Montgomery Experience

The Equal Justice Initiative’s new National Memorial for Peace and Justice is a striking is the nation’s first museum dedicated to the victims of racially driven violence and atrocities. Visitors to the hilltop site will initially see columns representing the 800 counties throughout the country where lynchings occurred. Perception shifts inside the plaza, revealing the steel monuments as suspended, like hangings. A twin set of 800 monuments lie in the surrounding garden, awaiting reclamation by those counties. The companion Legacy Museum downtown traces the evolution of inequality from slavery and racial terror to police violence and mass incarceration.

The civil rights movement was already underway when Rosa Parks, a seamstress riding home from her job at a downtown department store in 1955, refused to cede her seat on a crowded bus to a white passenger, leading to her arrest, the Montgomery bus boycott and the explosion of the campaign to end segregation. The Rosa Parks Museum tells the activist’s story in multimedia displays. Artifacts include a bus from the 1955 fleet and a restored station wagon used by carpools during the yearlong bus boycott.

The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration is situated on a site in Montgomery where Black people were forced to labor in bondage. Blocks from one of the most prominent slave auction spaces in America, the Legacy Museum is steps away from the rail station where tens of thousands of Black people were trafficked during the 19th century.

Dr. Martin Luther King was only 24 when he came to Montgomery to accept his first appointment as pastor. His handsome red brick church, now named lies a block from the Alabama State Capitol presided over by a statue of Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president. Take the tour to learn about the affluent congregation and its role in the campaign that made its pastor a national leader. Gregarious guides may entreat visitors to speak from the podium used by Dr. King.

The Montgomery Interpretive Center is located on the campus of Alabama State University in Montgomery, AL. Inside the center, exhibits tell the history of the last leg of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March, the student involvement in the Voting Rights Movement, and the rally that occurred at the City of St. Jude campus the fourth night of the march. A 20-minute film about student protests in Montgomery during March 1965 is available for viewing.

There’s no better place to enjoy Montgomery’s feel-good vibe than Riverfront Park. Extending from the bank of the river up to the central business district, the park offers something for everyone to do throughout the year. 

Appreciate the Riverfront Park area and its past by pausing to read the historical markers. Reflect on the many lives that were impacted by this place. Board the Harriott II, an elegant 19th-century vessel, for a relaxing riverboat cruise. Take in the scale of the Union Station Train Shed and think of the number of people who stepped off a train to experience Montgomery in a different time. 

Montgomery Whitewater is Alabama’s premier outdoor destination, inviting all ages to be outside, challenge themselves, discover new activities, and enjoy their surroundings. Discover Montgomery Whitewater today.

It all started with a vision to enhance the lives of the people who live, work, and visit Montgomery, Alabama. Inspired by the natural beauty of its riverside location and its proximity to downtown, the idea to create Montgomery Whitewater was born. Rooted in adventure, outdoor lifestyle, and shared experiences, our premier destination invites people to be outside, challenge themselves, discover new activities, and enjoy their surroundings.

Discover the perfect blend of southern charm and sports at the Montgomery Biscuits, proudly representing the capital city for two decades. Step into the historic Riverwalk Stadium, a converted century-old train shed located in downtown Montgomery and immerse yourself in Biscuits Baseball.