Alabama State Capitol - Montgomery Alabama

The Alabama State Capitol Building is not only a building that is in use today, it's also a place in which many  historic events took place. Today it's used to help run the state of Alabama, but visitors can also take a trip there to see certain areas of the building and grounds. I remember my first trip to the building when I was in fourth grade, and have been a couple since them. Every time I go I notice something different and interesting that I never noticed before. That is why I really encourage people that are going to visit to make sure that they give themselves enough to time to see everything and enjoy it.

It's always a good idea to check the weather before you go, while you will want to tour the inside of the building there are a lot of things that are on the grounds that you will want to see. It's a much nicer experience if you make sure that the weather is good for your walking around outside. One of the things that you will want to look out when you are on the grounds on the buliding is the Confederate Memorial Monument, which is located on the north side of Capitol Hill. This is a monument that is dedicated to more than 122,000 veterans of the Civil War. On the Capitol's south wing is the Avenue of Flags. This is semi circle of the U.S. Flags with a native stone and an engraving of the state's name in front of each flag.

The steps are the most famous thing to see on the ground of the capitol, these steps have served as historic points throughout history. One of the most noteable moment was The Selma to Montgomery March in 1965 that ended on these steps, as Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech to the over 25,000 marchers. You can walk up these steps and take photos and admire the beauty, and historic events that took place there.

If you are interested in the inside of the building then make sure that you are aware that while the

entire building is not able to be toured, most of the building is. And while you do not actually need to take the tour to see the building I would recommend seeing the outside on your own, but the inside with a tour. The reason is that it's very hard to know exactly what things are and how they significant unless you have a guide to tell you these things.

Also I have noticed that certain days are much busier, if you can stay away from times in which public schools are in session and go over holiday breaks or summer it's less busy. Many schools will go on field trips to the Capitol Building and this can make it much busier and sometimes louder.

The Alabama State Capitol Building is located at
600 Dexter Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104

The Tour Office Phone Number is (334) 242-3935

Monday-Friday:
Self guided tours can be taken 9 AM- 4PM
Guided Tours are given at 9AM, 11AM, 1PM, and 3PM (if you have a group of 15 or more, call in advance for a guided tour)
Closed on Sundays and all State Holidays

Civil Rights Memorial and Center - Montgomery Alabama

If you find yourself in Montgomery Alabama, you should know that there is a lot of history regarding Civil Rights here. Because of the importance of this time in Montgomery's history you will find landmarks and markers throughout the city pinpointing where certain events took place or what roles certain places played in this time in history. If you are interested in learning a little more about even making a pledge to stand up againist intolerance then you might want to head over to the Civil Rights Memorial and Memorial Center.

The Memorial itself was dedicated in 1989. It was inspired by the famous quote "we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream" which Martin Luther King said in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. A round stone fountain in the shape of an upside down cone lets water flow over the base of the cone and over the forty names that the memorial holds. Visitors can touch the water and fountain (or at least they could when I visited). This will only disrupt the smooth flow of the water until the hand is removed. It is truly a beautiful memorial and good reminder of how important tolerance and equality really is. Also please note that this memorial is outside, so you need to make sure that you dress for the weather when going to see it, and make sure that any trash is picked up before you leave as a sign of respect.

After visiting the Civil Rights Memorial you can go see the Civil Rights Memorial Center, in fact the center is adjacent to the memorial. Inside the center is a theater in which vistors can learn about the history of the Civil Rights Movement. Also make sure that you stop to look at the Freedom Mural that is inside the center. Within the mural you will see photographs and quotes that had a lasting impact on the movement and many are images and quotes that we learn about to this day. It is a beautiful and powerful mural that you should not miss.

 If you are interested in pledging yourself to take a stand aganist injustice, and intolerance then make
sure that you sign your name on the Wall of Tolerance. The Wall of Tolerance holds over half a million names that have pledge to take a stand. The wall is 20 by 40 feet and names flow down all the time. If you are interested in taking this stand then you can take the pledge that so many others have already done.

"By placing my name on the Wall of Tolerance, I pledge to take a stand against hate, injustice and intolerance. I will work in my daily life for justice, equality and human rights - the ideals for which the Civil Rights martyrs died."

The names that are placed on this wall are never erased letting a new generation of people join with an older generation to take a stand and remember what is truly important. The Civil Rights Memorial and Memorial Center is really an eye opening experience and something that should not be missed if you happen to be in the Montgomery area.

The Memorial is in an open area that is open to the public 24 hours a days.

