Old Town Alabama is one of the many things that is in Montgomery that can often be overlooked by the traveler. However this particular historic tour is something that I think everyone should make the time to see. While it is considered a tour you do not have to actually go with a tour group to see all the buildings and sites on the tour. You can do a self guided tour. When you buy your tickets you will be given a map of the sites included in your ticket. What I found very interesting is that they have people in costumes that are placed throughout the tour and you can stop and talk to them and ask questions, and the are very informative. You can also leave and come back throughout the day if you need to take a break or go get something to eat and come back. I do recommend making sure that you check the weather when you are planning to go because this is an outdoor tour. While you can go inside many of the buildings you will be walking from one to another and they are not always that close together. They also have some gardens that are around some of the old homes and those are worth looking at, especially if you have hit the right time of year so the flowers are in bloom. I found when I went that it was nice to go see a few of the buildings and then find a cool place to sit. Me and the person that I was with were actually lucky enough to be able to find a cool place where someone that worked there was,
so we were talking with him and asking him questions and learned a lot. It was really something that I enjoyed. There are all kinds of little things that you can learn by asking a lot of questions if you aren't too shy.
You are free to roam in and out of all the buildings and can look at your own pace but the Ordeman
House is the only one that you have to have a guided tour of. That is included in your admission so it is not extra, but I would make sure that you look to see what times the tours are when you get your tickets and do it. The inside is amazing, but the outside and the garden are even better. If you are planning to try and see all the buildings and sites then I would make sure that you have the ablity to go for an entire day. It's very nice and relaxing and the more time you have and the better the weather is the more fun you will have. It's also a good idea to make sure that you wear clothes that are comfy and shoes for walking. It's not like a hike would be but it's a fair amoung of walking.
Overall this was something that I though might be nice, but it was much better than I thought it would be, and I wish that I had alloted more time to see the tour. I plan on going back and seeing the tour in a more relaxed timeframe, and I recommend that should you find yourself in the Montgomery area you make sure that you check out this tour, and bring your camera.
Hours are Mon.-Sat. 9AM-4PM last ticket sold at 3PM Mon.-Fri. and 2:30PM on Sat.
Closed Sundays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day
Admission is $10 for adults and children are $5, children under 6 are free
The list of complete buildings on the tour can be found at The Old Town Alabama's Website.
