A Montgomery to Selma day trip brings you to the Edmund Pettus Bridge and sites connected with the voting-rights struggle and the Selma-to-Montgomery March. The drive is estimated at 65 minutes each way, leaving time to visit a museum or historic house before returning to Montgomery.
- Selma is 49.7 miles from the Montgomery area.
- The National Voting Rights Museum & Institute covers voting-rights history and the Selma-to-Montgomery March.
- Sturdivant Hall is a Greek Revival house museum in Selma.
- Opening hours and admission vary by site; check the official site before you go.
Plan the drive from Montgomery to Selma
The drive from Montgomery to Selma takes an estimated 65 minutes each way, so allow for roughly two hours on the road in your day-trip schedule. Selma is 49.7 miles from the Montgomery area.
For a route-based history day in Montgomery before or after your Selma visit, you can also follow a one-day history route through downtown Montgomery and Old Alabama Town.
Start with Selma’s civil rights landmarks
The Edmund Pettus Bridge is a central landmark in Selma’s civil rights history. Pair a visit to the bridge with the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute, whose exhibits cover the voting-rights struggle, Bloody Sunday, the Selma-to-Montgomery March and the Civil Rights Movement.
The museum is at 6 US Highway 80 East, Selma, AL 36701. Admission is charged. Its hours are Monday–Thursday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; visits Friday–Sunday are by appointment. The museum’s phone number is 334-526-4340.
Allow time for museums and historic sites
Sturdivant Hall adds a historic-house visit to a Selma day trip. Also known as the Watts-Parkman-Gillman House, it is a Greek Revival mansion and house museum at 713 Mabry Street, Selma, AL 36701.
Dallas County gives Sturdivant Hall’s hours as Monday–Friday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.; and closed Sunday. Its phone number is 334-872-5626.
The National Park Service says its interpretive centers present multiple perspectives on the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, including those of march participants, supporters and opponents. The Lowndes Interpretive Center is open Monday–Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Central Time. The Montgomery Interpretive Center has the same hours; NPS interpretive centers close on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Return to Montgomery and check the road conditions
Allow 65 minutes for the estimated drive back from Selma to Montgomery.
The Days Inn by Wyndham Montgomery I-85 is about 49.7 miles from Selma, with an estimated drive of 65 minutes each way. You can find room details for a two-star hotel in Montgomery off I-85.
Opening hours, admission and road conditions can change. Check the official site before you go, including the National Park Service and the relevant museum or county site; ALDOT directs drivers to ALGO Traffic for current Alabama road information and live traffic cameras.
FAQs
How long does it take to drive from Montgomery to Selma?
The estimated drive is 65 minutes each way.
What can you see at the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute?
Its exhibits cover the voting-rights struggle, Bloody Sunday, the Selma-to-Montgomery March and the Civil Rights Movement.
Is Sturdivant Hall open on Sundays?
No. Sturdivant Hall is closed Sunday.