The Civil Rights Memorial Center is open:
Monday -Friday 9AM-4:30PM
Saturday 10AM-4PM
Children are admitted free, Adult Admission is $2

The address is
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery Alabama

Alabama Department of Archives and History - Montgomery Alabama

This is really one of those places that people don't even think of when they are planning a trip to Montgomery, nor do they look at it as a reason to head to the area of Montgomery. This reason is that most people are unaware of exactly what you can do and see if you vist the Department of Archives and History. I first went when it was in elementary school, and I had no idea what it was going to be or if I would find it entertaining at all. I have to admit that I enjoyed it so much that a had to go back once I got older.

The first thing that you should know about this place that it has a museum, you would be surprised how many people don't know that there is a museum there, they think that it only houses records and documents. The museum is actually a very extensive collection of artifacts and collections that tell the history of Alabama. When you are visiting the museum make sure that you take note of the bronze map that is on the lawn. It is located on the north lawn or Washington Avenue. It's a map of the state of Alabama with events and landmarks marked on the map. There is a photo of the map and a key to this map is on the official website if you would like to see what is located on the map.

The building itself is a very nice building and when you go inside it might seem a little quiet and you might be inclined to be quiet yourself, this is more than likely a good idea. You don't have to be perfectly quiet but it is not a place that you should go running through yelling or laughing really loud. It is more than a museum and inside the building sound can travel well. The museum itself is actually a very nice museum with seperate rooms that are dedicated to different events and timeframes in Alabama's history. The museum won't take a very long time for you see all of but at least a couple hours should be allotted and perhaps more than that depending on how much time you want to take to see everything.

The other thing that you can do while you are visiting here is go to the research room. This room is designed for people to be able to look up information on Alabama. It can be information that is relating to your past or your town's past or information on a certain subject or event. For instance when I went to the research room I was able to get a printout of all the historic cemeteries and their names in Alabama. There are rules that you will need to make sure that you know when you are visiting the research room. There is no food or drink at all, and no bags this does include purses, laptop cases, and briefcases, and coats are not allowed either, and no ink pens should be brought in. You can bring in your cell phone but you must turn it on silent or off and step outside to take any calls. If you have any items that are not allowed in the research room lockers are available for rent. Laptops, binders, pencils, and folders are all allowed in the reserach room. Please note that if you want to take a break to have a snack or drink they do have another room available.

The Archives Building itself is open Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30
The Research Room is open Tuesday through Friday and the second Saturday of each month 8:30-4:30
The Museum is open Monday -Saturday 8:30-4:30
All of these are closed on State Holidays.
Please visit the official website for more information.

Historic Blakeley State Park - Spanish Fort Alabama

The Cemetery at Blakeley

This state park has a lot of history behind it, and to truly be able to enjoy visiting you have to know some of the history, so before telling you about the park, I will tell you some of the history. Blakeley State Park is a park that visitors can see if they are in the Baldwin County area of Alabama. Blakeley has a lot of history surrounding the park. As a matter of fact the Blakeley is one of the oldest towns in the state of Alabama. In 1814 the town was first chartered.  In 1820 the town's population was about 4,000, which suprisingly was larger that the city that stood across the bay, Mobile. The town had stores, a courthouse, homes, a blacksmith and even hotels. However by the time that 1830 hit, Blakeley was slowing dieing out, the yellowfever epidemic hit this town hard and most of the remaining residents moved on to places like Mobile. For a short time the town began to come back during the Civil War, known as Fort Blakeley. The last major battle of the Civil War was fought at Blakeley with 20,000 men fighting at Blakeley, just hours after the surrender of Robert E. Lee. By the time 1865 hit, Blakeley was no more. The land reclaimed the city and battlefield until 1981 when Blakeley State Park was Opened.

This is a huge park, the first time that I went I made the mistake of thinking that it was something that

Civil War Battlements

would take about an hour and you could walk. I should let you know that it is not. It is a park that will take you back in time to see Civil War battlements, a Civil War Cemetery, as well as where the old town used to sit. In order for you to see all this you will need to drive from place to place. When you arrive you will have to pay and then you will be given a park map. This will show you where to drive to see the different historic places that Blakeley has.

