The Courthouse used in "To Kill a Mockingbird"
We were up in time to have breakfast at the hotel, although we stopped half way to the lobby to chat with other guests. The clouds overhead looked very dark and threatening and we all agreed that there was a good chance of rain today. A quick breakfast and we are off for the day. The first stop was right downtown in Monroeville. The Old Monroe County Courthouse is now a museum and during April and May of each year they use the courthouse and grounds in the same manner was used many years ago when Gregory Peck starred in the movie of the story by Nelle Harper Lee’s book "To Kill A Mockingbird". The two act play is presented daily and local actors have fun with the event. We were way too early to wait for the play, but we got a picture.
Rikard’s Mill was next stop and we got there a little early.
A pretty house.
But soon the person who runs the place drove up and unlocked the gates. He was happy to have guests and spent well over an hour explaining every phase of the water powered griss mill while we watched and took pictures. He dumped dried corn in the top, turned a wheel which allowed the blades in the water below to move to a certain angle and the top stone of the mill began to turn. He could move the top stone up and down to adjust the grind from coarse to fine. It was interesting.
From there we went to Montgomery. Alabama to visit the Old Alabama Town area. It wasn’t something we could walk so we drove and saw some of the fabulous places all over the downtown area. We also took in another of the four driving tours of the city.
Then a few minutes in the Shakespeare Gardens to look at the small gardens area. Pretty!
Oh, by the way, although it was cloudy nearly all day, we only got very small smatterings of rain once or twice. Never had to turn on the windshield wipers.
Four driving tours available of the best parts of Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama is rich with historic homes, buildings and sights. At Old Alabama Town we found that there are four driving tours of the area and they each include some of the outstanding historic buildings and Museums of the town. Each is mapped out so you can spend as much time as you wish going from one to the next and enjoying it all. A few of the historic buildings include the Alabama State Capitol, the First White House of the Confederacy, Martin Luther King Jr’s Former Home, the Murphy House, the Teague House, St. John’s Episcopal Church, the Civil Rights Memorial, the Hank Williams Statue and Museum, and the Rosa Parks Library and Museum. The tours are easy to follow, and set up so taking pictures is a snap.
