Courthouse Square
Montgomery: Courageous, Rebellious, and Visionary
 | It is deep in the heart of Dixie, in the land where cotton was king. It
was also the heart of the struggles for freedom and equality. This city was the Cradle of the Confederacy and Birthplace of both the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Here in Montgomery, the capital of Alabama, no matter which way we headed we were deeply immersed in history. |
Union Station | With
the Lightning Route in 1886, Montgomery became the first city in
America to have an electric streetcar system. As railroads expanded,
Montgomery became a hub, and Union Station was built in 1898. Montgomery's transportation role grew again when the Wright brothers opened the country's first civilian flying school at the site of the present Maxwell Airport Base. |
| Commerce Street, alongside the stylish new Renaissance Hotel, was once the center of downtown manufacturing. The street’s historic buildings have been restored. |
| One houses the Hank Williams Museum, owned and enthusiastically operated by Beth Petty, who is quick to note that “No other artist in the field of music has ever matched what Hank Williams did in that length of time.” |
| With costumes, custom made suits, musical instruments, and even the baby blue 1952 Cadillac in which he took his final ride, it is the most complete showcase of the country singer’s life.
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Harriott II | The formerly bustling Union Station now housing the Visitor Center. Behind it, antebellum cotton wagons unloaded their cargo on the Alabama River by the dock where the riverboat Harriott II now awaits passengers for scenic cruises. The first steamboat landed nearby in 1821. |
Biscuit, | The Riverwalk, part of the city’s entertainment hub, leads to an amphitheater with splash pad and Biscuits stadium, home to the AA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. |
| Cross the road for The Alley, a trendy New Orleans French Quarter-style restaurant district—all part of ongoing plans for the lively riverfront area. |
| Sample barbeque at Dreamland, Italian food at SaZa, and join the evening crowd for live music and the ice bar at the popular AlleyBar. |
Winter Building and fountain, Court Square | Continuing on, Court Square (which is not square and no longer has a court house) is dominated by the landmark fountain that stands at the site of Civil War-era slave auctions. The telegram that led to first shots of the War of Northern Aggression, (known to Yankees as The Civil War) was sent from a hidden telegraph office on second floor of the Square’s Winter Building. |
Rosa Parks Library and Museum | Rosa Parks waited at a nearby bus stop for the historic ride in 1955 that led to her arrest for refusing to give up her seat. The Rosa Parks Library and Museum, part of Troy University, is just down Montgomery Street, at the site old Empire Theater and this pivotal event. In addition to the many historic artifacts, there is an emotional reenactment of the 1955 incident that triggered the Bus Boycott and led to a Supreme Court decision banning bus segregation. |
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Dexter Avenue—one of most historic short streets in US—runs uphill from Court Square to the State Capitol where in 1861 Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America. A little over a century later (1965) the Selma-to- Montgomery march for voting rights for all citizens ended here, highlighted by the “How Long, Not Long” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dexter Avenue Memorial Baptist Church | Midway up the hill, a 26 year old Martin Luther King, Jr. preached from his first and only pulpit at the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, also headquarters of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
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 Lightning Route Trolley | A quarter gets you a ride on the today’s Lightning Route Trolley. For seniors it’s just a dime! It is a great way to get out of the mid-day Alabama sun and to the attractions that are uphill or a little farther out. |
Weekdays, two alternating narrated routes stop at landmarks and historical sites along the way. It starts at the historic Union Station, just outside the Visitor Center, or catch it at any stop. Opt for day passes--just a dollar--50 cents for seniors—and ride both loops first for an overview and bargain-priced city tour.
A few other stops along the trolley route:
Montgomery Capitol dome | Be sure to see the interior of the historic Capitol. Not to be missed are the spiral staircase, rotunda murals depicting Alabama history, and the historic House, Senate, and Supreme Court rooms. |
Schoolhouse, Old Alabama Town |
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Hungry?
The Farmer’s Market Café, with Southern cookin’ that includes fried
green tomatoes every day, and the Tucker Pecan store, with the tastiest
of Southern treats, are both on N. McDonough Street, just a
block from Old Alabama Town.
Dexter Parsonage Museum | The Dexter Parsonage Museum, on Centennial Hill, is where Martin Luther King, dynamic leader of the nonviolent approach, calmed the angry crowd after the porch of his home was firebombed. It was in this kitchen he had the epiphany that gave him the strength to continue on. |
Civil Rights Memorial “This is not a monument to suffering; it is a | Water
flows gently over the names of martyrs of the modern Civil Rights
Movement inscribed a circular black granite table at the Civil Rights
Memorial. |
First White House of the Confederacy | The First White House of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis’ Civil War home while Montgomery was Capital of the Confederate States of America has been preserved with period furnishings, war memorabilia, and some of his personal items. It was relocated from the Renaissance Hotel area to its present spot across from the Capitol and adjacent to the Archives. |
This dress with Bertha style collar | The story of Alabama’s people is revealed through the Native American, pioneer, military, and political documents and artifacts at the beautiful marble Alabama Department of Archives and History, Alabama’s official state history museum. It’s the oldest state-funded archives in the nation and a genealogical research facility, all housed in an impressive marble building completed in 1940. |
Hyundai Tram Tour | Once you have
explored the city’s history, drive out to the Hyundai’s first assembly
and manufacturing plant in North America and take the free hour-long
tram tour of the latest in automotive technology. 280 robots and their Alabamian associates are busy at
work stamping, painting, and assembling in the 2 million square foot
facility, where it takes 16 ½ hours from rolling out to rolling off—9
hours of it painting and drying. Up to 300,000 cars are produced here each year. |
Check
the schedule and catch a Broadway-style show, music concert, other
cultural activity at the 1800 seat Montgomery Performing Arts Center,
conveniently connected to the Renaissance Hotel. Performers have
included BB King, Loretta Lynn, and Smoky Robinson.
Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Blount Cultural Park |
Just outside the city is the The ever-popular Alabama
Shakespeare Festival attracts over 300,000 visitors from around the world. Book
a backstage tour to see the costumes and props. Even if you can’t catch a
performance, head out to enjoy the grounds. The |
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts | The park is also home to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, with a permanent collection of 19th and 20th century American paintings and sculptures. Old Master Prints, decorative and Southern regional art. It also houses ARTWORKS, Alabama’s first interactive fine arts gallery for children. |
F. Scott Fitzgerald was stationed here in WW1 when he met Zelda, daughter of a prominent judge. Literary fans will want to visit the home they shared from 1931-1932 in the Cloverdale section of the city, preserved as a museum.
For more family friendly
entertainment, travel from South American jungles to Asian hilltops. You can visit
five continents as you stroll along the shaded walkways of the Montgomery Zoo.
You’ll see over 600 animals in their natural habitats and can learn more about
wildlife conservation at the
Golf Magazine and the Zagat
Survey named the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail one of top public courses in
Walk the pathways of history and see how the city has emerged
revitalized. Learn from the courage of the past and dream the visions of tomorrow. It’s all here
in
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