The Hiding Tree

The first thing that you will see is the cemetery. The cemetery itself spans a pretty good amount of land but there are only a few cement crosses that mark these graves, and some of them have broken and fallen over with time. It's a site to see, but at the same time a bit sad and humbling. Depending on the route that you take, you can go to see the Civil War battlements that are still standing today. Just head over to the battlefield. You can get out and walk around on the battlefield and even stand behind the battlements and feel exactly what the soldiers that were fighting that day felt. I always find that I can't stand on that field without thinking about the men that fought and died that day, and the sacrifice that they made. If you are interested in seeing more from the battle then over near the boardwalk you will find a tree that is called the hiding tree. This tree was naturally hollowed out and is large enough to hide at least one grown man in it. Soldiers would use this tree to hide from oncoming attacks and as a way to ambush to attackers after they run past. If you find that you are brave enough and want to go inside the trunk of the tree and get your photo taken, it's one of a kind. The tree is marked on the map and points of interest that you will get when you enter the park, unless that has changed.

If you find that Civil War and battlefields aren't your favorite thing to see. You can go to where the


The Hanging Tree Branch

town of Blakeley used to be and see the site of
the old courthouse and church. There is not much if anything left to see of this town, however there are markers that indicate where buildings and homes use to stand. If you head over to the area of the courthouse there is a tree that you will find is called the hanging tree. If you take a moment and look up at this tree you will see what looks like a knotch in the tree. This knotch is from the ropes that were used to hang people. As an added creep factor take someone that does not know this history and tell them to stand under the branch and look up, then explain what the knotch is, and then inform them that they are standing in the exact place that people were hung. It's something that can send chills up your spine to know that, but most people don't think of this when looking at the tree.

If you are a nature lover then you will find that you can walk on nature trails and see all sorts of wildlife. There have been sightings of snakes, foxes, coyotes, and other animals. Most of the time they won't be in the areas that are visited a good bit, at least during the day. Often times they will wander onto the nature trails, or come out later in the day and at night. Blakeley does have options for campers to stay overnight, but it's best to make sure that you are prepared and ready for the night. The park is locked up overnight and there is nobody that stays at the gatepost overnight. Day or night visitors are welcome to bring food and drink into the park, just as long as you make sure that you clean up after yourself.

Blakeley also has special events on occasion. If you would like to find out more about the park and the events then you can visit their website Blakeley State Park.

The park is located from 9 AM to Dusk 7 Days a Week

Sheldon Castle - Fairhope Alabama

Sheldon Castle in Fairhope Alabama was built in 1946 by Craig Sheldon. Sitting right next door to this castle is the Castle that his daughter built with her husband many years later. Some call the newer castle Mosher Castle but for many of the locals they are both just part of Sheldon Castle. The detail that went into these two castles is amazing however if you take notice of both of the castles and look at the details you will find that while both are amazing and beautiful there is much more detail in one. This would be the first castle that was built, Sheldon Castle.

While Fairhope can be a nice little town to visit it doesn't really have a lot anymore for guests to see. Many of the old rustic charms that were once there have faded or been shut down. Sheldon Castle is one of the few charms that Fairhope still has. This castle use to be able to be rented for events and was once called the Storybook Bed and Breakfast. This was short lived lived. Sheldon Castle was built to be a residence for a family, and while the bed and breakfast was a great novelty and surely attracted many guests for the few years that it was rented, eventually the family decided to make it a residence once again.

There is no reason that you can't drive by and see the castles as many people do, but it would be wise to remember this is soemone's home and it is something that you should be respectful of. If you do take the time to go see these castle you will notice that it is not just the actual castles that make the atmostphere unique. There is a small bridge and little decorations that add to the charm of this castle. Even the windows and doors are something that must have taken a lot of time and imagination to build.

I am sure that the owners are used to people coming and taking photos of the castles and being in their driveway and yard, I do not recommend this and would not say that you should do this. When I attended the castle to photograph I contacted the owners prior to my coming and got permission to photograph the castles.

The problem is that this is now a private residence and while I am unaware of there being any problems with people seeing the castles I do not wish to tell anyone that it is okay, I strongly recommend contacting the owners before showing up. However if you are interested in learning more about the castles you can go to  http://fairhopecastle.com/ to see the website that Mosher's have set up. The castles are located on Oak Street in Fairhope Alabama.

Versailles Palace and Gardens - France

The Gardens at Versailles were one of the most beautiful things that I had the pleasure of seeing when I visited France. As a matter of fact I wasn't looking forwards to the fact that we were going to take a train from Paris to Versailles and basically spend the entire day down there. After we went I have to admit that it had to be one of the most calming and relaxing experiences during the entire trip. This place is really up to each person on how they want to enjoy it. I personally had such a good time seeing the gardens that I never even went into the palace.

The Palace and the Gardens are both something that is worth seeing, and the hall of mirrors is something that a lot of people find very interesting. ( I personally loved it, but at the same time it was a little creepy). The Palace was first built as a hunting lodge but later became the location for the palace. While I do think that the history of this place is very interesting and time and work that it took to create both the Palace and the Garden is amazing I am for excited to tell you about the gardens and how amazing they actually are.

