attractive places in Montgomery

15 Top attractive places in Montgomery, Alabama

February 12, 2023
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If you have an idea to visit Montgomery, the capital of Alabama we’ll tell you the most attractive places in Montgomery as well as the most interesting things you can do in there. There are dozens of places you can visit in Montgomery like the unique cow-themed MOOseum and the Montgomery Zoo. This historic city is the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. You can spend days visiting multiple memorials and museums and learning the area’s past. Then, let’s start our tour of Montgomery.

1. Civil Rights Memorial

15 Top attractive places in Montgomery, Alabama

If you visit Montgomery, Civil Rights Memorial which is located in an open area next to the Civil Rights Memorial Center is a place you must visit. This memorial has built to commemorate the people who died during the Civil Rights Movement. A black granite wall has covered this Civil Rights Memorial. The phrase “until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” has been written on it. You can see a black granite disc with water flowing over the surface right below the wall. Also, the names of the people who died in the fight for civil rights has written on it. The names of visitors who have pledged to work toward justice and tolerance have displayed on the Wall of Tolerance. If you like, you can add your name.

2. King Memorial Church 

15 Top attractive places in Montgomery, Alabama

This building was founded on the site of a slave trader’s pen in 1877. Dr. Martin Luther King served here from 1954 to 1960 as a pastor. If you visit there you can see a picture that shows Dr. Martin Luther’s journey to Memphis. He has lived in the church’s parsonage with his family. Later, this ninenine-roomlding became the Dexter Parsonage Museum. It looks like the King’s home, and he used to live there. It also included a significant amount of the original furnishings that King used.

Also, there are exhibits, timelines, and photographs which show the civil rights movement in Montgomery. They also displayed the involvement of the church ministers and members in the Civil Rights Movement. This Dexter Parsonage Museum is on the list of the National Register of Historic Places. King-Johns Garden for Reflection which is located behind the museum is a good place for meditation.

3. Museum of Fine Arts

15 Top attractive places in Montgomery, Alabama

The Museum of Fine Arts is another place among the most attractive places in Montgomery. Its permanent collection numbers over 4,000 objects. They are included American arts, African arts, and European arts. The American art collection has items that belong to the 1700s through the present. A collection of fragile paper-based artworks such as watercolors, drawings, engravings, etchings, and woodcuts are included in this collection. Popular American artists like Winslow Homer and John Marin’s items are also included.

Among the African arts, you can see sculpture, furniture, masks, and textiles. The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts has a decorative arts gallery and the Weil Atrium Gallery. You can see some examples of domestic and imported porcelain in the decorative arts gallery. The Weli Atrium Gallery exhibits glassworks from various celebrated glassblowers like Tiffany Studios and Dale Chihuly. It hosts some educational programs and traveling exhibitions also.

  • Visit: One Museum Drive, Montgomery, Alabama
  • Official website: http://mmfa.org/

4. Rosa Parks Library 

The Rosa Parks Library and Museum

The Rosa Parks Library and Museum is another popular place among the most attractive places in Montgomery. You have a chance to see many historic artifacts like a 1955 Montgomery city bus and station wagons used by the boycotters during the movement to end segregation. Also, you can see Rosa’s original fingerprint record from her arrest, some photographs, and court documents. You can learn about the political and social climate of 1950s Montgomery and important moments in Civil Rights history. The Rosa Parks museum hosts educational programs, traveling exhibits, and special events throughout the year.

5. Hank Williams Museum

Hank Williams Museum

This is another place among the most attractive places in Montgomery. The Hank Williams Museum is located in downtown Montgomery. The museum has built to commemorate Hank Williams, a popular county music star. If you visit there, you can see his belongings like two Gibson guitars, a Steinway piano, a powder-blue 1952 Cadillac, artwork from his home, and his everyday items like a shoe-shine kit and shaving kit.

You can see a large collection of his clothing, from his first childhood cowboy boots to his stage costumes also. Some of his awards, autographed vinyl records, sheet music, and photographs are included in this collection. If you visit the Oakwood Annex Cemetery, you can see the Hank Williams Memorial. Also, his wife’s and other family members’ graves in there. The grave site is a popular tourist attraction, especially among country music fans.

