The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current, January 11, 2018, Image 27
THURSDAY, JANUARY 11 -17, 2018 ljfeStyl.6
The Alabama State Capitol was the first capitol for the Confederate States of America and also the site where the
third Selma-to-Montgomery March ended in the 1960s. Photos by Gale Horton Gay
The Retirement System of Alabama built several stately buildings in downtown Montgomery.
This office building is named in honor of Lurleen Wallace, wife of Alabama Gov. George Wallace, who was the first
and only female governor of the state for 15 months from 1967-’68.
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ALABAMA
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tour much of the building for free.
There are also majestic marble buildings
paying homage to such historic figures
as Lurleen Wallace, wife of Alabama Gov.
George Wallace, who was the first and only
female governor of the state for 15 months
from 1967-'68. Along Dexter Avenue is also
where one encounters Dexter Avenue King
Memorial Baptist Church, the only church
where Martin Luther King Jr. served as
senior pastor. (It's also the street from which
Dexter King, son of Coretta Scott King
and Martin Luther King Jr. got his name,
according to biographies about the Kings.)
Strolling down Dexter Avenue is like
taking a walk into history. At Commerce
Street and Dexter Avenue, a historical
marker designates the spot where
seamstress Rosa Parks refused a bus
driver's order to give up her seat to a
White rider in 1955. Her arrest led to the
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Lovers of architecture will likely be
enthralled by other structures such as
the stately and impressive buildings
constructed by the Retirement System of
Alabama (RSA) including the 375-foot tall,
23-story RSA Tower, the RSA Dexter Avenue
building, the six-story RSA building, the
nine-story RSA Union and the eight-story
RSA Headquarters building. Some refer to
the tower as a symbol of the "renaissance"
of downtown Montgomery.
Other sites worthy of a visitor's time
in Montgomery—many of which are in
walking distance of each other—include
the Rosa Parks Library and Museum, Dexter
Parsonage Museum and the home where
King and his family lived while he was a
pastor there, Civil Rights Memorial Center,
Freedom Rides Museum, First White House
of the Confederacy and the Scott and Zelda
Fitzgerald Museum. Families may want to
check out Riverwalk Stadium where the
Montgomery Biscuits, a AA baseball team
plays as well as Riverfront Park, which
is located on the banks of the Alabama
River and includes an amphitheater, Union
Station Train Shed and a riverboat.
After so much walking and exposure to
Montgomery's history and downtown, take
some time to explore an entertainment
spot near Riverwalk Stadium called The
Alley with a mix of eateries and boutiques.
Or make one's way to a different historic
fixture of Montgomery, Dreamland BBQ
at 12 W. Jefferson St. Started in 1958 by
"Big Daddy" Bishop, a brick mason,
the restaurant is hailed for its generous
portions of hickory smoked ribs, pulled
pork and chicken.
Located approximately 170 miles
from DeKalb County, Montgomery is an
ideal spot for a weekend getaway or day
trip. For more information, go to www.
visitingmontgomery.com.