Alabama’s state capital, Montgomery, is the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, and the city has played a crucial role in shaping America. You may immerse yourself in an extensive array of art at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, picnic in the grass at Riverside Park, honor the people who lost their lives at the Civil Rights Memorial Center, or take a riverboat trip on the Alabama River, which weaves along the city’s northwestern border. Places like the Rosa Parks Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice stand as stark reminders of this turbulent time in history.

The renaissance of downtown Montgomery has restored the glory of the city’s early-20th-century architecture, giving the city center a new vibrancy. In the evenings, locals flock to renovated warehouses along the river, now home to bars and live music venues.

With mild temperatures and low humidity, spring and fall are great times to book your vacation rentals in Montgomery, especially if you want to spend your days wandering through the parks as the new foliage erupts or strolling around the city, stopping wherever the mood strikes you. From late May through October, the heat and the humidity rise, sometimes making it hard to stay outside for long and making the prospect of delving into Montgomery’s many museums, cultural attractions, and microbreweries even more enticing. In the winter, the temperature drops into the chilly zones, though snow is rare, so a waterproof and warm layer or two are all you need to explore the city on foot.

Rosa Parks Library and Museum

This fascinating museum tells the story of the Black activist’s life and the Montgomery Bus Boycott she helped kindle. The museum is located at the site where she was arrested in 1955 after refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white rider. Through a series of multimedia displays, you will learn about the impact that the boycott had on the Civil Rights Movement; you can also see the activist’s fingerprints, taken during her arrest, and a 1950s Montgomery city bus.

Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park

This expansive park offers miles of walking trails, serene ponds, and two of Montgomery’s most beloved cultural institutions, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. The immaculately maintained grounds are a popular spot for exercising, picnicking, or relaxing in the warm Alabama sunshine.

Dr. Martin Luther King Home

Formally known as the Dexter Parsonage Museum, this restored home turned museum is a National Historic Landmark. The Civil Rights leader and his family lived here during the 1950s. The house survived multiple bombings in the 1960s, and today, it gives visitors a glimpse into what life was like for the reverend and his family during the Civil Rights era.