6. Montgomery Zoo

Montgomery Zoo

Montgomery Zoo is popular among families. If you visit there, you can see different kinds of animals from all over the world. You can see North American animals like bald eagles, black bears, and bison and South American animals like the Chilean flamingo, the emerald tree boa, the endangered golden lion tamarin, and the different kinds of frogs. There are some African animals like giraffes, cheetahs, elephants, and hippos. Giraffes are the most popular being among them. Some examples of Asian animals are the Sumatran tiger and the Indian rhino.

You can also see Australian animals like kangaroos and wallabies in the Montgomery Zoo. You can get up close to some animals and feed them. The zoo hosts several programs like a lion training session. The zoo has three African elephants and you have a chance to get to know them. You can see birds while walking the South American Flight Aviary and the Parakeet Cove. If you like taxidermy, you can visit the Mann Wildlife and Learning Museum.

7. Old Alabama Town

Old Alabama Town

Do you like to view the 19th- and early 20th-century Alabama city? If yes, you should visit Montgomery’s Old Alabama Town. This is another attractive place in Montgomery among tourists. Old Alabama Town consists of a series of more than 50 historic buildings which represent 19th- and early 20th-century Alabama.

These restored buildings are open to tourists. Ordeman House is the centerpiece of the buildings. You can have a map and a guided tour of this house. As well as you can see some other houses. For example, the stunning Ware-Farley-Hood House, the 1892 Corner Grocery Store, and the 1895 Adams Chapel School. They are some other remarkable buildings in this area.

8. The MOOseum

The MOOseum

This is another popular place among the most attractive places in Montgomery. If you like to learn about Alabama’s cattle industry, you should visit there. They host video presentations and history exhibits. If you are interested in cows you can learn all about their breeds and the complex digestive system in the food. As well as you can learn about the products they produce. Kids have a chance to dress like cowboys and cowgirls. They also can learn about food safety in Slim’s Kitchen. If you visit  “Beef Wagon,” you can take family photographs also.

9. Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery

Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery

This building is located at the former Montgomery Greyhound station. This is the place where the Freedom Riders got off their bus on the 20th of May in 1961. The building was restored as it was in 1961 and became a museum. This place is another remarkable place of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. If you visit there you can see the collection of exhibits like documents, photographs, and biographies of the people who were part of the momentous statement. 

  • Visit: 210 South Court Street, Montgomery, Alabama

10. Alabama State Capitol

Alabama State Capitol

The state capital is another place you should visit among the most attractive places in Montgomery. The original building was destroyed in 1850 due to a fire. Later it was rebuilt in the Greek Revival style. This building is used as the Capitol of the Confederacy and the state Capitol. Once, Dr. Martin Luther King delivers a speech in front of this building after the Selma to Montgomery March for voting rights.

This building is not only a Civil Rights Trail destination but also a National Historic Landmark in the USA. Now it uses as a museum. You can visit the Senate and Old Supreme Court Chambers, the Rotunda, and the House of Representatives. Also, you can see paintings on the ceiling of the Senate Chamber, which represent the historic murals in the Rotunda and trompe l’oeil.

11. State Archives

State Archives

This building was founded in 1901. It was the first state archival agency in the nation. This building consists of staircases of Tennessee gray marble and Alabama white marble and marble walls. If you visit the second floor which is dedicated to former Vice President William Rufus King, you can see his furniture and some of his clothing. 

If you visit the Alabama state archives and history museum you can learn about the history of Alabama through historic documents and artifacts. Native American and pioneer artifacts, and a collection of Civil War items like regimental flags are some examples of the artifacts in the Alabama State museum. Also, the host’s multimedia presentations display various moments in Alabama’s history. Not only that, you can learn about the cotton industry and civil rights.

