Selma to Montgomery March Byway (original) (raw)
Selma to Montgomery March BywayBy Ways2021-10-27T11:43:15-04:00
Selma to Montgomery March Byway
State: Alabama
Length: 54 miles / 86.9 km
Time to Allow: One hour to drive or one day to experience the Byway.
For a shorter byway, take the Selma to Montgomery March Byway. While you can drive it an hour, a day or two would be better for the 54 miles to experience the full history. What makes this byway special is it marks the journey through the historical events of American history of 1965 when Martin Luther King, Jr. wound through the streets of Selma before heading to Montgomery in an iconic trip. Find out the incredible history of this important man in history and gain a new perspective on life.
Have a dream to follow this route starting in Selma. The town touts two bridges with walking areas over the Alabama River in the middle of the state. Visit the Interpretive Center for some local history and the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute. You can also visit the Brown Chapel AME Church and the Old Live Oak Cemetery. A few more museums like the Slavery and Civil Rights Museum. Stop for a meal at the Tally Ho Restaurant for some Cajun and Creole food.
If you are hoping to camp, stay at the Six Mile Creek right on the river with miles of shoreline perfect for boating, fishing, hunting, and hiking. Then, follow the markers east toward Montgomery on Highway 80. In town, you can also get a Selma guide for important education about the trail of Mr. Luther. In addition, several monument markers memorialize some of the people hurt during the march.
You can stop where they stopped to camp in the City of Saint Jude, home to the first integrated hospital in the southeast of the US. Nearby you can visit White Hall, known for a plantation destroyed by a tornado in 1882. It’s a small town but does offer a couple of camping grounds. You also need to visit a few churches along the way, including the First Baptist Church and Brown Chapel, all part of the Civil Rights Movement. Finally, end the trip to Montgomery for more museums.
In the city, you can visit the Legacy Museum, National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Rosa Parks Library and Museum, and a few more. Of course, you will want to visit the Parsonage Museum of Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Memorial Center along with the King Memorial Baptist Church. Also, visit the first White House of the Confederacy and the Oakwood Annex Cemetery for the Hank Williams Memorial and the Alabama Department of Archives.
Children will enjoy the zoo along with several fun parks like the Newtopia Fun Park with tons of activities. There is even a Safari Park where kids can touch a zebra. Then, take them go-karting or to the stadium to break up all of the history lessons. If you want to go camping or RVing nearby, check out the Gunter Hill Park or take the RV to the Woods RV resort. No other byway offers such dedicated history of one of the most iconic men of our country.
More Alabama Byways
You can check out additional Byways in Alabama by clicking on the list of byways below, or by going to the Alabama Byways home section. To find even more of scenic byways in the United States, visit our scenic byways map.