Story Ideas

A COUNTRY MUSIC LEGEND -- AND LEGENDARY HOT DOGS! … Hank Williams is buried next to his wife Audrey in a cemetery in Montgomery. Hank and his band, The Drifting Cowboys, used to frequent Chris' Hot Dogs, a legendary hot dog restaurant in downtown Montgomery that just celebrated its 95th birthday in 2012! 

ALABAMA’S STATE CAPITOL BUILDING, THE SPOT FOR IMPORTANT BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS…the Alabama State Capitol building is the catalyst building that helped shaped our nation’s history. You can witness the spot where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as the President of the Confederate States of America all while seeing where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ended the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march of 1965.

AN ACT OF COURAGE IN MONTGOMERY SPARKED A NATIONAL MOVEMENT …Montgomery is home to Mrs. Rosa McCauley Parks. Rosa Parks became a Civil Rights pioneer in Montgomery by courageously taking a stand and not giving up her seat which sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Troy University’s Rosa Parks Museum and Library is a tribute to that memorable movement.

BASEBALL AND BISCUITS… The Montgomery Biscuits, the AA team behind the Tampa Bay Rays, play at Riverwalk Stadium in downtown Montgomery. The stadium has been among the top 25 coolest minor league baseball stadiums in the country. And the stadium is listed on Man vs. Food for the top 5 baseball stadium foods in the U.S. – the chicken biscuit with Alaga Syrup.

CULTIVATING A SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE…Hampstead Institute of Montgomery has opened two urban farms within the city limits: the Downtown Farm and the farm at the Town of Hampstead in east Montgomery. Both locations offer residents and visitors the chance to connect with the area’s agricultural heritage, its natural resources and wealth of farm-fresh food.

EARLY TEXT MESSAGE THAT CHANGED THE COUNTRY? … on April 11, 1861, President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis issued the telegraph containing the orders to fire on Fort Sumter. That message was sent from the Winter Building on Dexter Avenue, thus beginning the War Between the States.

ELVIS WAS HERE!… “The King of Rock and Roll,” aka Elvis Presley, once performed at the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery. Garrett Coliseum is still the home of great musical performances, the Southeastern Livestock Exposition and Rodeo and the Alabama National Fair.

EXPLORE ALABAMA’S HISTORY…Montgomery is home to the oldest state-funded archives in the nation. The Alabama Department of Archives and History highlights the state’s genealogical history, is home to Grandma’s attic where the kids can dress up in period clothing and has recently opened a new wing called “The Land of Alabamians.”

FLOATING FUN…Montgomery’s Riverboat, the Harriott II, offers cruises for the whole family from dinner cruises to an afternoon blues cruise, even themed cruises for holidays. 

FUN ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER … Montgomery’s riverfront district offers events for the whole family including musical entertainment at the amphitheatre, AA baseball at Riverwalk Stadium, water fun for the kids at the Splash pad, and much more.

HALF OF FAMOUS ‘70s POP DUEO LIVED HERE… Toni Tenille from The Captain and Tenille lived in Montgomery.

HAVE A WILD TIME…the Montgomery Zoo houses habitats from five different continents. At the Zoo you can feed the giraffes, take a paddle boat cruise or train ride. And now you can “view the zoo” from atop on a brand new sky lift. Fun events at the Zoo include ZooBrew, Zoobilation, ZooBoo, Ballet and the Beasts and the annual Christmas Lights Festival. 

HIGH-FLYING FUN…you can try for a crispy tailgrab or an awesome 180 at downtown Montgomery’s River Skate Park. It features a 5-foot mini ramp and a fully stocked skate shop.

HIGH-TECH COMMITMENT TO EQUALITY AND JUSTICE…Montgomery’s Civil Rights Memorial and Center houses an electronic “Wall of Tolerance” where you can enter your name to forever become a part of the march for justice.

HISTORY LIVES HERE … The First White House of the Confederacy was the home where Jefferson Davis and his family lived while he was President of the Confederacy. The home still contains some of Davis’ belongings from the 1800’s. The First White House still celebrates Davis’ birthday every year in June.

