There's little we can add to Michelle D's review other than to agree heartily with it and strongly…read morerecommend seeing this museum and supporting its mission. We stopped here yesterday afternoon on our drive from Mobile to Athens and were delighted to visit Harper Lee and Truman Capote's home town. The exhibits at the museum are tastefully done, but the real show stopper is the recently renovated courtroom that the movie carefully replicated. We bought a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird from the gift store as a memento. We also stopped by Mel's Drive In, which is where Lee's home used to be and where there is a plaque by the old brick fence of Capote's demolished house. It was actually kind of a sad sight. Another point of interest is that you see a ton of cotton fields on your drive into town. They're strangely lovely to look at, but a poignant reminder of the racial history of the area which Lee captured so well in her magnum opus.

My Aunt and I took a day trip to Monroeville to visit Nell Harper Lee and Truman Capote's childhood…read morehometown. We stopped for a visit to The Old Courthouse Museum. This building is well preserved and full of wonderful exhibits. Exhibits on Ms Lee and Mr Capote's lives in Monroeville, exhibits on how the town responded to it's taste of famous visitors before and after the film was made. The courthouse was the model for the Hollywood set during the Courthouse scene in To Kill a Mockingbird. The real court room is staged like the film and they have performances during the summer months in tribute. There is a wonderful gift shop that has put great thought into the gifts and products that they sell. This building is lovingly maintained and the folks running the museum take great pride in their space. My Aunt and I had gotten there towards the end of the day but we did not feel pressured to leave. In fact, we had a great conversation with a man who works there about Mr Capote. He turned out to be a relative of Mr Capote. There are other locations that are under the Monroe County Heritage Museum but the only other location we saw was the Capote Marker/Faulk Fence on South Alabama Avenue by Mel's Diner. Again, a space that is attended too with great care. As a literature nut, this was a great day trip from Pensacola. Worth every moment.

This museum is the best museum in Alabama. It is awesome. The staff is really really nice and they…read morehave good prices too.

Friendly customer service, souvenir, shops, full of different trains, full of locomotive trains so…read moresomeone one locomotive, trains, green red minis, Littles, largest different size motors, sub, friendly hospitality, type by type ambience of history to take a look around the museum

Everyone needs to see the truth with their own eyes! Forget the illusion of evolution. Learn the…read morebiblical truths of the Earth. Stop living the lie and except reality.

We had the most amazing day here. We took the tour of Dino land had lunch with the crew. Everyone…read morehas been so kind and welcoming we would recommend everyone bring their children to see the exhibits they would benefit immensely from what Kent has built here. All simple life lessons based in creation.

This is a cute place that is very fun for small children. It is educational and also interactive…read more It is worth visiting. I have been twice and the people working there have always been very nice and friendly. One thing to keep in mind is that it is pretty small, so I would combine it with checking out some other sites or museums in the city.

Not a museum, it's the Alabama Cattlemen's Association's public outreach. Like an interactive…read moreadvertisement for the ACA and why we should all eat beef. That said, it's fine. It's free. I'm not sure I learned anything about cows, but I learned a fair amount about the ACA. I learned that every breed of cow has their own association. Angus cows have the American Angus Association, but the AAA doesn't like red cows, so red Angus cows are protected (promoted? recognized?) by the Red Angus Association. If that sounds good, cool. It's easy & free. It just isn't really a museum about cows.

Montgomery Civil Rights Walk of Freedom Self-Guided (GPS) Walking Tour…read more As a retired 20-year veteran who grew up during the Watts Riots, I've seen a lot in this country--but I can honestly say this experience gave me something I didn't know I was missing. Taking this walk through Montgomery alongside my younger brother made it even more meaningful. We lost our mother early in life, so moments like this--where we can learn, reflect, and grow together--carry a different kind of weight. This wasn't just a tour for us; it was a chance to connect with each other and with a history that wasn't fully taught to us growing up. Hearing the stories of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks while standing where it all happened brought a level of understanding I never got in school. It filled in gaps and gave voice to experiences that shaped not only the country, but generations like ours. The self-guided format allowed us to take our time, have conversations, and really absorb what we were learning. There was no rush--just space to reflect, remember, and appreciate how far we've come and how much more there is to understand. For me, this was more than history--it was personal, it was healing, and it was something I'm grateful I got to share with my brother Mark.

We visited the Legacy Museum on Jan 8, 2026 as part of Road Scholar's "The Civil Rights Movement -…read moreAtlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham" program. It is one of the three Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) Legacy sites in Montgomery, AL, and one of the two where photography is not allowed. The latter was emphasized at the security checkpoint, of which there was only one line. I surrendered my foldable (smartphone) tripod to the staff, and would later do it two more times at the other two sites. Within the exhibition halls, staff members are positioned every 100 feet (give or take) to ensure visitors are on their best behaviors, i.e. no photography, no vandalism, etc. The transatlantic slave trade is the subject of the first two halls, with the first focusing on the transits of the captured from Africa. Sets of pictorial, written and video content fill every wall. There is no particular order of viewing. The next hall continues with the arrival, transactions and transits from ports to new colonies in the New World. Life-sized models of slaves naked and in chains act as passageway that visitors pass to move on. Despite being previously informed, I did not understand the sheer volume of the museum's content. I stopped to read every content in detail because of the no-photography policy. By the time I was done perusing the transatlantic slave trade, more than 30 minutes had passed. One section consists of small rooms designed to look like prison cells, each showing a brief holographic projection of a moment in the life of a slave. These projections are triggered by motion sensors. Another hall focuses on federal and state court decisions - most of them ruling against African-Americans - as well as numerous hate crimes and other (violent) racial injustices, all of which that had occurred since Reconstruction. Past that is a larger hall that displays copies of newspaper ads of slaves for sale on one side, and life during Reconstruction on the other. I had started to peruse the latter when I realized that I was approaching two hours in time spent in the museum. Deciding to head on to the other two sites, I was surprised to discover many more sections - including an art gallery - and the volume of content in each that I would miss. The Legacy Museum requires up to a day to truly appreciate its treasure. It is certainly worth visiting given its low admission price ($5 as of Jan 2026). However, I do not give this 5 stars because of the unnecessary security checkpoint to do the boat ride from Boat Launch at 101 Morris Street to Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, and vice versa. See attached image for further details At 12:56pm, after visiting the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (NMPJ), I showed up at Boat Launch. There was a security checkpoint. I was told to turn over my tripod before getting on the boat. The big, burly bespectacled guy in the suit claimed that tripods could be used to vandalize the sculptures, and I could take the boat back and to this pier to get it back. He gave no explanation as to how a tripod would be a hazardous or dangerous object on a boat ride itself. The Sculpture Park has its own security checkpoint where I would turn over the tripod, and I wasn't planning on coming back to this pier just to pick up my tripod. It would be a waste of time. So I waited for the shuttle to take me back to the Legacy Museum after stopping over at NMPJ. When I finally arrived at Sculpture Park, 45 minutes of my time was wasted. This limited the time spent there. There was no necessity to have security checkpoint at Boat Launch when Sculpture Park has its own security checkpoint. Until EJI Legacy updates their policy to one that makes sense, this EJI site gets no more than three stars.

This is an absolute must see if you're ever in the Daleville area or have reason to be on Fort…read moreNovosel. It's an incredible museum focusing on helicopters and the history of helicopters in army aviation. It's also where they hold the graduation ceremonies for army warrant officers which is why I was there. A friend had completed the five week course and is now off to flight school. The museum is especially clean and well organized. There is plenty of safe parking and it's all well lit. The displays are incredible and well laid out. I learned a great deal about helicopters and their history in the few hours I spent there. I highly recommend stopping in if you love army aviation.

