{"id":841,"date":"2017-05-10T02:51:07","date_gmt":"2017-05-10T02:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.skyesherman.com\/?p=841"},"modified":"2017-06-21T15:38:54","modified_gmt":"2017-06-21T15:38:54","slug":"5-reasons-to-visit-montgomery-alabama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skyesherman.com\/5-reasons-to-visit-montgomery-alabama\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons to Visit Montgomery, Alabama"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s a reason they’ve nicknamed Montgomery Capital Cool<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Montgomery at golden hour over the Alabama River<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Actually, there’s at least five reasons.<\/p>\n

I recently spent three\u00a0days in Alabama’s capital<\/a>\u00a0and was surprised by how much I loved it–to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to. I’m not exactly enthralled with the American South, and I’m always less eager to explore a place\u00a0when there’s no ocean\u00a0nearby.<\/p>\n

But Montgomery was a different story. I quickly found reasons to fall for\u00a0this historically significant and\u00a0thriving little town.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jasmine blooming at the Civil Rights Memorial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wandering the quiet streets, I breathed in the scent of jasmine and felt the sun warm my back; Montgomery’s\u00a0weather, especially in the spring, is the definition of pleasant. My eyes drank in block after block of red brick and colonial architecture.<\/p>\n

Unassuming yet trendy-cool\u00a0eateries and shops dot the downtown streets, offering Alabama’s modern spin on comfort food and products from the hands of talented local makers. I found\u00a0just the right combination\u00a0of city bustle and under-the-radar chill.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Central, an upscale restaurant in–you guessed it–central Montgomery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Montgomery is a breeding ground for Southern charm, and it certainly worked its magic on me. Here are my top five reasons to visit Montgomery.<\/p>\n

1. It’s home to a great deal of important history.<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Mural depicting scenes from the Civil Rights Movement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you do nothing else in Montgomery, learn something of\u00a0its history–the world-shaking events that happened here are among my top reasons to visit Montgomery. The Civil Rights Era really never came alive to me in a\u00a0meaningful way until I toured Montgomery’s streets and museums.<\/p>\n

\"\"
An exhibit at the Rosa Parks Museum, honoring the 400+ lynching victims who were murdered during this horrendous period in history<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After all, I stood in the very spot where Rosa Parks boarded a\u00a0bus and\u00a0refused to give up her seat. (Not to mention, the reenactment films and elaborate displays at the Rosa Parks Museum<\/a>\u00a0are amazingly well done.)<\/p>\n

\"\"
The spot where Rosa Parks boarded the bus on that fateful day in 1955<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I walked through a visual history of Alabama at the Museum of Alabama<\/a>, brought to life by an extensive collection of relics and antiques\u00a0from each time period.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Alabama Voices – a permanent exhibit at the Alabama Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I shed a tear at the Civil Rights Memorial<\/a> after reading the stories of 40 brave souls who were murdered or lynched as a result of the color of their skin or their association with the movement to end segregation, to affirm\u00a0justice and equality as a standard for all.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Touring the Civil Rights Memorial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And I toured Equal Justice Initiative<\/a> and got to hear about their efforts to fight wrongful convictions and unjust life-in-prison sentences. They’re also planning an incredibly moving walk-through memorial set to open in 2018, which aims to honor\u00a0and acknowledge the 400+ horrific lynchings that occurred during one of the rockiest periods of American history.<\/p>\n

Any visit to Montgomery must\u00a0be accompanied by a delve into\u00a0the city’s tumultuous past–but also\u00a0the strides being taken\u00a0today to establish Montgomery\u00a0as a launching pad for the kind of racial tolerance that didn’t always characterize its sunny streets.<\/p>\n

2. You’ll be greeted\u00a0with the\u00a0warmest of Southern hospitality.<\/h3>\n

How do Southerners possess the energy to offer a beaming smile and a heartfelt welcome at any time of day or night? Must be something in the fried green tomatoes.<\/p>\n

The concept\u00a0of Southern hospitality is one of the few stereotypes that is both 100% accurate and<\/em> flattering. In Montgomery, you’ll feel as if their home is your home, and this\u00a0sense of an open-armed embrace quickly puts you at ease to enjoy your time and extend the welcome to others, too.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Good ‘ol Capitol Oyster Bar–the local hotspot on warm Sunday afternoons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Time spent in a place like Montgomery leaves you full-hearted and full-bellied. There’s nowhere more comforting than a sweet little Southern town, and Montgomery is this and so much more.<\/p>\n

