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Before you go
Your trip to Selma.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Selma – Alabama Destination Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma about 80 km from Montgomery
How to get there
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Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM) Montgomery · 75 km
Approximate distances. Check flights and bus, train or boat schedules before you travel.
By car, about 80 km west of Montgomery via US-80, the same road used in the 1965 march, and about 145 km from Birmingham. The nearest airport is Montgomery (MGM).
How many days
Half a day is enough for the bridge, Brown Chapel church and the museum. With a full day, drive the march route to Montgomery.
When to go
In spring and fall. On the first weekend of March, the annual bridge-crossing commemoration draws thousands of people.
The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.
Do you need a car?
Yes, for getting there and for the march route. Within the town, the bridge, downtown and the museum are walkable; Brown Chapel is about 1 km away.
Suggested itinerary
An order that works
Built with the places on this page. No rush: it's paced so you have time to see them.
One day in Selma
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Morning
Brown Chapel and the bridge
Start at Brown Chapel, where the marches began, and walk to the Edmund Pettus Bridge following the protesters’ route.
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Afternoon
Museum and the march route
Visit the National Voting Rights Museum across the bridge, then drive US-80 to Montgomery.
Check before you go. Opening hours and days change, and places may close for renovations, holidays or events. This itinerary is a suggestion from Cidade Turismo, not a commitment: plan yours by checking directly with each place you intend to visit.
Before you go
Frequently asked questions
What was Selma’s Bloody Sunday?
The attack by state police and local officers on marchers trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965, during a voting-rights march. The images shocked the nation.
Can you do the Selma to Montgomery march route?
Yes, by car along US-80, which forms the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. It’s about 87 km, with signs and markers along the road and a National Park Service interpretive center in Lowndes County.
When is Selma’s bridge-crossing commemoration?
It usually takes place on the first weekend of March, near the date of Bloody Sunday. Check the year’s program before you go.
Is it worth staying overnight in Selma?
The town has few lodging options. Many visitors make Selma a day trip from Montgomery.