We live in a world where everyone fights for their voice to be heard.  Some have to fight harder than others.  I’m proud to live in a world where people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks (just two among many) stood up for what they believed.

As we’ve said before, we believe in Mark Twain’s comment, “Never let school interfere with your education.”

We feel it’s important to take advantage of educational moments whenever they appear.  Sometimes you have to go out of your way to have these conversations. Montgomery, AL was one of these moments for our family.  Tammy and I grew up in the Deep South.  The kids were raised in Utah.  It’s difficult for them to understand the hard times our country faced with Jim Crow laws and the events that led up through the civil rights movement(s).

Rosa Parks Museum – Children’s Wing

The Rosa Parks museum has a children’s wing with a Disney-like “ride” shaped like a Ford bus.  The ride doesn’t move but it does shake and is wrapped in a 360 degree video screen.  The bus driver, a robot, takes the passengers back and forth through time explaining slavery, Jim Crow laws, and the events in Rosa Park’s life that led up to her daring stand. They call this exhibit the “time machine”.  I call it emotional.

Rosa Parks Museum – Time Machine – Montgomery, AL

Be warned that the children’s wing has mixed reviews on other travel websites.  Mainly because the time machine is the only exhibit they provide.  The presentation is only about 20 minutes long and there are conflicting reviews about the return on financial investment.

All I can give is our experience.  Was it a bit overpriced?  Maybe, but this short multimedia presentation provided information to my family in an emotional and effective way I never could.  It provided many hours of discussion in our household.  Priceless?

Would I do it again?  No.  Would I recommend it to another family to do once? Most definitely.

If you buy a ticket for the time machine you can get a discount on the museum.

Montgomery, AL

Downtown

If you’re driving around there are a couple of things you can see in downtown Montgomery.  You can see the church where Martin Luther King Jr preached.

What moved me the most was seeing the crosswalk in front of the capitol.  The city didn’t just paint a usual white line.  They painted a thick white area depicting the shoeprints of those who marched to the capitol for their rights.  Amazing.

Montgomery, AL

We also caught a glimpse of the Court Square Fountain erected in the late 1800’s.

Montgomery was a stop on the way to visit family.  We were short on time and anxious to arrive at our destination before sundown.  I was a bit disappointed we didn’t have time to explore some of the other excellent exhibits with the kids.  That being said, there is a balance and the Rosa Parks museum left a lasting impression.  Any other exhibits might have distracted from that.  You’re mileage may vary.