HOME OF FAMOUS BROTHERS’ FIRST FLYING SCHOOL … in 1910, the Wright Brothers brought their daring aviation deeds to Alabama’s capital city, establishing the nation’s first school for powered flight.

JET SKI CHAMPIONSHIP SPREE…the country’s best Watercross defenders competed here in Montgomery on the Alabama River for the title of U.S. Open of Watercross Champ.

MONTGOMERY LIGHTNING ROUTE FIRST STREETCAR IN U.S. … San Francisco didn't have the very first electric streetcar system. Montgomery was the first city to incorporate the system into its local travel in 1886. 

MONTGOMERY, AL - GOLF’S HOLE IN ONE … Montgomery is within an hour's driving distance of three Robert Trent Jones' golf trails boasting 468 holes of golf.

MONTGOMERY’S MOST FAMOUS SOCIETY GIRL … While on military duty in Montgomery in 1918, F. Scott Fitzgerald fell in love and eventually married Zelda Sayre, a Montgomery socialite who helped inspire many of his most famous works.

MONTGOMERY’S STARRING ROLE … the majority of the hit film "Big Fish," starring Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney and the 1990 release, “The Long Walk Home” starring Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg, were filmed in Montgomery and the River Region.

OUR HISTORIC TRAIN STATION IS THE PERFECT LOCATION … the Visitor Center in historic Union Station and the adjacent national historic landmark train shed are the perfect venues for a memorable convention or meeting or to host a reception of special event. Our professional events staff will be happy to assist you in planning the perfect evening, from a southern barbeque to an elegant evening of jazz on the river.

PADDLES UP!…the Montgomery Dragon Boat Festival was the first in Alabama and is now the largest Dragon Boat Festival east of the Mississippi and one of the largest attended festivals in the River Region.

SEE THE WORLD’S MOST ADVANCED AUTO MANUFACTURING PLANT IN ACTION…at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing of Alabama you can watch one of the nation’s leading safety sedans, the Hyundai Sonata, being made right before your eyes. 

STAND AT DR. KING’S PULPIT… Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church was the ONLY church that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ever pastored.

STAND IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF AN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER … in 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ended the Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights March at the Capitol steps just one block away from the only church and pulpit that he ever ministered from.

STYX, NOT STONES! … Legendary Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw is a native of Montgomery, honing his chops in several of the nightclubs throughout the city.

THANK GOD I’M A “MONTGOMERY BOY”… John Denver was an "Army Brat" whose family was stationed in Montgomery during his teen years.

THE BIGGEST BANG IN THE SOUTHEAST…Bama’s Big Bang at Jubilee CityFest is the largest fireworks show set to music in the Southeast. The event happens in May at Riverfront Park.

THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT STARTED MOVING RIGHT HERE! … on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus in a move that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which paved the way for the Civil Rights Movement.

THE COOLEST WAY TO HAVE FUN INSIDE…inside Eastdale Mall’s Ice Palace you can ice-skate year round.

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT…you can gaze at the stars and the solar system even during the day at the W.A. Gayle Planetarium.

THUMBS UP FOR HANDS ON!…The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, located in Blount Cultural Park, is home to one of only eight kid’s hands-on museum in Alabama.

TRANSPORTATION SENSATION…sightseeing around downtown is easier than ever. You can hop on the trolley, take a horse-drawn carriage tour at night or a pedicab ride.

WELCOMING VISITORS FOR NEARLY 500 YEARS! … Montgomery has lured travelers since 1540, when Hernando deSoto staked a Spanish flag on the banks of the Alabama River.

“LEND ME YOUR EARS”…The Alabama Shakespeare Festival is among the top ten largest Shakespeare theatre’s in the world. Its’ location, Blount Cultural Park, is home to many festivals and events such as the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra’s Broadway Under the Stars and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts’ Flimp Festival.

“UNFORGETTABLE” AFRICAN AMERICAN VOCALIST BORN HERE … Nat King Cole was born and raised in Montgomery.