As the birthplace of both the Confederacy and the Civil Rights Movement, Montgomery, Alabama is a city where history is ever-present. So while there are plenty of things to see and do as a visitor, I would highly recommend delving into America’s weighty history at the Legacy Sites. This is the most impressive way I have seen art and design used to engage people with a painful past. This is easily a full day on your Montgomery itinerary.
Montgomery’s History
Montgomery played a major role in the domestic slave trade and later became the first capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War, earning it the nickname “The Cradle of the Confederacy.” As the city evolved during Reconstruction, so did the structures of racism. Fast forward to 1955, Montgomery became the epicenter of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, sparked by Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat. The boycott also helped to bring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to national prominence.
Visiting the Legacy Sites
There are three sites: The Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and the new Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. Start at the museum or the memorial where you can park and take the free shuttle between. Or it’s only a 20 minute walk if the weather is good.
Tickets: $5 to see all three sites. Buy tickets in advance online or at the Legacy Museum.
Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice (2018)
417 Caroline St, Montgomery, AL 36104
This memorial honors the more than 4,400 victims of racial terror lynchings that took place between Reconstruction and World War II. 805 weathered steel columns are suspended, with each column representing a county where lynchings occurred. On each are the engraved names of black victims – many of whom remain unknown. (I was hoping my county in Georgia would be absent, but there it was.) The six-acre site also features sculptures by Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, Dana King, and Hank Willis Thomas; alongside poignant quotes from Toni Morrison, Elizabeth Alexander, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plan to spend at least an hour here.
The Legacy Museum (2018 & 2021)
400 N Court St, Montgomery, AL 36104
The Legacy Museum, which opened the same day as the memorial, spans 11,000 square feet and interweaves a staggering collection of oral histories, archival materials, and interactive exhibits to trace the history of racism “From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration.” (No photos allowed of the exhibits.) The museum starts in a haunting ocean simulation representing the transatlantic slave voyage. You then wind through the history of slavery, moving through the antebellum South, Reconstruction, and up to today’s issues of mass incarceration and prisoner mistreatment. The first-person accounts are especially moving, and there’s a beautiful reflection room and art gallery where you can decompress and contemplate the exhibits. Expect to spend 2-5 hours here.
Freedom Monument Sculpture Park (2024)
831 Walker St, Montgomery, AL 36104
Although I didn’t make it to the newest Legacy site on this trip, it’s on my list for the future. Visitors take a boat ride across the Alabama River to the 17-acre park, which combines artifacts of slavery with powerful sculptures by renowned artists. The centerpiece is the National Monument to Freedom, a 43-foot-tall wall engraved with the 122,000 surnames adopted by millions of formerly enslaved African Americans.
The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI)
The Legacy Sites were created by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a non-profit organization that provides legal representation to prisoners who may have been wrongly convicted and others who may have been denied a fair trial.
More Historic Stops in Montgomery
The Rosa Parks Museum
252 Montgomery St. Montgomery, AL 36104
The museum at Troy University offers self-guided tours that begin with a short film and a cool multimedia reenactment of Parks’ arrest. A statue of Rosa Parks sits by the entrance. The museum also features a gallery; during my visit, the exhibit was “Homeless,” featuring marble sculptures by Jim Hager.
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
454 Dexter Ave, Montgomery, AL 36104
This is where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served as a pastor from 1954-1960 and where the plans for the Montgomery Bus Boycott were organized. It’s right across from the capitol building. You can also visit the house where the King family lived between 1954 and 1960, preserved as the Dexter Parsonage Museum. Tours for the house are Fridays and Saturdays or by appointment.
The Mothers of Gynecology Park
17 Mildred St. Montgomery, AL 36104
This monument by art activist Michelle Browder is dedicated to the Black women who were subjected to medical experimentation by Dr. J. Marion Sims. (There’s also a beautiful, boarded-up school built in 1891 across the street.)
Montgomery is one of the rare places where you can see history’s opposing narratives side by side. The current state capitol building (a gorgeous Greek Revival) once served as the Confederacy’s capital and features an 88-foot-tall Confederate Memorial Monument, as well as a statue in honor of Dr. J. Marion Sims. Within a mile of these monuments are the Legacy Sites, historical Civil Rights sites, and the Mothers of Gynecology Sculpture Park. It’s a uniquely valuable experience.
