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Mystery of the Broken Branch Stop 9: Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial


Follow the Trail

Follow the trail with Ranger Sarah and a group kids as they search the Tidal Basin for clues about the cherry trees. You can follow along this mystery adventure from home or when visiting the Cherry Blossom Festival at the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, DC.

Map of the Tidal Basin titled "Story Trail Guide"; detailed alternative text is on this webpage
The image is a map for a kids activity called "Junior Ranger Story: The Mystery of the Broken Branch". Each activity directs participants to a place on the map. The map centered around the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. The trail has blue dots numbered clockwise around the Tidal Basin marked with numbers 1 through 12 and named for the title of the individual activity at that location.

The map legend says "Story Trail Guide". Stops marked on the map include:

Stop 1: The Trail Begins, which is located on the east end of the Kutz Memorial Bridge on Independence Avenue.
Stop 2: Pollination Station, which is located to the south of Stop 1 on the Tidal Basin.
Stop 3: Write Your Own Haiku, which is located along the Tidal Basin near Maine Avenue.
Stop 4: Cherry Trees Around the World, which is located on the Tidal Basin near the intersection of Basin Drive and Ohio Drive.
Stop 5: Jefferson Memorial, which is located at the Jefferson Memorial plaza on the Tidal Basin.
Stop 6: Japanese Pagoda, which is located at a stone pagoda structure on the west side of the Tidal Basin near the south end of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
Stop 7: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, which starts at the north end of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and continues through the memorial.
Stop 8: The Tree with the Broken Branch, which is located near West Basin Drive just north of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
Stop 9: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, which is located on the plaza of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
Stop 10: Festival History, which is located along the Tidal Basin just east of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
Stop 11: Hanami, which is located on the Tidal Basin near Independence Avenue between the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and the Kutz Memorial Bridge.
Stop 12: Japanese Lantern, which is located at a stone lantern statue on the west end of the Kutz Memorial Bridge on Independence Avenue.

Stop 9: Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

Head to Stop 9 by following the trail along the Tidal Basin to the large statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. Read the following story and explore the memorial to learn more about the legacy of Dr. King.

Crowds visiting a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. near a tidal basin

NPS Photo

Statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

NPS Photo

Ranger Sarah and the kids walked through a huge cut-out in the stone.

"I know who this is! It's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was an important leader of the civil rights movement."

"That's right!" Ranger Sarah agreed. "Dr. King was an inspiration to many people. He helped to make social change with his words and actions. His memory still inspires us today!"

"Why is he carved out of a stone like this?" Jamal asked curiously.

"It's part of a famous quote." Ranger Sarah answered. "Dr. King said, 'Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope,' in his 'I Have a Dream Speech.' It's one of the most famous speeches in American history. Did you notice we walked in through the 'mountain,' and out toward hope? Using space like that is one of the ways the memorial designers try to bring ideas to life."

Activity: Explore the Memorial

Walk through the memorial to learn more about the legacy of Dr. King by reading the many quotes on the walls. Or take a virtual tour by moving around a 360° photo below.


Last updated: March 25, 2021