The Alabama Civil Rights Trail takes center stage with Emmy Award-nominated PBS host Darley Newman in the new season of “Travels with Darley.”

Newman recorded two episodes along the Alabama Civil Rights Trail in Birmingham, Selma and Montgomery. The first episode premieres on Alabama Public Television’s main channel on Saturday, Jan. 22, at 3:30 p.m., with the second episode airing at the same time on Jan. 29. For other markets, please check local PBS listings for dates and times.

Darley Newman has traveled the world for her PBS series, “Travels with Darley,” and she says she found the Alabama Civil Rights Trail to be a life-changing experience. (contributed)

The Alabama Civil Rights Trail episodes of “Travels with Darley” takes viewers along on her quest to follow in the footsteps of civil rights icons and activists, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. The collection of museums, churches, national monuments and other landmarks in Montgomery, Birmingham and Selma highlighted in the episodes explore the people, events and ideals that advanced the fight for social justice during the 1950s and ’60s.

During the episodes, Newman offers tips on area guides and experts – whose knowledge of the trail can deepen a traveler’s experience – and she recommends local food, drink, lodging and surprises along the way.

“I’ve traveled all over the world for my PBS series for over a decade and filming along Alabama’s Civil Rights Trail was a life-changing experience,” Newman said in a news release.

Newman said her biggest takeaway from experiencing the Alabama Civil Rights Trail is the opportunity to visit places where history happened.

“One of the really amazing things about traveling along the Civil Rights Trail in Alabama is that you can actually meet with people who lived through the movement and played a role in it,” she said. “This helps paint an even more rich and dynamic picture of what transpired many years ago.

“I do wish everyone could take the Civil Rights Trail themselves, and for those who cannot make the journey, I’m glad we could film and create these episodes to share Alabama’s poignant and inspiring stories.”

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. (file)

Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham’s Civil Rights District. (file)

Darley Newman says the people she met on the Alabama Civil Rights trail were an important part of the experience. (contributed)

The Dexter parsonage in Montgomery, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. lived during his time as pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. (file)

Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was pastor. (file)

Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, target of the 1963 bombing that killed four little girls. (contributed)

Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of the 1965 Bloody Sunday attack on civil rights marchers. (file)

The Alabama State Capitol, where the Selma to Montgomery March ended. (file)

The episodes of “Travels with Darley” feature interviews with historians and others representing historic sites and attractions in the three historic cities.

Among those interviewed are Selma civil rights activist JoAnne Bland, owner/operator of Journeys for the Soul; Birmingham’s Doris Crenshaw, founder of  the Southern Youth Leadership Development Institute; Montgomery’s Michelle Browder, owner/operator of More than Tours; and Lee Sentell, Alabama Tourism Department director and a driving force in the creation of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

The Birmingham segment includes Barry McNeeley with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s Milestones Walking Tour; Sixteenth Street Baptist Church pastor Arthur Price; Chloe Cook, executive director of Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema; TechBirmingham’s Deon Gordon; and Doug Brown of Back Forty Beer Co.

In Selma, Newman interviewed Jacqueline Smith of The Coffee Shoppe and Lula Hatcher of Lannie’s Bar-B-Q Spot, among others. The Montgomery segment includes interviews with Marie McGarry, pastry chef at Central, and Kevin King of The King’s Kanvas.

“Travels with Darley” is an Emmy Award-nominated show that has been taking viewers on travel adventures since 2014, when it launched as a web series with its own channel on AOL. In 2016, the show debuted on PBS stations. Episodes range from sites in Europe and the Caribbean to Asia and the U.S. Viewers can binge episodes on Amazon Prime and on Ovation TV’s Journy.

Learn more about Darley Newman here.

Alabama Civil Rights Trail Part I Promo from Darley Newman on Vimeo.

Alabama Civil Rights Trail Part II Promo from Darley Newman on Vimeo.