Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
Alabama State Capitol, Montgomery, AL

Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingHistory BuffFree

Alabama State Capitol

600 Dexter Ave · Montgomery, AL

Why you should go…

The Alabama State Capitol has overlooked downtown Montgomery from its hilltop since 1851 and now works as a museum of state history and politics. A brass star on the portico marks where Jefferson Davis took his oath in 1861, and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march ended on the steps below, where Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to about 25,000 people. Inside you can see the rotunda, the historic legislative chambers and the spiral staircases designed by Horace King.

  • #state capitol
  • #civil rights trail
  • #historic landmark
  • #guided tours

Good to know

General sightseeing guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • The forecast is part of the ticket

    Haze, low cloud, and rain flatten a view. Clear-day visits are worth rearranging your plans for.

  • Golden hour sells out first

    Sunset slots at observation decks and cruises are the first to go, so book those further ahead.

  • Dress a layer warmer

    It is always breezier up high and out on the water than it feels at street level.

  • Timed entry is common

    Plenty of landmarks release tickets in windows rather than at the door, so check before you walk over.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Alabama State Capitol, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church

    Under $25

    Tour the brick church where Martin Luther King Jr. was pastor and helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott.

    Steps awayMore like this

  • Museums
    History Buff

    The Legacy Museum

    Under $25

    Walk through immersive exhibits tracing American history from enslavement to mass incarceration, on a site where enslaved people were once held.

    0.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Rosa Parks Museum

    Under $25

    See exhibits on Rosa Parks' 1955 arrest and the Montgomery Bus Boycott at the spot where she was arrested.

    0.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    National Memorial for Peace and Justice

    Under $25

    Walk beneath more than 800 hanging steel monuments naming victims of racial terror lynchings, county by county.

    0.8 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

    Free

    See the George Washington Carver Museum and Booker T. Washington's home, The Oaks, on the Tuskegee University campus.

    35 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

    Free

    Tour the Moton Field hangars where the Tuskegee Airmen trained, with a restored Link Trainer and exhibits on the cadets.

    37 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums