Celebrating Juneteenth in the Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement
With landmark sites, special events, and museums, there’s so many things to do.
Juneteenth may have started in Texas, but there’s another city in the US that puts on an epic celebration worth attending. In part due to a 1950s bus boycott that forever changed the course of history, Montgomery, Alabama is widely regarded as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement—so as you might expect from a city with that title, the city throws a great Juneteenth celebration.
This year’s Juneteenth festivities include a special day at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts where music, art-making, snacks, and a New Orleans second line-style processional will carry you through a day of celebration. Troy University’s Rosa Parks Museum is also hosting a free block party with music, food, shopping, and the opportunity to tour a 1950s Montgomery city bus and 1960s Greyhound bus for a better understanding of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The city will also host a concert at the Montgomery Performing Arts Center featuring Black artists like Wynton Marsalis, Esperanza Spalding, Lizz Wright, Cory Henry, and Samara Joy.
Beyond all the Juneteenth events taking place on June 19 and over the weekend, there are plenty of other ways to honor the holiday in Montgomery. The city is home to a plethora of Black-owned businesses and restaurants to support, plus a number of museums and historic sites dedicated to the Civil Rights Movement, making it the perfect place for a Juneteenth weekend trip.
Drive time:
2 hours from Atlanta, GA
4 hours, 30 minutes from New Orleans, LA
More things to do in Montgomery, Alabama this June
As the site of some of the most significant moments of the Civil Rights Movement, you’d be remiss not to visit the various landmarks and museums in Montgomery, Alabama on a Juneteenth trip to the city. Landmarks like the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. preached, and the Dexter Parsonage Museum, where Dr. King and his family once lived, are easily accessible on your own or as part of a planned tour.
As for museums, Montgomery has no shortage of institutions where you could spend the entire day digging into the history of this place. The Equal Justice Initiative opened two powerful venues in 2018, The Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The Legacy Museum is located in a former cotton warehouse where enslaved Black people were forced to work and tells the story of racial inequality in America from slavery to mass incarceration that we see today. After you’ve toured the museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice is the nation’s first memorial dedicated to victims of lynching.
After a trip to the Rosa Parks Museum, which is located where the Civil Rights Movement icon was arrested after the Montgomery Bus Boycott, visitors will have a better understanding of this seismic event. The same could be said for the Freedom Riders Museum, which tells the story of how people used nonviolent protest to push for change.
Restaurants and bars to visit in Montgomery during Juneteenth
Since you’ll be celebrating Juneteenth, it’s a perfect time to lift up Black-owned businesses, like the following Montgomery restaurants and bars. Kick off your trip with a bit of caffeine to power you through this historic city courtesy of
Baristas and Barristers. Later, chow down on some smothered pork chops with collard greens and macaroni and cheese at J.W. Beverette’s, grab some jerk chicken and rice and peas at Yaadbak, or try vegan soul food at Plant Bae. And it wouldn’t be a trip to Alabama without honoring the state’s barbecue traditions, so be sure to hit up Brenda’s Bar-B-Que Pit for roadside fried whiting, ribs, and sow ear sandwiches.
Where to stay in Montgomery, Alabama for Juneteenth
Montgomery houses a number of hotels downtown in the historic district, so you’ll have a handful of options when selecting a landing pad. The newest hotel in the city is Trilogy Hotel, a chic boutique hotel that stretches over three historic properties that have been lovingly restored. The hotel is decorated with local art and historic artifacts, giving visitors a sense of place from sun up to sun down. Other large hotel brands are also available in the area, like the Embassy Suites Montgomery and Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa.