Birmingham AL to Montgomery drive: Distance, time & best stops

Planning a Birmingham AL to Montgomery road trip itinerary

The Birmingham AL to Montgomery drive connects two of the key cities in Alabama.

Birmingham, Alabama, has a rich civil rights heritage. This is best explored on a civil rights tour which links the key sites and, crucially, puts them into context. Other Birmingham experiences include ghost walks and multi-brewery beer tours.

For museums, you’ve got the McWane Science Center, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark and more. 

The top-rated Birmingham accommodation picks are the Drury Inn and Suites Birmingham Grandview and the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Birmingham South.

The main reason to visit Montgomery is the Civil Rights heritage. There are several ways to explore this, with the cheapest being a self-guided audio tour and the most in-depth being a three hour private tour.

Other fun Montgomery experiences include a party pedal boat cruise along the Alabama River,

If planning to blitz several attractions, a city pass might save you money.

Birmingham AL to Montgomery drive

By car, the distance from Birmingham AL to Montgomery is 91 miles. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 24 minutes. The quickest route is down the I-65.

The best stops to add to a Birmingham Al to Montgomery road trip itinerary are Oak Mountain State Park, the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum and the Town of Spectre.

Birmingham AL to Montgomery drive: Oak Mountain State Park

Oak Mountain State Park is Alabama’s largest state park, covering 11,632 acres. There are more than 100 miles of trails for hikers and mountain bikers.

Other attractions include an aquapark obstacle course, a cable skiing zone, and 18 hole golf course, three fishing lakes and an elevated bird-watching boardwalk.

Come in summer, and it’s likely the picnic areas, playground and two beaches with swimming areas will get the most use.

Best stops between Birmingham AL and Montgomery: Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera AL is a slice of heaven for railroad geeks, and offers train rides through the forest.

If you don’t time it right for one of the rides, there are still two restored depots and a wealth of railroad memorabilia to explore. That’s on top of the locomotives and cabooses outside.

Birmingham to Montgomery road trip attractions: Town of Spectre

On the privately-owned Jackson Lake Island, the Town of Spectre is a ghost town. But it’s one that was never inhabited in the first place. It was a movie set for the Tim Burton film Big Fish, left in place when the filming finished. Shoes still hang above the entrance to the town as they did in the film.

To visit, you’ll need to make contact via the Jackson Lake Island Facebook page.

The Alabama State Capitol building in Montgomery.
The Alabama State Capitol building in Montgomery. Photo by 12019/ Pixabay.

More Birmingham AL road trips

Birmingham to Atlanta | Birmingham AL to Charlotte NC | Birmingham to Chattanooga | Chicago to Birmingham AL | Birmingham AL to Dallas | Birmingham AL to Destin FL | Birmingham AL to Gulf Shores AL | Houston to Birmingham AL | Huntsville to Birmingham | Birmingham AL to Jackson MS | Birmingham to Knoxville | Memphis to Birmingham AL | Meridian MS to Birmingham AL | Birmingham AL to Mobile AL | Birmingham AL to Nashville | Birmingham AL to New Orleans | Birmingham AL to Orlando | Birmingham AL to Panama City | Birmingham AL to Pensacola | Birmingham AL to Tampa | Tuscaloosa to Birmingham.

More Montgomery road trips

Montgomery to Atlanta | Memphis to Montgomery AL | Montgomery AL to Mobile AL | Montgomery AL to Nashville.