Al with the CCC provided our neighborhood association with everything we needed for a neighborhood…read morecleanup day. Gloves, hand grabbers, bags and safety vests. Thank you!

Out of the few bases I have stayed at, this one takes the cake for what to do, beauty, and…read moreoperation. Billeting is a nice place to stay(although their rates have increased by a bit) and are not trashy like other places however they are pricey. The French toast that they serve at the golf club here is so good, that it even has it's own Facebook page liked by the thousands.(look it up I'm not kidding) The roads could be in better condition but they are doing their best to preform repairs on them. The area surrounding the base is kind of sketchy so I wouldn't eat anywheres near the base, only on or off(5 miles at least) the base to be safe. Problem for enlisted personal in any branch of service, they have two officer schools here so you will be saluting A LOT. Also it's the second most active DV base in the USA so be on your wit!(1st place being Andrews) Other than that it's a very nice stay here.

For the military and retirees on Yelp, this is a good base. It has a very nice sized BX or…read moreExchange as they're now called. The commissary is a good size also. Nice shopette with gas station. Nice Furniture Mart located separate from the Main Exchange. This is a fairly large size training base and they have many of the support agencies available. Yes, the area right outside Maxwell is extremely rundown, but it's been that way for years. If you travel more into Montgomery, you'll find all the normal places you expect in any city (food and shopping). Remember, shopping on base and you pay no taxes!

We have been to Old Live Oak several times. This was the first cemetery that I photographed in…read more2000. While on that day I shot with a 35mm film camera and those photos are in a photo album, these photos are from our visits over the years, shot with a 35mm to a memory card, as well as different types of Samsung phones. This is by far my favorite cemetery to photograph. I have several family members on my father's side buried here. -Kevin Old Live Oak Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Selma, Alabama, founded in 1829 and expanded in 1877. The newer portion is sometimes called New Live Oak Cemetery, and the cemetery is collectively known as Live Oak Cemetery. It contains burials of Confederate States of America leaders, as well as Benjamin Sterling Turner, a formerly enslaved African-American who served as U.S. Representative for Alabama during the Reconstruction era. The cemetery is at 110 Dallas Avenue, approximately 0.7 miles west of downtown Selma. Famous Burials: Robert Woodward Barnwell (1849-1902), Episcopal Bishop of Alabama Katharine Hopkins Chapman (1870-1930), author and historian William Joseph Hardee (1815-1873), Confederate Lt. General from Camden County, Georgia, whose published military battlefield tactics were used by military commanders from both the North and the South. Catesby ap Roger Jones (1821-1877), Confederate Naval Captain who commanded the famous ironclad warship the USS Merrimack (1855) during its first battle versus the Union vessel the USS Monitor. William R. King (1786-1853), 13th Vice-president of the United States. Historians have speculated that King was likely the first gay U.S. vice president and possibly one of the first gay members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. A lifelong bachelor, King lived for 15 years in the home of future U.S. president James Buchanan while the two served in the Senate. Buchanan, also a lifelong bachelor, is believed by some historians to be the nation's first gay president. John Tyler Morgan (1824-1907), CSA General, then six-term U.S. senator after the war. An ex-slave holder, he was an ardent racist and an advocate for Jim Crow laws and racial segregation. Benjamin Sterling Turner (1825-1894), the first African American U.S. Congressman from Alabama. Turner was born into slavery in North Carolina and taken to Selma by his owner as a child. He remained enslaved until the end of the Civil War. Turner spent much of his congressional career seeking financial aid for his broken southern state. He advocated racially mixed schools and financial reparation for former slaves.

Live Oak Cemetery is a potent example of the complex history of Selma…read more The final resting place of Benjamin Turner, he was Alabama's first African American representative in 1870. The plaque that honors him was installed by the Society of the Order of the Southern Cross so, of course, it implies that Turner was a Confederate sympathizer. The cemetery also features the mausoleum of William Rufus King, a vice-president who was pro-slavery (and may have had a long-standing homosexual relationship with President Buchanan). This long slim cemetery is filled with tall twisting trees from which faded green Spanish Moss hangs like garland. I meandered through the site until I came upon Confederate Circle. Atop a tall monument stands a soldier looking down ominously. Confederate flags are unwelcoming and chilling yet here were a number of freshly-planted ones sprouting like sprigs next to individual graves. Eight newly-installed metal plaques on a stone platform tell a story that clearly frames Selma as the victim during the Civil War. Referring to Abraham Lincoln as being 'avowedly hostile to the domestic institutions and to the peace and security of the people of the State of Alabama,' reference to yankees abound. Just a few minutes away is the Pettus Bridge. It's hard to reconcile that momentous civil rights history with the narrow romanticized southern vision of the Civil War that, obviously, still remains fresh in the minds of at least some here even after 150 years.

