Weekend in Montgomery

A September 2010 trip to Montgomery by stvchin

Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church Photo - Lightning Route Trolley, Montgomery, Alabama

Quote: Out football weekend in Montgomery Alabama turned into a weekend of discovery and learning.

34 Photos

Dreamland BBQ

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Dreamland BBQ Photo - Dreamland BBQ, Montgomery, Alabama

Quote:

I’ve read that Dreamland BBQ was one of the best restaurants in Alabama. Finding ourselves in Montgomery, Alabama, we decided to see if that was true or not. This Dreamland BBQ location is in a newly remodeled area of downtown Montgomery near the riverfront, called "The Alley," which sports shopping, restaurants, bars, and loft style living above these businesses. There was a little wait, as The Alley and Dreamland BBQ appear to be popular hotspots for locals and tourists alike.

Dreamland BBQ’s interior is decked out in nice wood, with corrugated iron cladding. Various local area photos, news articles, and other local (Bama and Auburn) sports paraphernalia were prominently displayed. We took a seat at the bar for a few drinks as we waited for a table. The bartender was very friendly and lively, and local sports were playing on the televisions. While at the bar, Montgomery’s Finest came in and waited for a takeout order. We chatted with the local PD, who reaffirmed that this was one of their favorite restaurants, and cops do know all the good places to eat.

A quick while later, we were seated at our table. The menu features everything from starters, such as BBQ wings, sausages, to sandwiches, salads, and entrees. Except for the full slab of ribs, there’s really nothing all that expensive. Most entrees are around the $10-$11 mark. Our friendly waitress took our orders, and I chose the rib sandwich, and Dreamland BBQ is known for their BBQ pork ribs. My friend chose the pulled pork sandwich.

After amusing ourselves people watching and talking with other customers, our orders arrived in paper lined plastic baskets. My friend loved the pulled pork sandwich. It was a huge heap of pulled pork on a buttered and grilled bun, with a side of cole slaw, pickles, and a small cup of BBQ sauce. The pork was very juicy and full of flavor, and barely needed any sauce at all. He did add a little sauce for some tangy sweetness to the pork. My rib sandwich really isn’t a sandwich in the traditional sense. It does have two pieces of white bread with four juicy pork ribs in between. Obviously I don’t have the teeth and jaws to crunch bone, so what you do is eat the ribs normally. The ribs were very most and meaty, with the meat very easy to remove from the bone. The bread was nothing special, just white bread. Our waitress said that tradition dictates you use the bread as a vehicle to eat the BBQ sauce by dipping in the BBQ sauce as and eating it, and it’s good stuff. The side salad was good, with lots of cheese. My mac and cheese was good comfort food, it's nice and cheesy, but nothing special. Our dessert was the famous homemade banana pudding. It has nice pieces of bananas, some bread, and lots of yummy pudding. It’s a good comfort dessert. Our total was only $27 for two entrees, dessert, and drinks.

Dreamland BBQ has a friendly and lively atmosphere, but most of all, the food is excellent. This isn’t the white cloth napkin type of BBQ, but the emphasis is on good, affordable food.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 24, 2011

Dreamland BBQ
101 Tallapoosa Street - The Alley
Montgomery, Alabama 36104
(334) 273-7427

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Lightning Route Trolley

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Attraction | "Montgomery's "hop-on, hop-off" Civil Rights Tour."

Quote:

There is a "hop-on, hop-off" trolley tour of downtown Montgomery. There are two lines, Green, and Gold. The Green line seems to be focused on downtown Montgomery and is the shorter tour. The Gold line seems to focus more on Montgomery's notable Civil Rights cites. My friends and I ended up taking both. An all day pass is just $1 and a ticket can be purchased at the gift shop counter in Union Station. The ticket allows you to hop off at any site, and hop back on later. The buses run about every 20 minutes.

The trolleys are diesel buses outfitted to resemble old streetcar trolleys. We were lucky and were the only ones on the bus. One thing that strikes you the second you board the bus are posters of anti-discrimination laws posted several places on the bus, and how to report any incidents of discrimination.

Our tour bus driver was very friendly and extremely knowledgable of all of the areas we visited. Being his only riders, he even gave us a few moments at each stop to run off to snap a quick photo or two. One thing that we also noticed is that most of downtown Montgomery is quiet, almost desolate. We even stopped in the middle of the street for photo ops, as there was no traffic present.

The Gold line takes us from Union Station, to Court Square, past a large fountain. Our driver pointed out a bus stop witha plaque next to it. This was the bus stop where a seamstress named Rosa Parks boarded a bus. Then a few stops later, Rosa Parks was asked to give up her seat. Contrary to popular belief, she was not asked to sit in the "colored" section of the bus, she was already sitting there. There were no other seats available, and she was asked to give up her seat for white passengers who were standing. Oddly enough, there was a law on the books that said nobody would be required to give up their seats. Rosa Parks, tired after a long day at work, she refused and was arrested.

We continued up to Dexter Way, passing various government buildings. We stopped at the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. Our bus driver told us this is where a young Martin Luther King Jr, was pastor from 1954 to 1960. He organized many of the protests, including the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, at this church. Our bus driver told us to look just a few hundred yards down Dexter Avenue and pointed out the Alabama State Police building (now Alabama Dept. of Homeland Security) and the State Capitol at the end of Dexter Avenue. You could literally jog from the church to the State Capitol in about 3 minutes. Our bus driver made us realize how much tension there was during the Civil Rights Movement, as the Governor and Rev. King could actually see each other as they organized their respective activities, and the State Police could easily peer out the window at the carloads of protesters and organizers arriving at the church.

From the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, we went to the State Capitol, and around back to Jackson Street. We slowly drove past the home where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived at while in Montgomery. It's now the Dexter Parsonage Museum, which portrays the life of Dr. King as an everyday person, as a father and husband, and a protest organizer. Our bus driver pointed out a dark spot (not visible from the street) where somebody threw a firebomb at the patio. It's hard for one to imagine not even being safe at home, which should be one's sanctuary.

A little further down the tour, we drove by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Our bus driver explained that the Southern Poverty Law Center fights against hate groups, and promoting tolerance. In the front corner of the lawn is the Civil Rights Memorial. There's a large black granite wall with a quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., often quoted from the bible, Amos 5:24 "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." The middle of the Civil Rights Memorial has a round granite slab with names of those who lost their lives in the struggle for civil rights.

After a 20 minute ride, we returned to Union Station. We also took the Green line, which takes us to other sights, such as the Montgomery Biscuits Stadium, the downtown area known as "The Alley."

We passed the Rosa Parks Library and Museum, which has chronicled the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the works of various Civil Rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King. We would later return to the museum on our own.

After taking both tours, if I could only take one, I'd take the Gold line. Actually being where the Civil Rights Movement happened, seeing the venues, and imagining what happened decades ago gave me a new perspective on things. It personalized the events of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. No longer are they just names in a section of a history book that I read back in school.

People always say to avoid the bus tours, but this is an exception. For a mere dollar, this tour is definately well worth it. The bus drivers are very knowledgable about the tour, and history of the sites. As a avid history buff, this was a very educational, and very valued experience. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on January 17, 2011

Lightning Route Trolley
300 Water Street
Montgomery, Alabama
334.262.0013