Selma offers premier free experiences in Alabama
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The Selma Times-Journal
Walks across the Edmund Pettus Bridge or photographs in front of Brown Chapel AME Church have long given special memories to countless tourists.
Now they&8217;re considered among the best sites to take in during a vacation.
The Alabama Tourism Department listed three Selma experiences among the top 50 things to do for free this summer.
The &8220;Gone, but not Forgotten” Walking Tour, Martin Luther King Jr. Street Historic Walking Tour and Scavenger Hunt in Old Liveoak Cemetery earned the status of family-friendly attractions that are easy on the budget.
National Voting Rights Museum director Angela Brown said during peak times in the summer, the museum will see about 200 people per week.
The Museum facilitates tours that include several historic sites in the city, and people&8217;s interests run the gamut.
The &8220;Gone, but not Forgotten” Tour is a one-mile walk through the heart of downtown Selma that features sites from both the Civil Rights and Civil War eras.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Street Historic Walking Tour includes Brown Chapel, the starting point of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. A monument to King and the voting rights movement&8217;s freedom fighters sits front of the church.
Draped under the protective cover of burgeoning Spanish moss, Old Live Oak&8217;s Scavenger Hunt tests the wits of participants with trivia about Alabama&8217;s history.
Selma&8217;s devotion to honoring its history earned it the designation as a Preserve America community in May, along with just four other sites around the state.