These 10 free things to do in Montgomery, Alabama, will help you have a cheap family vacation.

1. Alabama Cattleman’s Association Museum
A hands-on children’s educational center with a unique agricultural theme including displays and exhibits on nutrition.

2. Alabama Department of Archives and History
Oldest state-funded Archives in the nation, housed in a beautiful marble building completed in 1940.  Featured are museum galleries and a genealogical research facility.  Exhibits include Alabama Indians, military and 19th century galleries along with “Grandma’s Attic,” a hands-on gallery for kids.

3. Alabama Judicial Building
Home of the Alabama Supreme Court, Courts of Criminal and Civil Appeals, the State Law Library, and the Administrative Office of Courts.  Take a tour and learn about history of the legal profession and judicial branch of government in Alabama.

4. Alabama State Capitol
The state capitol has been designated a National Historic Landmark.  The Alabama State Capitol is where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as president of the Confederate States of America and where the Civil Rights March ended with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivering a stirring speech from the top of its steps.  The historic Senate and House of Representatives Chambers, the old Supreme Court Chambers and the original governor’s office have all been restored to their Civil War-era appearance. 

5. Blount Cultural Park
A lush oasis in the city, reminiscent of the English countryside, this park is home to beautiful trees, flowers, sculptures, a wood and stone bridge, and the unique architectural designs of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.

6. Governor’s Mansion
Built in 1906, this graceful mansion has been home to the governor of Alabama since its purchase in 1950.  It blends Colonial style architecture with Greek revival influences, and is a stately executive mansion.

7. Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama
The 2 million square foot manufacturing plant sits on 1,744 acres of land and includes a stamping facility, paint shop, vehicle assembly shop, a two-mile test track and an engine shop, where the Hyundai 3.3-liter VG engine is produced.  Hour-long, guided tram tours are available Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 and 2 p.m. and on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. 

8. Ice Palace
Ice skate year-round in a climate-controlled enclosed rink inside Eastdale Mall. The Ice Palace is Alabama’s only ice rink in a mall.

9. Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
A permanent collection that includes examples of 19th ad 20th century American paintings and sculpture, Southern regional art, Old Master prints and decorative art.  This building also houses Alabama’s first interactive fine arts gallery for children, ARTWORKS.

10. Shakespeare Gardens & Amphitheater
Located within the Blount Cultural Park, visit one of seven such gardens in the USA, which features plants and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays.