Maryland · Mid-Atlantic
Highland Beach
Founded in 1893 by Charles Douglass, son of Frederick Douglass, Highland Beach became a historic Black resort community where generations built homes, family and cultural life.
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Mood Black Resort Project
Where Black history meets the art of getting away.
The Black Resort Project takes you to destinations where Black communities created spaces for leisure, culture, family, business and belonging — places worth experiencing, preserving and passing forward.
Go where generations went to live, gather and thrive.From the Mid-Atlantic to the Southern coast, Midwest and West Coast, Mood helps travelers explore the stories behind historic Black resort communities and experience them today.
THE MAP
Historic Black safespaces, region by region.
These destinations tell a larger American story: Black communities created places for leisure, family, entrepreneurship, culture and belonging — often when access to other beaches and resorts was restricted.
Atlantic City, New Jersey · Mid-Atlantic
Chicken Bone Beach
A historic Black beach enclave on Atlantic City's shoreline that became a major gathering place for Black leisure, music and entertainment during segregation.
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Maryland · Chesapeake Bay
Carr's & Sparrow's Beaches
Neighboring historic Black resort shores near Annapolis remembered as important summer gathering places and stops on the mid-century Chitlin' Circuit.
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Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts · New England
Oak Bluffs
A celebrated Black summer destination where generations created community, tradition, entrepreneurship and a distinctive cultural legacy.
ExploreAmelia Island, Florida · Southern Coast
American Beach
Founded in 1935 by Abraham Lincoln Lewis as a place for Black families to enjoy recreation, relaxation and ocean access without humiliation.
ExploreSouth Carolina · Lowcountry
Atlantic Beach
Known as the Black Pearl, this historic coastal community has deep connections to Black entrepreneurship and Gullah Geechee heritage.
ExploreNorth Carolina · Southern Coast
Ocean City
A historic African American beach community established in 1949 as Black families sought a place to own coastal property and enjoy the shore.
ExploreSt. Augustine, Florida · Southern Coast
Butler Beach
A historic Black beach community south of St. Augustine associated with Black access to the Atlantic and the region's civil-rights-era history.
ExploreMichigan · Midwest
Idlewild
Founded in 1912, Idlewild became a major Black vacation community serving families from Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis and beyond.
ExploreManhattan Beach, California · West Coast
Bruce's Beach
Founded by Charles and Willa Bruce in 1912, the beach resort became a landmark in the history of Black coastal property ownership and restitution.
ExploreTHE WORLD
Black-owned luxury stays, internationally.
Mood is extending the Black Resort Project beyond historic American destinations to luxury hospitality owned or operated by Black entrepreneurs across Africa and the Caribbean. Each listing is being curated around ownership, place and the experience travelers can actually book.
Marrakech, Morocco · Africa
Jnane Tamsna
Black-owned boutique luxury hotel founded and owned by French-Senegalese designer Meryanne Loum-Martin.
St. Lucia · Caribbean
Stonefield Villa Resort
Luxury villa resort purchased by Wayne and Anista Brown and now wholly owned and operated by Anista Brown.
Barbados · Caribbean
La Maison Michelle
Black-owned private luxury villa owned by Michelle C. Ifill and Guy Jenkins on Barbados' Platinum Coast.
Montego Bay, Jamaica · Caribbean
SeaGarden Beach Resort
Black-owned, family-operated all-inclusive resort recognized for local Jamaican ownership.
Jamaica · Caribbean
Wilks Bay Resort
Black-owned boutique resort highlighted for Caribbean luxury, island hospitality and cultural connection.
For Tourism Boards & Destination Partners
Preserve the story. Invite people to experience it.
Partner with Mood to bring historic Black destinations to a national audience through editorial storytelling, Mood Map listings, travel itineraries, cinematic content and cultural exchange.
Become a Mood Adventure destination