Montgomery Sightseeing

On Monday we decided to venture out into Montgomery and take in some of the sights.  As it was Columbus Day many of the buildings were closed, which was OK with us as we have grown a little of tired of museums and historical places for the time being.  Instead we took a trolley tour of the town which drove by the sights and explained the history.  Later we walked around and took some pictures. 

The downtown portion of Montgomery is very nicely maintained and worth a visit.  They have a policy of not tearing down the old buildings but rather rehab them and put new businesses in.  Most of the things to see in town relate to the civil rights movement.  You have the Rosa Parks museum, The Civil Rights museum, the church where Martin Luther King Jr., was pastor and the house where he lived.  They also have Old Alabamatown, which is a restored portion of the city that dates back to its founding.  The state capitol is also here along with the White House of the Confederacy.

Not sure if you can make this out but this is an old building inside of a new one. As the policy is to keep old buildings, and this was the original state supreme court, they kept the building and then built a modern structure around it.  Beyond the glass you can see the marble stairway and beyond that the front of the original building.

State Capitol

Church where King was pastor from 1954 to 1960.

Neat fountain in front of the National Civil Rights Museum.  This is stone with water running over the top and falling down the sides.  Carved into the top is a timeline of events in the civil rights movement.

The White House of the Confederacy.

This is a fountain in downtown that was placed over a natural spring.  This was where the slave auction was held on Wednesdays at noon.

We had heard about two restaurants that were a must to try out while in Montgomery.  The first is Dreamland BBQ which is famous for its ribs.  The original Dreamland is in Tuscaloosa but they now have others in the state.  I tried their ribs but was not impressed. 

The second restaurant is Chris’s Hot Dogs.  The is the oldest restaurant in Montgomery.  It was started in 1917 and is still family owned and run.  Their hot dogs have mustard, onions, sauerkraut and their own chili sauce.  Very messy, but very good.  The restaurant looks like it has been there since 1917!  Highly recommend this place.