Montgomery, Alabama
Settled in 1819, Montgomery is a city of history and culture. It
was the first capital of the Confederacy, and then
approximately 100 years later it became the site of the
nation’s first Civil Rights Memorial.
 There
are many historic memorials in Montgomery. You can visit
the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where Martin
Luther King, Jr. was pastor from 1954 to 1960, or visit
the Civil Rights Memorial on Washington Avenue. At the F.
Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald Museum, you will see the author’s
home and personal artifacts detailing he and his wife’s
private lives, as well as paintings, letters, photographs,
and a video presentation. At the Lower Commerce Street Historic
District you will find Victorian buildings from the 1880’s
and at Old Alabama Town you can tour the 1850’s Italianate
Orderman-Shaw House. Old Alabama Town has service buildings
with household items, a carriage house, a drugstore museum,
a cotton gin museum, a print shop, a country store, a doctor’s
office and many other facilities from the late 1880’s.
 If
you love getting back to nature, then be sure to check out
Fort Toulouse/Jackson Park National Historic Landmark. Here
where the Cosa and Tallapoosa rivers converge is Fort Toulouse
and the site of ancient Indian mounds. The park has a boat
ramp, nature trails, picnic areas, a museum and camping
areas.
Montgomery is home to several schools of higher learning. At Alabama State
University, you will find an art gallery, an African-American
collection and the Tullibody Fine Arts Center. Huntington
College, established in 1854 in Tuskegee,
began in order to provide higher education for women. It
became the co-educational after WWII. The 58 acre campus
and Gothic buildings can be seen on tours by appointment.
Does your itinerary include the arts? Then be sure to visit the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, where you will find collections of 19th and 20th century American Art, European works on paper, as well as regional and decorative art. There are also hands-on children’s exhibits, lectures and concerts.
Other Montgomery Attractions are the Hank Williams Grave, the Maxwell Air Force Base, the First White House of the Confederacy, the Jasmine Gardens and the W.A. Gayle Transit Planetarium.
Montgomery Zoo
For fun animal adventure, check out the Montgomery Zoo
where you can see over 800 animals that are housed in both
cages as well as naturalistic outdoor habitats. You can
watch the elephants and other African animals, see  monkeys
and apes or learn about snakes. The zoo has a playground,
a café and snack stands as well as a picnic area. The Montgomery
Zoo is open year round with the exception of Thanksgiving
Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day. The zoo opens at 9:00
am and closes at 5:00 pm.
2301 Coliseum Parkway
Montgomery, AL 36110
334-240-4900
Capital Building by Jim Bowen
House Image by Jim Bowen
Elephant by Kango Traveler
|