The gardens are actually very large and take a long time to see. As I stated before I wasn't that excited about going to the gardens in the first place, but once we got there, I decided to split up from the rest of my party and look around on my own. I spend a lot of time wandering around fountains and looking at scupltures that line certain areas of the gardens. There are so many fountains throughout the entire garden and each one is different from another one. While its easy to sit here on my computer and say that they looked amazing it's something that can be hard to put into words, even the photos that I have don't do it justice. Whenever you visit the gardens make sure to pay special attention to the fountains and the details that each fountain has.

Also I found out that it can be very easy to get lost in these gardens, there are even sections that almost resemeble a maze. In these areas the hedges are so tall and the walkways just wide enough that when looking down the path it looks as if you are entering a maze. However once you starting walking them they aren't all that bad, just be prepared to take your time, just in case you happen to take a wrong turn, but don't worry even if you take a wrong turn you will always be able to find your way out, even if its not at the same location that entered the hedges at.

While the gardens are beautiful and the fountains are amazing when I visited there were other things that you could do. For instance I had a friend that found he wanted to spend most of his time sitting on the steps to the palace sketching. Some of the pieces were amazing. There are also places that you can rent bicyles to ride around the gardens and see more in a shorter time (please note that while you are on a bicyle there are still going to be a lot of people walking on foot, so take notice of them). Also around a little lake or pond depending on what you call it people were sitting and reading and eating lunch. Some even were renting canoes to go out on the water.

While this might not make it sound like the best experience it really is and I hope that you will make a trip to see the beauty in the gardens. Just make sure that try and go on a pleasant day where the tempurature will be comfortable and there won't be rain. Also make sure that you plan to wear good shoes that you can walk in a good bit. And last but not least don't cut yourself short on time, if you have no other choice that is one thing, but try and plan a lot of time to see the gardens and if you want to see the palace make sure that you give yourself even more time. This will help to make sure that you make the most of your trip.

Opening times depend on the season as gotten from the official website

From 1 November to 31 March (low season)

Palace
Closed Mondays
9 am - 5.30 pm
Ticket offices close at 4:50

Trianon Palaces and Marie-Antoinette's Estate
Closed Mondays
12 pm - 5.30 pm
 Ticket office closes at 4.50 pm

Garden and Park
Closed Mondays
8 am - 6 pm

From 1 April to 31 October (high season)

Palace
Closed Mondays
9 am - 6.30 pm
Ticket office closes at 5.50 pm

Trianon Palaces and Marie-Antoinette's Estate
Closed Mondays
12 pm - 6.30 pm
Ticket office closes at 5.50 pm

Garden
Open every day
8 am - 8:30 pm

Park
Open every day
7 am - 7 pm for vehicles; 7 am - 8.30 pm for pedestrians

Musee De L'Orangerie - Paris France

Home to some of Monet's most famous paintings, the water lillies, the Musee De L'Orangerie is often an overlooked museum in Paris. While this museum houses paintings from some of the most famous artists on all time Monet's water lilles tend to steal the hearts of visitors of all ages. The museum has been the only place that has housed Monet's water lilles since his death. In 2000 the museum was closed for renovations and didn't reopen until May 2006.

When I went it was really busy, as a matter of fact I went in May 2006 as this was the time that I have planned my trip to Paris. So I had a wonderful time, but the line to get it was crazy. For those that are going now the lines will not be that bad and you might not even have to wait to get in. When I went in the museum I have to admit my eyes and attention were focused on finding the water lillies. I spend a lot of time admiring the lillies and would advise anyone that is in Paris to make sure that they take the time to look at these works of art, and don't rush yourself. Take plenty of time to look at the detail and admire the work. The display of these pieces is stunning, it's something that can't really be described. Remember when you are looking at the paintings, that you can take photos but you can't use flash. The flash from a camera will damage the canvas over time. When I went there was a security guide that was making sure that people didn't use flash, I don't know if they would still do that or not, but please don't risk damaging the paintings for people to enjoy in the future, turn off your flash.

While Monet's lillies are the star of the show at the Musee De L'Orangerie they are not the only pieces that are worth seeing. So make sure that you walk around the entire musuem and take your time. I wish that I had focused more on other works that were in the musuem and not just the lillies, but I did enjoy the entire museum, even though I would have liked more time.

Website: http://www.musee-orangerie.fr/

Closed Tuesdays, May 1, and Dec. 25
9AM-6PM