Montgomery

Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. It was incorporated in 1819 and serves as the state’s political and administrative center.

The downtown area contains a concentration of nationally significant Civil Rights landmarks including the Alabama State Capitol, the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, and the Rosa Parks Museum; the 54-mile Selma to Montgomery march ends at the state capitol. The city also hosts the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which present exhibits and an outdoor memorial addressing slavery, lynching, and racial injustice.

Montgomery played multiple prominent historical roles: it served briefly as the first capital of the Confederate States in 1861, and it was a central stage in the American Civil Rights Movement - notably the 1955-56 Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march, which finished at the state capitol on March 25, 1965.

The city sits on the Alabama River in central Alabama, about 90 miles (145 km) south of Birmingham and roughly 170 miles (275 km) northeast of Mobile.

• Civil Rights concentration: Downtown contains a compact cluster of civil rights sites and museums that are walkable in a single day.
• Selma to Montgomery endpoint: The Selma to Montgomery march covered 54 miles and terminates at the state capitol, where signage and interpretation mark the route.
• Best visiting seasons: Spring and fall typically offer the mildest weather for walking tours and outdoor sites.

What to See #

• Alabama State Capitol: Greek Revival statehouse located on a downtown hill that serves as Alabama's seat of government and the ceremonial endpoint of the Selma to Montgomery march.
• Rosa Parks Museum: Museum dedicated to Rosa Parks and the 1955-56 Montgomery Bus Boycott, with exhibits explaining the boycott's organization and its 381-day duration.
• Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church: Historic downtown church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was pastor in the 1950s and which served as a base for civil rights organizing.
• The Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice: Paired museum and outdoor memorial created by the Equal Justice Initiative to document slavery, lynching, and racial injustice; located in downtown Montgomery.
• Riverfront Park: Public green space on the Alabama River with walkways and event areas adjacent to the downtown Riverwalk.
• Old Alabama Town: Preserved collection of 19th- and early 20th-century buildings illustrating Alabama's architectural and social history, located a short drive from downtown.