springs State ParkWind Creek State ParkTuskegee Airmen National Historic SiteLakepoint State ParkLittle River Canyon National PreserveRickwood Caverns State Park

33 parks mapped in Alabama

You're looking at Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail — the gold marker.

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Sources: National Park Service · updated 2026-08-12