Location: Montgomery
Top Things to do in Montgomery
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Top 10 Things to do in Montgomery, Alabama (AL)
Old southern charm meets modern city allure in Montgomery, where the weather is sublime and the food is divine! Explore life in the 19th-century South at Old Alabama Town, sample the city's artsy side at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts or spend the day reliving the era of Civil Rights. Rosa Parks, the African-American woman who changed history in the United States by refusing to ride in the back of the bus, was arrested in Montgomery, and there are a number of interesting attractions in her honor. Literary buffs will be wowed by the Fitzgerald Museum, while kids will want to spend hours at the Montgomery Zoo. Everyone will enjoy the delicious southern cuisine, from black-eyed pea soup to country ham and red-eyed gravy. Fancy or no-frills, a visit to Montgomery will leave you with a taste for more.
Restaurants in Montgomery
1. Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 471 reviews
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., used the pulpit of this unassuming red brick church to lead the 1955-56 Montgomery bus boycott, which ignited the civil rights movement. Steeped in history, this church, where Dr. King served as pastor from 1954 to 1960, was also the site of many civil rights meetings during that era.
Reviewed By IdaIllinois
In early March we visited this historical site in the shadow of the State Capitol in Montgomery where Martin Luther King, Jr. was pastor from 1954 to 1960 and organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott from his basement office. There is a tour of the church and parsonage on Tuesday through Saturday at specific times; the fee is very reasonable. Since we arrived halfway through a tour, we were privileged to be a part of two tours with a group of two college student classes. Our docent was Wanda Howard Battle who was a very personal guide to each person and had us all feeling like part of a larger and better group. She made the sanctuary, the basement, MLK’s lectern, and his office come alive with her words of history, culture, spiritualism, art, music, and humanism. It was a very uplifting hour tour, and one which you need to experience when you are in Montgomery.
2. Dexter Parsonage Museum - Dr. Martin Luther King home
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 534 reviews
Martin Luther King's residence from September 1954 to February 1960.
Reviewed By Bearwife - Shoreline, United States
Arrive on the hour or arrange in advance for a group tour of this important civil rights site. This is where Dr. King lived from 1954 to 1956 as the pastor of the Dexter Street church, and was the President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which led the bus boycott after Rosa Parks’ arrest. The parsonage was bombed and subjected to 40 plus telephone death threats during that time too. Down the street is the very important Harris house and behind the interpretive center is a thought provoking garden.
3. Legacy Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 361 reviews
Reviewed By jillg272019 - Cambridge, United Kingdom
the museum and the memorial are stupendous testimonials to the history of African Americans in USA. a moving and memorable experience.
4. National Memorial for Peace and Justice
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 488 reviews
Reviewed By narbiter
This and the Legacy Museum are long overdue and have been desperately needed for decades.Travel to see it, bring your children, friends, family and co-workers. Talk about it when you go home. Tell the people who teach your children. Lobby to get our text books change. Vote against mass incarceration.... and remember this is where prejudice travels to ....As someone once said sooner or later we sit down to the banquet of consequences... We are in the middle of that banquet in the United States... time to wake up to it, and be active -- it is a memorial... and it is also a call to action-- to remember and stand on the shoulders of what we have learned..... and not repeat.... Thank you Equal Justice Initiative Team.
5. First White House of the Confederacy
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 567 reviews
Built in 1835, this was the home of the Confederacy President, Jefferson Davis.
Reviewed By Abodenheimer
It is in remarkable condition, and is FREE to get in. The docents are incredibly helpful and nice. When my daughter told them that she is a history major, they even gave her a free book from the book store. The furnishings and other period pieces, such as clothing and jewelry, were beautiful and well preserved.
6. Hank Williams Memorial - Oakwood Annex Cemetery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 148 reviews
Grave sites of Hank Williams, his wife, mother and sister in the Oakwood Cemetery Annex. Managed by the Hank Williams Museum. 118 Commerce Street, Montgomery, AL 36104. This is one of the most famous and most visited graves in Alabama.
Reviewed By R3683IUsandrah - Alabama, United States
I came in from Las Vegas to visit family in Montgomery. Being a fan, i enjoyed the visit to pay respect to an American country music icon. It touched my heart that this plot is for Audrey also. A family plot. This made it more special. I saw Audrey with Hank Jr in the late 60s. This was an experience I enjoyed and will never forget. Well worth the visit.
