Mary Johns Wilson brings great ideas for a day in Alabama’s capitol

“100 Things To Do In Montgomery Alabama Before You Die” by Mary Johns Wilson (Reedy Press)

You would be surprised to see just how many fun things there are to do in he Capitol City and its close neighbors, and you won’t have to spend a month’s wages to enjoy them.

If you love history, Montgomery can show you the mid-19th century attempt to maintain a culture built on slave labor, and the opposing movement a century later to finally achieve full equality for that same oppressed people. Jim Crowe’s ugly face is displayed in the Rosa Parks Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and the Legacy Museum. But it’s more than civil war and civil rights, as important as those places are. There is the National Air Force Enlisted Heritage Hall; the Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson Park to remember the earliest days of the Alabama Territory; and the literary legacy of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Examine the nearby Wetumpka Impact Crater, when the stars really fell on Alabama two centuries ago. Spend a day at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, or plan a night at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival,  (half of the live Shakespeare theaters on this continent!) Enjoy the Alabama Ballet, the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, the Montgomery Chorale,  the Capitol City Sounds, or the visiting musicians at the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre.

Spend the afternoon watching one of minor league baseball’s coolest teams, the Montgomery Biscuits, or take a ride on a real riverboat up and down the Alabama River. Just south in Hope Hull, your kids can see wild African and Asian animals roaming free at the Alabama Safari Park. The River Region is home to several community theatres, and some cinemas that play film classics. Go wild at the Alabama Nature Center, stroll through the Bamboo Forest in Wilderness Park, float down the Autauga Creek Canoe Trail or Kayak with Coosa River Adventures.

There are 29 places to enjoy food and drink explored here, including Red’s Little Schoolhouse on the way to Ramer, Chappy’s Deli, and  Chris’ Famous Hotdogs.

Visit the Blue Ribbon Dairy for the ice cream; read local authors at the NewSouth Bookstore (former home of Montgomery’s own publishing house); taste-test treats at Tucker Pecan Company, or stretch your legs at SweetCreek Farm Market south of Montgomery.The author has even put together suggested itineraries for downtown, midtown, Easy Montgomery-Pike Road, Cloverdale, Rural Life, Civil Rights, Family friendly, girl’s weekend or bachelorette party, guy’s weekend or bachelor party, 48 hours in Prattville, 48 hours in Wetumpka, and 48 hours in Millbrook. Plus activites for all four seasons.