Montgomery is Alabama's capital and one of the most historically significant cities in the American South. It was the first capital of the Confederacy, and a century later it became a cradle of the civil rights movement. Rosa Parks was arrested here in 1955 for refusing to give up her bus seat, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott led by a young Martin Luther King Jr. from the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
The city's civil rights landmarks are its main draw. The Rosa Parks Museum, the Dexter Parsonage Museum (King's home during the boycott), and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice -- the country's first memorial dedicated to victims of lynching -- are all essential visits. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, located in the Blount Cultural Park, is one of the largest Shakespeare festivals in the world and runs year-round.
Montgomery is also where Hank Williams is buried, and the Hank Williams Museum downtown houses a large collection of memorabilia, including the powder-blue Cadillac he died in. Interstate 65 through the city is officially named the Hank Williams Lost Highway.