Lowndes Interpretive Center — Attraction in White Hall

Located on Highway 80 about 6 miles from the entrance to the Park. Very large building with a new sign out front SELMA to MONTGOMERY Interpretation Center and a National Park Service emblem. Another emblem is on the face of the building. Entry is from the parking lot side. If you have a National Park Passport the stamps are at the front desk in the gift shop. Plenty of parking for RVs and quite a few picnic tables offering a shady break. Entrance is free and the Museum is well laid out. Strongly encourage if you have time to step in and view the video. Quite a bit of history that is important to remember. What is interesting is the museum was built on its location for significant reasons. One being it has six acres that were used by the marchers to camp for the night on their march to Montgomery. The design of the museum is interesting - the front resembles the Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church and the dome symbolizes the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The bridge itself is 20miles to the right as you exit the Park toward Selma. There are statues and a small Park on the right at the bridge but parking is limited. More parking is available on the left side of the highway. The area with statues, plaques, etc. is to commemorate the Freedom Movement and those key leaders. However, probably due to city budget issues, the area is a bit worn out. Selma itself has fallen on hard times. However, if you have time you can use one of the handouts from the museum and drive past each of the churches where the marchers gathered and on Bloody Sunday...

My wife and I bookmarked this place on our way to Savannah and followed up with a visit on the way back to the Dallas area. I was in the fifth grade when the Selma to Montgomery march was made. Other than seeing that people were mad about something, I had no idea what was going on. The Lowndes Center gave a precise telling of why the march was held. For the march to have made it is testament to the determination of the people who made it. On a side note, we were traveling with our dog. The Park Service employee informed me (when I asked) that dogs were not allowed. I took the dog outside and was surprised when a non-uniformed employee came out and volunteered to sit with our dog while I went to view the exhibits. It was above and beyond his duties to the center. I really appreciate the...

This details very well everything in this area that happened on The Selma to Montgomery March as well as the tent cities that formed following people losing jobs & places to live as a result of registering to vote. The exhibit really finishes there, so I recommend visiting Montgomery & The Legacy Museum & other sites there to learn more about the following decades & oppression of the African American community in the south...