The best army aviation museum in the world. Lots of stuff to see and do it's free . Take kids they…read morewill love it

We we touring Selma on a Saturday morning and after walking the Pettus Bridge, we looked over at…read morethe museum and saw that they were open. It is located at the bottom of the bridge. Normally, it is only opened by reservation. Luckily for us, some group had it reserved for that morning and the museum historian, Sam Walker, graciously let us piggy back on the group. Mr. Walker was amazing and showed a lot pride in the museum. He was very friendly and helpful and pointed out a few key highlights of the museum to us before we really got into it. The museum has a decent sized parking lot and a small gift shop that was not open while I was there. The museum is a lot larger than it looks. It just kept going and going. It provides not only a background on voting rights history, it has a display of photos from Bloody Sunday, a President Obama Gallery, a jail cell exhibit, a church exhibit, a lot of information about the Foot Soldiers, a Ku Klux Klan display, White only and Black drinking fountains, early Black elected officials, MLK and Ghandi comparison, and bogus voting test. Mr Walker came out from the front desk and told us the story of the Bloody Sunday pictures on the wall. They were never seen before then and were donated by a police photographer after he heard of the opening of the museum. The photographer was living in Montgomery at the time and hooked them up with who to request the pictures from. He then showed us a photo and pointed out the window and told us that certain picture occurred outside of the window "right there". That is when it dawned on me that the horrible events of that fateful day occurred right out front of the museum. Outside you will find a bus, which I think they use to help people register and vote. There are also some nice murals on garage doors out there that I really liked and tie into the city, and voting rights. This museum does not have the huge funding that others get. They still do a wonderful job presenting the information. The museum is well organized and has lots of displays and artifacts. It took me about 45 minutes to go through the museum. I know it is difficult to get into the museum. I have been to Selma a few times and was unable to make it happen prior to this trip. And I just lucked out on this go around. It is however, worth the effort and I highly recommend checking this museum out.

Very disappointed with attempt to visit museum on a Thursday. Website clearly states that the…read moremuseum should've been open from 10-4, but we arrived to find a sign taped to the door saying "Sorry the Museum will open by appointments only until further notice." Since we were only passing through Selma for the day, trying to make an appointment at THAT point was pointless; not sure why the info on the website wasn't updated so that we could've planned appropriately.

A great history museum for Selma and the surrounding Dallas County. A great many interesting…read moreartifacts with much provided information. I can honestly say that we were blessed by our visit. Low cost admission. The museum's curator is an extremely knowledgeable and very entertaining woman! Highly recommended.

There are some places you visit, and then there are places that stay with you. The National…read moreMemorial for Peace and Justice is one of those places. Opened in 2018 by the Equal Justice Initiative, this memorial honors more than 4,400 African American men, women, and children who were victims of racial terror lynchings between 1877 and 1950. It tells a story that is painful, sobering, and absolutely essential to confront. As you enter, the experience is quiet and intentional. Steel rectangular monuments are arranged by state and county, each engraved with the names of victims and the dates they were killed. At first, the columns stand at eye level. You can look directly at the names. But as you continue walking, the ground gradually slopes downward and the columns begin to rise above you. It is impossible not to understand the symbolism. The markers are roughly human-sized. As you descend and look upward, they resemble bodies suspended overhead. That realization hit me deeply. The weight of it -- the scale of it -- settles into your chest. It is heavy. It should be. Along the walls, detailed plaques explain the circumstances behind many of the lynchings. Some victims were murdered by mobs of hundreds or even thousands. Some were killed for reasons so trivial and unjust -- accusations, perceived slights, even something as simple as having a photograph of a white woman. You quickly realize how little it took, and how terrifying daily life must have been for Black Americans living under that constant threat of violence. Near the exit, there is a waterfall installation representing the countless undocumented lynchings -- lives lost that may never be fully known. It is a quiet but powerful reminder that even this memorial cannot capture the entire scope of the tragedy. Outside, each hanging monument is duplicated and laid flat across the grounds. This allows visitors to read each name more closely. I deeply appreciated this thoughtful design choice. Every name is treated with dignity and equality. As you walk among them, you may notice multiple names from the same county on the same date -- entire acts of mob violence frozen in steel. Further along, sculptures and signage from various states and counties acknowledge the history and efforts toward reconciliation. The Equal Justice Initiative encourages each county represented to claim its monument and publicly confront its history. Many have begun to do so. Many still have not. The memorial asks visitors to be respectful and to stay off the grass. There are restrooms available on site. Everything about the space is orderly, intentional, and reverent. This is not an easy place to visit. It is not meant to be. But it is profoundly important. If you are in Montgomery, this is a must-visit. It provides critical context for understanding why the end of slavery, Reconstruction, and the Civil Rights Movement were not just historical milestones -- but moral necessities born from immense suffering. I would give this memorial 10 out of 5 stars if I could. Go. Walk slowly. Read the names. Remember.

