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Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL

Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingIconicHistory BuffFree

Edmund Pettus Bridge

US-80 Business over the Alabama River · Selma, AL

Why you should go…

The Edmund Pettus Bridge, built in 1940 and now a National Historic Landmark, carries US Route 80 Business over the Alabama River in Selma. On March 7, 1965, law enforcement attacked voting rights marchers here in what became known as Bloody Sunday. Because of the bridge's design, marchers could not see the officers on the east side until they reached the top. A later march reached Montgomery on March 25, and the Voting Rights Act was signed less than five months after.

  • #civil rights history
  • #historic bridge
  • #national historic landmark
  • #selma to montgomery trail

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 Edmund Pettus Bridge, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • 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.

    41 mi awayMore like this

  • 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.

    41 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • 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.

    41 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • 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.

    42 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Alabama State Capitol

    Free

    Walk the 1851 Greek Revival statehouse where the Confederacy was formed and the 1965 voting rights march ended.

    42 mi awayMore like this