Visiting the Must-See Sights in Montgomery, AL

Alabama

A Sobering Look at History

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum

Our visit to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, was a powerful and emotional experience. It gave us a clear understanding of a dark chapter in American history. After the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of slavery, Black people continued to be terrorized and lynched across the country.

Each red-iron hanging bar represents a county where a lynching occurred; over 4,400 names of the victims are inscribed to show the brutality and injustice Black Americans faced until the 1950-ties. As visitors, we were left with a sober and thought-provoking message and the realization that all this ugliness didn’t happen that long ago.

Montgomery's Capitol, A Confederate Past, A Civil Rights Future

Montgomery is the state capitol, so we included a walk around the elegant state capitol. This classic Greek Revival-designed building is a historical landmark in Montgomery. It was the seat of the Confederates from 1861 to 1865, and it was the location where Martin Luther King gave his famous “How Long, Not Long” speech for racial equality in 1965.

Following Hank's Footsteps

We also walked to the old Oakwood Cemetery to visit Hank Williams’s grave. Hank Williams was an American country music writer and singer who died at 29. As we approached his final resting place, a friendly local man approached us and asked, ‘Looking for Hank?’ We were surprised and amused at the same time. It turns out that Hank Williams’ grave is still a popular pilgrimage site for country music fans seventy years after his death.

Montgomery's Riverfront & Downtown's Charm

Although we already explored Montgomery, we still wanted to see Montgomery’s riverfront and downtown. So, in the late afternoon, we went for a third stroll! The Riverfront Park offers a charming view of the Alabama River. Montgomery has been and still is revitalizing its downtown area, not by demolishing the 19th-century redbrick buildings but by converting them into beautiful, characteristic apartments and retail stores.