7. Montgomery Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 474 reviews
This popular family destination, spread over 40 acres, is home to over 700 animals from five continents, including the famous Bengal tiger. A train ride around the park provides an overview of the site and a chance to determine where you want to go later for a closer look.
Reviewed By lexicsmith3 - Enterprise, United States
My family and I went while bringing along some of my younger cousins and they loved it! From the kangaroos to the buffalos, they loved it all! They also really loved getting to pick out a stuffed animal at the gift shop!
8. Rosa Parks Library and Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 734 reviews
This tribute to the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" honors Rosa Parks, the African-American woman who, in 1955, sparked the civil rights movement by refusing to give her bus seat to a white man. The museum helps visitors relive this tumultuous era with a video, artifacts, historical documents, a lifesize statue of Rosa Parks and a replica of the bus in which she sat that day.
Reviewed By docwgk - Mobile, United States
Very effective presentation of an important historical event. An initial video is followed by a re-enactment of the historic bus ride, the beginning of the modern Civil Rights movement.
9. Alabama Department of Archives and History
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 229 reviews
The Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) has been the home of Alabama history for more than a century. It is the nation's oldest state-funded, independent archival and historical agency. Located in downtown Montgomery across the street from the capitol, the ADAH is the official government records repository for the state, a private collections library and research facility, and also home to the Museum of Alabama, the state's history museum. The Museum of Alabama is the only destination where you can explore Alabama's past from prehistory to the present. Permanent exhibitions at the Museum of Alabama include The Land of Alabama, introducing the geology and natural resources that helped shape the state's history, and The First Alabamians, featuring artifacts, murals, and a diorama that tell the inspiring story of fourteen thousand years of Native American culture. An entirely new centerpiece exhibition called Alabama Voices opened in February 2014. This exhibition covers the dramatic unfolding of Alabama history from the dawn of the 1700s to the beginning of the 21st century. More than 800 artifacts, hundreds of images and documents, and twenty-two audiovisual programs tell the story of struggles over the land, the rise of a cotton economy, the Civil War, industrialization, world wars, civil rights, the race to the moon, and more. Voices taken from diaries, letters, speeches, songs, and other sources convey the experiences of Alabamians who lived through and shaped the history of these periods. The Museum of Alabama provides interactive educational resources for children and families in the Hands-On-Gallery and Grandma's Attic. Here, families and children can dress in period costumes, play with toys from bygone eras, make their own crafts, listen to stories, and much more. The Museum of Alabama is open Monday-Saturday, 8:30-4:30 and admission is always FREE! Visit our Research Room, open Tuesday-Friday and the second Saturday of each month from 8:30-4:30, to learn more about your family's contribution to Alabama's history. Get expert guidance from our staff, work with original records and online resources, and start building your family tree. Come find your story!
Reviewed By V8976ZRjob - Hoover, United States
Having played in many concerts in the front of the ARCHIVES I can say I really appreciate this grand building. I took California guests there and they were enthralled with the third floor particularly .It begins with the Giant wooly Mammouth and moves thru then eons of time to modern times..it will hold your interest as it has the latest technology displays and objects...The 3rd floor was designed in cooperation with the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. You can expect excellence and a good use of your travel time.
10. Civil Rights Memorial Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 421 reviews
The Civil Rights Memorial Center is sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center in downtown Montgomery. It includes a great deal of educational information about the Civil Rights Movement, an original 20 minute film about the Movement, and the Civil Rights Memorial. $2.00 admission charged for adults, under 18 FREE.
Reviewed By sumaksito - Houston, United States
Very worthwhile museum to visit, which provides information on the struggle for civil rights for all, and for counteracting hatred across the globe. The outside ground of the museum are very beautiful and every installation you see has a meaning. The initiative is promoted via testimonials, videos, and historical evidence that seeks to reach a consensus for mutual respect and dignity. The end of the museum is the highlight, where you are presented with the imposing Wall of Tolerance. This is an actual giant video monitor with names that appear and scroll in different directions. These names are people who are committed to fighting hatred, and you can enter your name that will appear on the screen as well. On the side of the wall is the mission that you sign up for. This is a symbolic yet powerful commitment to fight hatred worldwide. Excellent museum.
