(Image source from: Summer Travel Idea: Heritage Trips)

Summer travel season is upon us, and while many consider a week at the beach a worthy summer vacation, we have another suggestion.

The National Park Service's African American Experience Fund (the only nonprofit partner of the National Park Service) offers a number of heritage trip tour itineraries that combine some of the country's best attractions with a vibrant trip through history.

The nearly 50 sites are spread throughout the country, and many are clustered around a single state or region, making it simple to take a single or multi-day driving trip. The website also offers an easy-to-use map and itinerary generator to custom design a trip that suits your individual goals and needs.

We only wish it was this easy to plan heritage travel outside of this particular portion of the population!