Skip to content Skip to footer
Park is Open Daily From 6AM - 9PM
229 Beach City Rd, Hilton Head Island

Come Explore Historic Mitchelville

By all accounts, Historic Mitchelville is revered as a template for African Americans to explore and test the possibilities promised by democracy. No such template exists elsewhere in the United States of America, signifying the uniqueness and importance of Historic Mitchelville as the place where freedom began.

Visit the Park

Self- Guided Tours

Explore the park at your own pace and leisure. Informative signs and placards are placed around the park to guide your journey. Guided private tours are also available (by reservation only).

Events and Exhibitions

From the Praise House to the Bateau, the park features historical exhibits that will take you back in time, along with events, such as our annual Juneteenth Celebration, to celebrate the present and future.

Become a Citizen

Gain honorary citizenship to the Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park (HMFP) by contributing to our efforts to keep the stories of our ancestors alive.

Hours of Operation

The park is open daily, from 6 AM to 9 PM. Discover the park through our tours, powerful events, or simply bring a picnic lunch to enjoy the beautiful coastline views.

Scenes from our Park

"This experiment is to give you freedom, position, homes, your families, property, your own soil. It seems to me a better day is coming...a better day is dawning!"
General Ormsby Mitchel
as told to Black congregants at First African Baptist Church, Mitchelville (1862)

Support our efforts to preserve, promote and honor Historic Mitchelville, the first self-governed town of formerly enslaved people in the United States by sharing, donating, and volunteering.