Montgomery: Recreation

Cities of the United States, (2005)

Montgomery: Recreation

Sightseeing

The Visitor Center, located in historic Union Station at Riverfront Park, offers maps and brochures for visitors to use in touring the city. Many of Montgomery's most important tourist sites are located in the city's downtown and are within walking distance of one another. The Alabama State Capitol, built in 1850–1851, is a National Historic Landmark and has been restored to its original design. At this site Jefferson Davis was sworn in as President of the Confederacy and Martin Luther King, Jr. culminated the historic march through downtown Montgomery by asking for equality for all Americans.

The Civil Rights Memorial lists the key events in the American civil rights movement, including the names of forty men, women, and children who were killed during the struggle. Nearby is Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. issued many of his pleas for freedom. The church also served as the center of the famous 1955 bus boycott.

Montgomery is also the home of the First White House of the Confederacy, where President Jefferson Davis and his family resided. The Alabama Judicial Building houses the state Supreme Court, the courts of Criminal and Civil Appeals, and the state law library. In nearby Wetumpka, at the site of Fort Toulouse in 165-acre Jackson Park is the William Bartram Arboretum, a museum, historic buildings, and an Indian mound dating back thousands of years.

A museum today, the First White House of the Confederacy contains artifacts and exhibits about the Confederacy and its president, Jefferson Davis.

The Alabama Science Center encourages hands-on learning through touch-screen interactive computer programs and video presentations.

Renowned country singer Hank Williams, Sr. is a son of Montgomery. The museum that bears his name features his 1952 Cadillac and other items such as his clothing, piano, and band members' possessions. A life-sized statue of the beloved singer stands across the street from the old city auditorium where many of his performances and his funeral took place.

Rosa L. Parks, the African American heroine who was the catalyst for the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, is honored at Troy State University Montgomery's Rosa Parks Library and Museum, which opened in 2000. The 55,000-square-foot structure was built on the site where Mrs. Parks boarded the bus on which she refused to yield her seat. The interpretive museum is housed in the 7,000 square foot first floor of the three-story building, which also houses the Troy State University Library. Permanent exhibits commemorating the civil rights movement are displayed, including a replica of the bus, original historical documents on loan from the City of Montgomery, and various sculptures. The Museum also contains a 2,200 square foot, 103-seat multimedia auditorium.

The Alabama Cattleman's Association MOOseum tells the story of the agricultural history of the state, focusing on the history of the cattle industry from the explorations of DeSoto to the present day.

Visitors are alerted to "expect the unexpected" at the 40-acre Montgomery Zoo, which displays more than 700 animals from five continents living in a "barrier free" setting lush with vegetation and crashing waterfalls. One of the largest planetariums in the Southeast, the W.A. Gayle Planetarium allows 230 visitors to view the sun, moon, planets, and stars projected on a 50-foot domed ceiling. Laser Lights are a highlight of the facility, which is set in beautiful Oak Park.

Teague House offers visitors a chance to observe one of the south's finest examples of late Greek Revival architecture, while the Murphy House antebellum mansion, which now houses the Montgomery Waterworks Board, is open for free tours. The stern-wheel riverboat Betsy Ann provides nautical tours of the city from its berth in historic Riverfront Park.

Arts and Culture

The 150-acre Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park plays host to two Montgomery Gems: The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts' noted Blount Collection includes works by John Singer Sargent and Edward Hopper and spans 200 years of American art. The museum also displays collections of European art and offers an educational gallery called ARTWORKS, through which patrons can use their five senses to learn about works in the permanent collection and art in general. The acclaimed Alabama Shakespeare Festival makes its home at the Carolyn Blount Theatre in the Cultural Park. The complex includes two separate theaters, a 750-seat Festival Stage, and the 225-seat Octagon Theatre. The Shakespeare Festival attracts more than 300,000 visitors annually. The park's Shakespeare Gardens hosts many events, including acoustic music concerts, lectures, and theatrical productions. The grounds are festooned with numerous lush plantings and an Elizabethan herb garden. Blount Cultural Park is a $21.5 million facility representing the largest single gift in the history of American arts philanthropy.