12.National Memorial

Montgomery National Memorial

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice has built to commemorate the African Americans who were affected by racial injustice, lynchings and slavery. It only takes 15-minute walk from the Legacy Museum to visit there. The Memorial covers six acres and you can see some artwork which displays major figures in the Civil Rights movement, sculptures, and monuments. The field of 800 monuments, each one symbolizing a county where lynchings took place and displaying the names of known victims, makes perhaps the most powerful statement. In an effort to acknowledge a tragic past and prepare the way for a better future, these monuments are awaiting approval by the counties who will own them.

  • Visit: 417 Caroline Street, Montgomery, Alabama

13. Legacy Museum

Legacy Museum

This is the place where thousands of slaves were warehoused. They were waiting for their unknown fates. This building was located within walking distance of the rail station which supports the slave trade and the city’s former slave auction site. If you visit the Legacy Museum, you can learn about lynching, segregation, slavery, mass incarceration, and present and modern issues of racial profiling. You can also see personal narratives of African Americans who have been faced with injustice in the legacy museum.

14. Riverfront Park

Riverfront Park

Riverfront Park is among the most attractive places in Montgomery, Alabama. This place is great to find entertainment. You can find activities like ride on the Harriott II Riverboat for your entire family. Harriott II Riverboat is a 19th-century passenger boat. It provides dinner cruises with live music and dancing and scenic cruises.

Riverfront Amphitheater is a lovely open-air venue and it hosts free entertainment activities like theatrical and musical performances. You can see a Splashpad next to the Amphitheater. You can cool off on a hot Alabama day in there. Riverwalk Stadium which hosts Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League is a part of the park. Your kids can have fun in the park’s children’s playground.

15. Safari Park

Safari Park

This 350-acre safari park is located about 20 minutes from Montgomery city. You can travel through the park in your vehicle and see wildlife traveling free in their environment. You can feed them using the safari park’s special dietary grains. There is a variety of animals in the park. For example, zebras, camels, gazelles, water buffalo, Watusi cattle, emus, deer, llamas, and other domestic wildlife.

Park allows visitors to get up close to the animals, hand-feed giraffes lettuce leaves, and hand-feed the birds in the free flight aviary. You have the opportunity to interact with the friendly budgies. If you visit the petting area, your kids can feed and pet pigs and goats. Safari park’s admission fees are used for a variety of things like expanding public education, assisting captive breeding programs that help sustain populations of endangered and rare animals, and funding habitat preservation.

Those are the most attractive places in Montgomery, Alabama. If you plan to tour Montgomery, don’t forget to visit these places. You will be able to get an amazing experience in Montgomery.

Hotels to Stay in Montgomery

If you visit to Montgomery, you can stay in the below hotels. They are close to most attractive places in Montgomery we discussed in the previous section.

  • Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa: River views, rooftop pool, mid-range pricing, located in Montgomery’s entertainment district.
  • The Homewood Suites: 3-star hotel, offers laundry services, complimentary evening reception and recreational facilities like multi sports court and outdoor pool
  • The Hampton Inn and Suites: Great location, affordable rates, offers private on-site parking, bicycle rental, and free hot breakfast
  • The Microtel Inn and Suites: excellent budget, pet friendly hotel, offers self-serve laundry, free Wi-Fi, free breakfast and baggage storage.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fame of Montgomery, Alabama?

Montgomery, which was incorporated on December 3, 1819, has a lengthy and great history. Montgomery developed into the center of the Civil Rights Movement, particularly the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, and was once the site of the First White House of the Confederacy.

Is Montgomery, Alabama, a good city to call home?

The fact that Montgomery, Alabama, has so much to offer makes it a great place to call home. People adore living here for a variety of reasons, including the inexpensive cost of living, authentic dining options, excellent educational opportunities, and stunning views.

How cold is Montgomery in winter?

From November 30 to February 23, the cold season, with an average daily high temperature below 65°F, lasts for 2.8 months. With an average low temperature of 39°F and high temperature of 58°F, January is the coldest month of the year in Montgomery.

How is life in Montgomery, Alabama?

One benefit is that it’s a cheap option. With a median home price of $116,600 and a median rent of $827, Montgomery’s cost of living is 11% lower than the national average, as is its cost of housing, which is 30% cheaper.