FANTASTIC Interpretive Center run by the National Park Service. This is an excellent piece of history and very interesting. I was just going to drive the route from Selma to Montgomery, but saw the interpretive center(along US80), so I stopped there and watched a movie about the 1965 March. I learned SO much, picked up pamphlets, then went back into Selma to see all the historic places. It was something really great to do, and I highly recommend it. The National Park Service is one of our greatest assets and I am so appreciative of how they educate people. When I finished all the places I wanted to see in Selma(see the bridge and the church, for sure), I drove the 50-mile route to Montgomery, ending up at their beautiful Capitol building. I have a lot of photographs and explanations, so rather than posting them all, I am putting a link to my blog which describes in detail my visit to Selma. Do this, and take your kids. It’s free and it’s interesting and you will come away realizing exactly what the power of the people can do. For photos and description of the route:
Jessica F.
Place rating: 5 Manhattan, NY
A great pitstop on the historic trail. The people at the desk where super helpful and we had some great convo about the exhibit. Heads up: Ask for food advice. They recommended a great BBQ spot in Montgomery.
Jason B.
Place rating: 5 Fort Lauderdale, FL
Decided to swing by here on my drive back to Montgomery after experiencing the Edmund Pettis Bridge. What a hidden gem. I watched the movie and toured the museum with noone else there. It was GREAT! A definite stop off if you’re in the area. The history here is amazing!
Matthew W.
Place rating: 5 Oakland, CA
The Lowndes County Interpretive Center is on Highway 80 between Selma, Alabama and Montgomery, Alabama. It is on the site of «Tent City». Highway 80 is a historic highway, the route of the civil right marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Tent City was an area where many African Americans lived after getting fired from the landowners after segregation was outlawed. The Interpretive Center is really a museum dedicated to the civil rights movement in the Selma area, concentrated on the marches in 1965. The museum is nicely decorated, and walks you through the history of how the racial tension built up in the Selma area, and then escalated into the three marches, and finally victory in terms of desegregation. There are many quotes by people from both sides of the fight that help add to the emotion of what was going on during that time. The museum is free, but there is an optional donation box. The security guard is really nice, and I got to talk to him, and it turns out that he was part of the marches in 1965. He also lived in «Tent City» in the same area where the museum is. He pointed out where on the site that the tents where, and how large of an area(5 – 10 football fields) that the tents took up, due to the number of people living there.
