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9 stops on a Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail road trip

Trace the route of famous civil rights marches on this 54-mile route through central Alabama

  • 9
  • 01:08
  • 55 mi
  • $8

Created by Roadtrippers - January 12th 2021

The 54-mile Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail was ‏‏‎established by Congress in 1996 to commemorate the 1965 Voting Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the participants—committed to King's non-violent ways—began at the Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma. As they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965, marchers were beaten on a day that has become known as "Bloody Sunday." The 5-day march that followed included 25,000 marchers and ended near the Montgomery capitol building on March 25th.

Photo of Brown Chapel AME
4.4

410 Martin Luther King Street, Selma, AL, US

Brown Chapel AME

The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail officially starts at the Selma Interpretive Center, but marchers technically started up the street at the Brown Chapel AME. Stop by to see the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. bust and memorial outside and then head to the trail's official starting point, the Selma Interpretive Center.

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0mi 00h 02m
Photo of Selma Interpretive Center
4.0

2 Broad St., Selma, AL, US

Selma Interpretive Center

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The Selma Interpretive Center helps frame the next 54 miles; visitors can learn more about the marches from Selma to Montgomery and the resulting passage of the Voting Rights Act.

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0mi 00h 02m
Photo of Edmund Pettus Bridge
4.5

US Route 80, Selma, AL, US

Edmund Pettus Bridge

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The most famous spot along the trail is the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The bridge became a rallying cry for the Civil Rights movement after armed police and townspeople attacked non-violent marchers (including John Lewis) on March 7, 1965. Known as “Bloody Sunday,” photos showing the horrible violence that took place on the bridge would propel the voter registration movement forward and led to the eventual passing of the Voting Rights Act.

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3mi 00h 07m
Photo of National Voting Rights Museum
3.0

6 US Highway 80 E, Selma, AL, US

National Voting Rights Museum

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Before heading out of Selma, stop at the National Voting Rights Museum located in the Historic District at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The museum features multiple exhibits and specially-designed tours to celebrate the ongoing struggle for equal voting rights in the U.S.

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17mi 00h 17m
Photo of Lowndes Interpretive Center
4.7

7002 US Highway 80, Hayneville, AL, US

Lowndes Interpretive Center

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After crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge travel nearly half-way to Montgomery before stopping at the Lowndes Interpretive Center. Located near “Tent City,” a settlement on Black-owned property near Route 80 in Lowndes County where marchers rested, the center features powerful stories from people involved in the historic events.

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29mi 00h 32m
Photo of Alabama State Capitol
4.5

600 Dexter Ave, Montgomery, AL, US

Alabama State Capitol

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Follow signs around town to stay on the actual march route until you reach the steps of the Alabama State Capitol, where the original march concluded on March 25, 1965.

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0mi 00h 03m

309 S Jackson St, Montgomery, AL, US

Dexter Parsonage Museum

6

While not part of the official trail, Montgomery has plenty of historically-significant sites and museums. At the Dexter Parsonage Museum, visitors can see the residence where Dr. King and his family lived between 1954 and 1960.

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0mi 00h 03m

400 Washington Ave, Montgomery, AL, US

Civil Rights Memorial Center

7

The Civil Rights Memorial Center, located across the street from the Southern Poverty Law Center, is dedicated to the lives lost during the Civil Rights Movement. Created by Maya Lin—the designer of Washington, D.C.'s Vietnam War Memorial—the Civil Rights Memorial also features names engraved into black granite.

0mi 00h 03m

210 South Court St, Montgomery, AL, US

Freedom Rides Museum

The Freedom Rides Museum is located in a historic Greyhound bus station-turned-museum and showcases the bravery of the 21 “Freedom Riders” who were challenging the practice of segregated travel through the South. Although they did not begin or end their journey in Montgomery, they stepped off the bus on May 20, 1961 prepared to meet a violent mob.

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