Over the decades, Montgomery gradually became one the South’s premiere locations for civil rights tourism — something that’s been greatly amplified since Equal Justice Initiative opened three facilities here: The Legacy Museum, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice and this year’s latest Freedom Monument Sculpture Park .
“They‘ve really made a huge splash,” said Ron Simmons, chief officer for Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.
The EJI sites, and Montgomery’s many other links to civil rights history, are a large part of why Montgomery was recently named number four among Southern Living’s “8 Under-The-Radar Southern Cities To Visit This Summer.”
“You’d be remiss to visit the city without diving into its rich civil rights history,” wrote Southern Living travel writer Tara Massouleh McCay in the July 15 report.
But that’s just half of it. The other part of the equation is having other stuff for tourists to do in Montgomery while they're here.
“Our tourism is what we call ‘purposeful tourism,’” Simmons said. “People come here because of a particular purpose. But when they’re here, they’re looking for other things to do, not just our rich history.”
McCay would seem to agree. In the accompanying itinerary of her visit, “15 Best Things To Do In Montgomery,” McCay discussed learning about learning about the city’s history of racial inequality. Along with the EJI sites, McCay visited landmarks like the Rosa Parks Museum and Freedom Riders Museum that are associated with the fight for rights and the people behind it.
Then McKay got into the stuff that’s just for fun, like all the fun spots around Riverfront Park: the concert space at Riverwalk Amphitheater, the Harriott II riverboat and seeing Riverwalk Stadium — the home of Montgomery’s minor league team, the Montgomery Biscuits.
McKay dipped into history here beyond Civil Rights as well:
A place that’s become a tourist destination in its own right is the new Montgomery Whitewater and its artificial river channels. It’s 120 acres full of rafting, recreational walking and plenty of other activities like outdoor concerts.
Of course, having places beyond fast food to eat are a must. Montgomery has a variety ranging from fine dining and international dishes, to lunch options and maybe sucking down a dozen raw oysters.
More: Olympic trials at Montgomery Whitewater generate $1.5M economic impact
One aspect Southern Living didn't get into with Montgomery is its huge cultural arts scene, with museums like the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, the variety of ballet companies (Montgomery Ballet, Alabama River Region Ballet, Alabama Dance Theatre), or a huge theater presence through the internationally known Alabama Shakespeare Festival. The area also has a rich community theater scene in the River Region, with places like Cloverdale Playhouse in Montgomery, and other nearby groups in the River Region: Wetumpka Depot Players, Prattville's Way Off Broadway Theatre, and the Millbrook Community Players.
For tourists unfamiliar with Montgomery's offerings, Simmons said the Chamber and city are working hard to make the search for things to do much easier.
“We study the behavior of our tourists, and we know what they want before they’re here,” Simmons said. “Then we track what they’re doing while they’re here.”
To a great extent, tourists are looking for things to do outdoors, Simmons said. Things like riverfront concerts and ways to be active.
“Montgomery Whitewater is a big piece of that,” Simmons said. “But we’re also starting to see them look for bicycle trails.”
It’s a healthy trend that began with troubled times four years ago after the onset of the pandemic.
“During the pandemic, people were starting to do more things outside,” Simmons said. “We’re still seeing that, even with our convention delegates and our youth and travel sports. When they’re not participating in conferences and they’re not in events, we’re starting to see them look for things to do outside… We were not as heavy in leisure tourism, pre-pandemic, as we are now.”
So is Montgomery actually “under the radar” as a tourism destination?
“I do think that we are under the radar, however we’ve made significant strides — in fact, I know we have — in being known for a great destination to visit.”
According to Simmons, Montgomery is number one in Alabama for international tourism.
“Tourists are coming here and spending money,” Simmons said. “It’s impacting this entire region in a positive way.”
While the area's tourists are having fun in Montgomery, Simmons hopes locals will get out and find their own fun here as well.
“Experience what our visitors are experiencing,” Simmons said. “I think that alone will start to build more pride in our city. Our visitors are here, and they’re really enjoying it for a reason.”
Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: 'Under the radar': Montgomery's 'purposeful' tourism lands it among top 4 spots in South
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