Most places/museums in Selma are closed on normal days, mostly due to COVID. So, I was surprised…read morethat this place was open on a Sunday afternoon. They guy working there was so helpful and friendly. He allowed me to go back to the small museum area in the back that was open and then provided me with maps and information about the events surrounding the bridge. The museum area is small (only a small section of the first floor is opened, the other two floors are currently closed due to COVID) but it is still powerful, educational, informative and has pictures/exhibits from that Bloody Sunday and Turnaround Tuesday. The guy working there also provided with a map and pamphlets so I could do a self guided tour and directed my to the Brown Chapel AME Church, where the marchers started. The place is easy to get to and is part of the US Park Service. It is located right before you cross the bridge and has free parking right out front. They also have a small gift shop in the front, where the proceeds help support the Center. In the museum is a power voting display that is definitely worth a few photos. So, if you are touring Selma, this is a must stop. It is FREE and I recommend going here first to get your itinerary laid out. This place is simply awesome. A diamond in the rough.

We arrived in Selma on good Friday so many places were closed. Luckily this superb Center was not…read more The entire building is clean, modern and educational. There are immaculate bathrooms on every floor, safe stairs and an elevator. The film on the third floor is the perfect start, it moved me to tears. In addition, the chairs are so comfortable. There are superb photographs and quotes everywhere. You can see the Edmund Pettus Bridge from the windows and will want to continue your tour there. This is a must see!

What is there to say about the city of Selma. This is a city that was instrumental in the civil…read morerights movement of the 60s. It is home to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and we all know what happened on that Bridge on Sunday, March 7, 1965. This city is packed with a lot of history from that era and some of the cities attractions include, the Selma Interpretive Center, The Brown Chapel AME Church, the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, and of course the Edmund Pettus Bridge. There has been I petition to rename the Bridge after the late US Representative John Lewis, who was present on bridge on Bloody Sunday. Sadly, a lot of the city is closed and/or abandoned and it is starting to look a little run down. It does not have a lot of hotels to stay, so it is better scheduled as a day visit. I drove down from Birmingham for the day to explore the city. I would check to see the availability and hours of places before you go, because a few places that I wanted to see were closed when I was there. From a historical and importance in American History standpoint, this city gets six or seven stars, but it is starting to fall behind and is severely neglected, which is very sad given its importance. I hope someone invests and the city and focuses on preserving it storied and fruitful history.

THE FORGOTTEN LANDMARK, DON'T MISS IT!!…read more The Montgomery Union Station and Trainshed is a historic building that tends to fall in the shadow of all of the great historical buildings and monuments in the city. However, I really think that it deserves to be mentioned along with the city's other landmarks as it is a truly beautiful building. This train station was first opened in 1898 and saw its last passenger in 1979. It has had a number of tenants since that time and is now the home of the Montgomery Area Visitor Center, and a number of other commercial tenants including a Thai restaurant with a very clever name: Railroad Thai. Several passenger trains used the station until the 50's and 60's when service began to decrease. It wasn't until 1973 that this building was placed on the historic registry and it took another three years for it to be recognized as a historic landmark. This building is located at 300 Water Street, (along the Riverwalk), just steps away from the Alabama River. Before you dart into the Visitor's Center to quickly grab information, take a long look at this building from every angle. As you face the building, you will have a great view of the approaching train, (which seems to run about every 20 minutes), from the left side of the building. You also get a great view of the shed from this side. Now go across the street to the hotel parking lot and take it ALL in. You will then want to come back over and focus on the details. Once you enter the Visitor's Center, look up down and all around. Check out the architectural details and the stained glass window. Look at that floor! Cool Huh? Wait a minute!! You forgot to walk outside to experience the cool and shade of the shed. You will notice an old yellow electric streetcar that rests behind gates. The city's streetcars were discontinued in 1936 in favor of buses. This shed the perfect space to have private and community events because there are restrooms outside and it provides great privacy. During the weekend that we visited, firemen were using the space for a cooking challenge and it was also being used to escape the heat, rest a bit and grab something to eat. This is one of the city's landmarks that is not to be missed so make sure that you take time to enjoy it when visiting!

Ok so I got lost. Prattville has the most helpful resourceful pleasant law enforcement officers…read morearound town. Impressive! What a peaceful place it must be to live here! Beautiful, clean town. Bursting with opportunities. I just love Prattville Main St. I felt so safe as I listened to water roll down near Mr. Pratt's Gin Mill.

Unique Experience Unique Owner…read moreAvailable on AirBnB The Harmony Club was built in 1909 as a social club by the Jewish community of Selma. Situated on a high bank that overlooks the Alabama River the Harmony Club is a key feature of Selma's historic Water Avenue district. The Harmony Club building project was headed by Benjamin J. Schuster a leading merchant, outstanding citizen and President of the club. He ran Schuster Hardware Company that stood where the Edmund Pettus Bridge now crosses the Alabama River in downtown Selma. The first floor was two retail spaces, that have had businesses in one or both since 1909. The second floor was a restaurant up front and Men's Lounge in back (off limits to the public back then). The Lounge had a pool table, poker games, slot machines, cigar chomping and of course wives were not allowed but occasionally "ladies" were. The third floor was a ballroom that saw lots of dances and parties over the decades. The club functioned for many years, became the Elks Club in the late Thirties and boarded up in 1960. The building sat dormant for forty years until David Hurlbut bought the building in 1999 and started the renovation. The Harmony Club is a work in progress that has many more years to go. The Harmony Club was featured in the Dec. 8, 2010 New York Times, Home & Garden section