We visited the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (NMPJ) on Jan 8, 2026 as part of Road…read moreScholar's "The Civil Rights Movement - Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham" program. It is one of the three Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) Legacy sites in Montgomery, AL, and the only one where photography is allowed. Like with the other two sites, security checkpoint is present and I surrendered my foldable (smartphone) tripod. While the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park has a collection of artwork in a park setting, the entire area of the NMPJ can be seen as a single artwork of many sections, like the long wall mural in Dexter Ave Baptist Church (also in Montgomery; within walking distance from the Legacy Museum). The first section of NMPJ is a large grassy area bordered by walkways, wall-mounted written content on the subject of "from slavery to lynching". and the Nkyinkyim Installation sculpture. I don't know if picnics or napping on the grassy area is allowed. I didn't ask. Walking from this area to the next section took time. The next section, being the memorial temple, is the highlight of NMPJ. An open structure that houses numerous tall tablets resembling coffins. Each tablet bears the names of county and state, followed by the names of lynching victims and their respective dates of death. Initially, the tablets look like they are resting on the floor. At the center of the temple is a grassy square accessible from multiple points. Standing at the center of the square, the visitor can see the sheer masses of deaths memorialized within the temple. (Photos and footages are found on my YouTube channel @1Somber. Look for video title "Day 5: National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Freedom Monument Sculpture Park" in playlist "2026-1: The Civil Rights Movement - Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham".) At one end of the structure, the path turns right to a corridor that slopes down. I then realized that the tablets are hanging from the ceiling. When the corridor reaches the bottom level, the tables are hanging over my head. Mounted on opposite walls are panels, each mentions the known "justification" for the victim's death. Why only the bottommost area of the panel is used is a mystery. I hope in time more names will be added to these panels. The final wall has an inscription draped by a waterfall states that the "victims of racial terror lynchings... whose deaths cannot be documented... whose names will never be known... are all honored here." Leaving memorial temple, I came to Monument Park. In this area, the tablets take on the shape and size of coffins, and lay on the ground rows after rows on the left and the right of the walkway. Like the tablets at the memorial temple, each bears the names of county and state, followed by the names of lynching victims and their respective dates of death. After Monument Park comes the "Guided By Justice" sculpture, and then Community Park. Tablets shaped like signposts line up in a single file to one side, and act as shoulders for the visitor walkway. Each has written details of specific lynchings. I followed these "signposts" and arrived at the "Arise" sculpture. The path then leads back to starting point. Visitors can either go for another round or leave. Our tour guide said that a visit at the NMPJ can be done in 45 minutes. I say, "Take all the time you want." The patrolling staff is sparse and there's no hurry. The $5 admission price covers all three EJI sites. Although I appreciated the NMPJ, particularly capturing a considerable amount of photos and footages, I do not give this place 5 stars because of the unnecessary security checkpoint to do the boat ride from Boat Launch at 101 Morris Street to Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, and vice versa. See attached image for further details. At 12:56pm, after visiting the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (NMPJ), I showed up at Boat Launch. There was a security checkpoint. I was told to turn over my tripod before getting on the boat. The big, burly bespectacled guy in the suit claimed that tripods could be used to vandalize the sculptures, and I could take the boat back and to this pier to get it back. He gave no explanation as to how a tripod would be a hazardous or dangerous object on a boat ride itself. The Sculpture Park has its own security checkpoint where I would turn over the tripod, and I wasn't planning on coming back to this pier just to pick up my tripod. It would be a waste of time. So I waited for the shuttle to take me back to the Legacy Museum after stopping over at NMPJ. When I finally arrived at Sculpture Park, 45 minutes of my time was wasted. This limited the time spent there. There was no necessity to have security checkpoint at Boat Launch when Sculpture Park has its own security checkpoint. Until EJI Legacy updates their policy to one that makes sense, this EJI site gets no more than three stars.

With 14' ceilings it's and amazing architectural survivor. Period furniture and rugs. Gas light…read morechandeliers converted to electric. Heart of pine wood floors. It's a beautiful place.