3. You can watch the Montgomery Biscuits play.<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Montgomery Biscuits at the Riverwalk Stadium<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The. Montgomery. Biscuits.<\/p>\n

This is, without a doubt, my favorite name for any sports team ever. The biscuit-themed camaraderie at these minor league baseball games is so irresistible that I purchased a Montgomery Biscuits t-shirt within minutes of stepping foot into the stadium.<\/p>\n

\"\"
How cute is Monty the Biscuit?!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They toss biscuits between innings. Their mascot is Big Mo, the giant-nosed chubby biscuit eater. Monty, the happily buttered biscuit who adorns\u00a0their logo, is about as cute as can possibly be. Concession stands around the stadium sell biscuits any way you can think to eat them–with gravy, with chicken, as strawberry shortcake, buttered…<\/p>\n

\"\"
The biscuit stand at the Biscuits game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Attending a Biscuits baseball game at the historic Riverwalk Stadium was the moment Montgomery nestled\u00a0itself a special little place in my heart.<\/p>\n

In short: do not visit Montgomery without watching the\u00a0Biscuits play. You can check their game schedule here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Go Biscuits! Of every kind!<\/p>\n

4. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the food scene.<\/h3>\n

Yes, fried items populate nearly every menu around town.<\/p>\n

But local chefs are working hard to bring something different to the table–for example, Venezuelan food served family-style and prepared lovingly by the kind of woman who feels like your mother after just a few minutes in her restaurant. D’Road Cafe<\/a>\u00a0is one of those hidden gems that make a place memorable.<\/p>\n

And establishments\u00a0like\u00a0Central<\/a> present\u00a0a gorgeously designed restaurant with\u00a0a curated menu of chef-driven\u00a0dishes. It doesn’t look like the sort of restaurant where you can order chicken gizzards or fried brussels sprouts, but there’s a theme in play here: Montgomery is full of surprises.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Central’s chic interior<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For more culinary\u00a0suggestions, check out Where to Eat and Drink in Montgomery, Alabama<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5. The downtown is incredibly walkable.<\/h3>\n

I love staying in a place where I can eat a memorable meal, tour a captivating museum, take a quick nap in my hotel, attend a baseball game, and slink into a jazz bar for a nightcap–all on my own two feet.<\/p>\n

\"\"
This historic fountain is an easy way to orient yourself downtown.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Montgomery’s downtown features wide-paved streets and easily navigable city blocks, all tucked into an area small enough to feel homey and familiar; I knew my way around by the end of the first day.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Much of Montgomery is tucked into that little metropolis by the tracks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They’ve also opened an entertainment district of sorts where you can wander between restaurants, bars, and places to play–there’s even a top-of-the-line escape room and virtual reality arcade<\/a>–all in a small radius that’s likely no more than a couple blocks from your hotel.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The lobby of Escapology, one of Montgomery’s newest attractions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can spring\u00a0for a sprawling\u00a0hotel that overlooks the riverfront<\/a> and still be mere\u00a0steps away from the city’s best places to\u00a0spend time. This sort of setup makes visiting easy, fun, and hassle-free, and that’s exactly the kind of experience\u00a0I look for\u00a0in an easygoing Southern getaway.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Plush comfy bed AND a view of the Alabama River, courtesy of the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are far more than five reasons to visit Montgomery.<\/h2>\n

A visit to Montgomery somehow manages to be lively, delicious, fun, and enriching in a way that surprised even this continent-hopping\u00a0globetrotter. I’m thrilled to see Montgomery–a true\u00a0Alabama gem–making a new name for itself in our travel-happy times.<\/p>\n

Get there while this up-and-coming destination\u00a0can still be considered undiscovered, and count how many times you hear “Bless your heart” from the mouths of locals–I’ll betcha it’s at least five.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There’s a reason they’ve nicknamed Montgomery Capital Cool. Actually, there’s at least five reasons. I recently spent three\u00a0days in Alabama’s capital\u00a0and was surprised by how…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[88,87,90,89],"class_list":["post-841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travel","tag-alabama","tag-montgomery","tag-montgomery-alabama","tag-reasons-to-visit"],"yoast_head":"\n5 Reasons to Visit Montgomery, Alabama - Skye Sherman<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There's more to Montgomery, Alabama, than meets the eye. 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